Dazzled by Books

  Top 10 fictional book characters that have effected my life.

(Warning! Contains spoilers!)

    #5. Richard Rahl, The Sword of Truth: Starting off this list is the character that I have most recently been introduced to. Although there are several issues I had with these books I cant help but appreciate this character. His commitment to preserving life at any cost and refusing everything except for the absolute truth is inspiring to me.

    What I loved most about reading through Richards stories is that no matter the situation or person, every time Richard appeared, things changed. Whether it was a persons stony hard heart or an impossibly bleak situation, Richards presence and influence never failed to (forcibly at times) transform his surroundings. There is no middle ground when it comes to peoples feelings about him. They either love him and follow his example, or hate him and try to remove him. I desire to have that effect wherever my feet lead me in life.

    #4.Drizzt Do'Urden, The Legend of Drizzt: Is there hope for one who is born with a heart that hates everything his people stand for? Can a person overcome bigotry, racism, centuries of inherited wrong doings and forge a life that matches the desires of his heart?

    The philosophical musings of Drizzt and his journey to find peace in the war between his heritage and the opposing desires of his heart create a reading experience that forced me as a reader to consider my own views on life. It also has given me hope that regardless of the hand we are dealt in life, we are able to create the life that our heart desires.  We are not what other people decide to think about us. We are a combination of the desires of our hearts and the subsequent actions that comes from those desires. No matter how many times he was automatically met with hatred because of his race, Drizzt never let that change who he was. Over time, through his persistence to stay true to himself, everyone was forced to admit the truth of who Drizzt was on the inside.

    I can relate to this struggle more than I care to admit and Drizzt Do'Urdens life gives me hope for my own future.

    #3. Harry Copperstone Blackfield Dresdon, The Dresdon Files: With an annoyingly harsh sense of sarcasm and a painfully punny sense of wit, Harry Dresdon easily wins my award for favorite dialogue sequences I have ever read. These books are the only ones that have forced me out of my introverted shell in social situations while reading to say "Everyone, I need to read this to you! Its freakin hilarious!"

    Combine that with a commitment to making rash and emotionaly stupid mistakes, a sad story of an orphan forcing others to notice and respect his existance, and a stark refusal to back down to all forms of supernatural bullies and you have one of the most entertaining characters ive ever had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with.

    #2. Sturm Brightblade, DragonLance: One of the greatest things a person has in his/her life is ideals. These ideals and standards will guide a persons life and give it meaning in difficult times. They also give a foundation for the "cause" that a person devotes their life to. I learned these lessons through the life and death of Sturm. I actually still have vivid memories of raw moments where I wanted my life to be devoted to a good cause the way Sturm's was. I remember passing through his moments and wondering "Would I die for me ideals?"
    Est Sularus Oth Mithas. The tranlastion is "My Honor is my life."

    There is a reason Sturm is the first Hero of the Lance. His story is the reason why I have a desire for "Inward wealth" more than outward prosperity.  Commit yourself to an idea rather than things and you will never be poor.

    #1. Raistlin Majere, DragonLance: Yep, Thats right. Two characters from DragonLance. It cant be helped. The soul of those books are forever etched into my heart. Where do I begin with Raistlin?

There is actually no way I could describe the full impact that his story has had on me. His trials and frustrations......His impossible victories and utterly selfish failures. He many times threw the rest of the world to the wolves in his selfish pursuits and yet was the only one to have care and compassion on those who were mocked and ridiculed. In his own broken body he was weak to the point of helplessness but he was able to overcome to entire world and eventually challenge the Gods themselves.

I have felt both overwhelming joy at his victories and personally betrayed at his moments of selfishness. His cynical but honest world view spoke to me about walking through life with your eyes open and not automatically adhering to traditions and beliefs. I have never found another character in any other book that was so wonderfully real. I love this character like a real person and I cant imagine an author creating a character that would demand a more visceral emotional response from my heart.

    "-Excerpt from "Time of The Twins" (Bupu the gullydwarf talking to Par-Salian about the archmage Raistlin Majere)

     "Me no creature!" Bupu lifted her tear-stained, mud-streaked face from the floor, her hair frizzled up like an angry cat's. Glaring at Par-salian, she stood and started forward, tripped over the bag she carried, and sprawled flat on the floor. Undaunted, the gully dwarf picked herself and faced Par-salian. "Me know nothing 'bout big powerful wizards." Bupu waved a grubby hand. "Me know nothing 'bout no charm spell. Me know magic is in this" -she scrabbled around in the bag, the drew forth the dead rat and waved it in Par-salian's direction -"and me know that man you talk 'bout here is nice man. Him nice to me." Clutching the dead rat to her chest, Bupu stared tearfully at Par-salian. "The others - the big man, the kender - they laugh at Bupu. They look at me like me some sort of bug." Bupu rubbed her eyes. There was a lump in Tas's throat, and he felt lower than a bug himself. Bupu continued, speaking softly. "Me know how me look." Her filthy hands tried in vain to smooth her dress, leaving streaks of dirt down it. "Me know me not pretty, like lady lying there." The gully dwarf snuffled, but then she wiped her hand across her nose and -raising her head- looked at Par-salian defiantly. "But him not call me 'creature!' Him call me 'little one.' Little one, she repeated."

     Gently he stroked the gully dwarf's rough hair. "No, Raistlin would never laugh at you, little one. He knew, he remembered. There were too many who had laughed at him."

Today's giveaway is a finished copy of "All the Right Stuff" by Walter Dean Meyers.