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Best Written Characters


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23 hours ago, Foot_Of_The_King said:

Theon

The 3 Lannister Siblings

Arya

Sandor (If I pick a non POV)

*Thats just off the top of my head. I’m missing a ton.*

A few more I didn’t name the first time.
 

Ned - Detective Stark trying to solve the Jon Aryyn murder is one of my favorite plots in the whole series.

Barristan - Love when we get in his head.

Cat

Dany

Bobby B

Stannis

Varys

Littlefinger 

Tywin

Roose 

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I will have to slightly disagree with my forum friends who chose Arya Stark.  This is my opinion, but to me, her character border on the ridiculous.  Tyrion can also seem really ridiculous at times.  It was already mentioned on another topic about Tyrion.  A man his size will not be able to use a battle axe effectively. 

I wanted that out of the way to clear the air.

The best written characters?  Eddard Stark, Cersei Lannister, Daenerys Targaryen.  Those three are tops.

 

 

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I would say for me personally Davos and Theon are my favorite to re-read. Theon in particular has, in my opinion, the best redemption arc ever written (or rather, that I've read). I went from dislike, to hate and disgust, to genuinely feeling for the guy. Then actually rooting for him. The chapters that take place in Winterfell are some of my favorite in the entire series, and I've read or listened to them more times than I can count. Jaime also has an amazing redemption arc that took me on a similar journey.

As for Davos, he's my favorite character in the entire series. Time and time again, despite being in no position to do so more often than not, he stands up for what he believes in and gives honest, wise council. Even on pain of death he gives the "hard truths" without fail. He is the true arbiter of common sense and decency in a world full of fanatics and manipulators.

Davos: "Ser, may I have your name?" Jared: "Ser Jared, of House Frey". Davos: "Jared of House Frey, I name you liar". Still gets me worked up when I read that chapter.

And Stannis gets some major points as well for having chosen Davos as his hand. 

I really don't think there are any "badly" written characters in the series. Even the ones who may seem cartoonish at times. People like that actually exist (I know a few haha). Even the over the top villains like Ramsey are great reads. There are people just as crazy in the real world out there (or have been). African dictators with solid gold AK47s who engage in cannibalism and have armies of child soldiers. 

And as for the minor characters. I know of no other series with such amazing writing for minor characters. Wyman Manderly with his mummers farce speech and his candor at Winterfell. Septon Meribald with his broken men speech. Literally everything about Sandor Clegane. The list goes on and on. 

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On 7/24/2020 at 6:27 PM, GoldenGail3 said:

Stannis and Jaime,

I feel those two capture the best "human heart in conflict with itself" which is Martin quotes as something he strives for in his writing.

Quote

 When he was done, more than three-quarters of his page still remained to be filled between the gold lion on the crimson shield on top and the blank white shield at the bottom. Ser Gerold Hightower had begun his history, and Ser Barristan Selmy had continued it, but the rest Jaime Lannister would need to write for himself. He could write whatever he chose, henceforth.
Whatever he chose . . .

Jaime gets also plus points because he reminds me of Maedhros a bit.

Quote

"When I was a lad I found an injured goshawk and nursed her back to health. Proudwing, I named her. She would perch on my shoulder and flutter from room to room after me and take food from my hand, but she would not soar. Time and again I would take her hawking, but she never flew higher than the treetops. Robert called her Weakwing. He owned a gyrfalcon named Thunderclap who never missed her strike. One day our great-uncle Ser Harbert told me to try a different bird. I was making a fool of myself with Proudwing, he said, and he was right." Stannis Baratheon turned away from the window, and the ghosts who moved upon the southern sea. "The Seven have never brought me so much as a sparrow. It is time I tried another hawk, Davos. A red hawk."

 

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On 7/23/2020 at 8:52 PM, Widowmaker 811 said:

I will have to slightly disagree with my forum friends who chose Arya Stark.  This is my opinion, but to me, her character border on the ridiculous.

Don't remember if i saw you in my other post, but it would be nice if you could justify your opinion of her.....which is what is ridiculous,.....IMO.

Not here. It would be offtopic. But in 

 

On 7/23/2020 at 8:52 PM, Widowmaker 811 said:

Tyrion can also seem really ridiculous at times.  It was already mentioned on another topic about Tyrion.  A man his size will not be able to use a battle axe effectively. 

Oh Please! You talk as if the only thing Tyrion did in the entire series was to swing a battleaxe which he should'nt have been able to.

His sharp wit, sarcasm, hurt, hidden kindness (hidden bcoz then no one would fear and respect him in that prejudiced world. Hell! Take his father itself) and a countless other qualities and emotions seem to have escaped your mind.

You can put anybody as best written, from Ramsay to Walder frey, I wouldn't give as shit. But please do not put silly reasons why others' opinion of their best written characters is wrong....WITHOUT VALID JUSTIFICATION.

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On 7/22/2020 at 8:41 PM, Roswell said:

 

 

Best written is not always the same as favorite.  It is also not the same in meaning as best human being in the story.  It means Martin has done a great job of creating these folks and making them interesting to the readers.  These are well written and not in ranked order.

  • Catelyn Stark - she does not make my list of favorites but meets the requirements set by @Lord of Raventree Hall
  • Daenerys Targaryen - my personal favorite and probably the best character ever created by George R. R. Martin.  
  • Arianne Martell 
  • Barristan Selmy

 

 

On 7/22/2020 at 2:23 AM, Lord of Raventree Hall said:

 

I am asking myself what is considered well-written characters.  What makes a character 3 dimensional?  A character must be fleshed out to be in consideration.  They cannot be included simply because they are interesting.  You are not asking for Most Interesting.  Those conditions would leave out interesting but hollow characters like Drogo, Roose, Oberyn, Bronn, Skahaz, and Hizdahr.  We know next to nothing about their past.  A solid character has a past and a future.  This person is someone who we get to know.  We know what they want.  Lastly, the character is someone who provokes deep feelings in the readers.  I think these would meet my criteria.

  1. Theon is a loser and we know why.  We know what he's yearning for and how it led him to Ramsay's kennels.  How much torture can a man take and still be a man. 
  2. Jorah the finest example of what a gray character is.  When he loves, he loves deeply and completely.
  3. Barristan is a man with a lot of regrets.  He gets his chance to set things right with Dany. 
  4. Daenerys is a wonderful character.  We know not only her backstory but her family's.  She is going through an amazing journey.  This is what fantasy is all about.  Daenerys is the antidote to the boredom from the too common boy heroes of lesser novels. 
  5. Jon is the angry boy with a chip on his shoulders.  Remember what I said about provoking strong feelings.  I don't like Jon.  That is saying it politely.  But the fact that he annoys the hell out of me means he meets the criteria.
  6. Walder is the way he is because his father almost lost the family fortune.  He is careful because his father's recklessness almost lost them the bridge.  Any fair reader can understand and sympathize with him for being mad at the Starks.  What he did may be terrible but we know why he did it.  I want to have more pages of Walder material in the last two volumes. 
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I would like to see PoV of Roose Bolton. After all Boltons are ancient house and they might already have existed during Long Night. So he might know more about CoF, magic, Old Gods, Others, ancient Starks and supernatural phenomena than almost anyone else. Besides it would have been very interesting to see what he thought about Arya and why he tolerates Ramsay. But may be his POV would have revealed too much and so the author decided for that reason exclude that POV.

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10 hours ago, R2D said:

Yeah especially a Loras POV. I wish we had a Loras POV instead of Melisandre.

I agree here, but there are a few others I would put above Melisandre (Greyjoys minus Theon, Quentyn, Brienne, Sam, Areo, to name a few)

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2 hours ago, nyser1 said:

I agree here, but there are a few others I would put above Melisandre (Greyjoys minus Theon, Quentyn, Brienne, Sam, Areo, to name a few)

Same I hate Melisandre. She's stupid and I hate her dumb catchphrase. 

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