by Gail Z. Martin
I did a post recently for Orbit’s blog about some of my favorite SF/F heroes. You can read it here:
Of course, there’s not enough room in one blog post for all my favorites. I’ve been a Batman fan since I was a kid (goes with the vampire thing, I’m sure). And along with that certainly goes other favorite vamps like Lestat (because Louis is too whiny), Barnanas Collins (the Jeremy Iron’s version), Acheron, the Count Saint-Germain and even Sinclair from Mary Janice Davidson’s Undead series.
Big surprise that mages also turn up on my favorites list. I was pleased to watch Harry Potter grow into a strong heroic character. I liked Belgarion from the David Edding’s series, pretty much all of Mercedes Lackey’s main characters, and Camber of Culdi.
I like heroes who have self doubt, who aren’t arrogant in their power, who are conflicted and question themselves, which keeps a hero from becoming a vigilante. I want heroes who are believable as real people, not just cardboard cutout, square-jawed action figures. I also want to see heroes who have meaningful personal relationships, someone who has people he or she truly cares about, who has a reason bigger than him/herself to act.
That’s what I try for in my own heroic characters, although I think each of them would try to wiggle out of the term “hero.” So here’s where I’ll turn it over to you. What makes your heroes tick?
