Quote:
Originally Posted by speakingtohe
It seems that it is important to me. I have read a few books lately that were well written interesting etc. And the protagonists were reasonable normal people, but for some reason I don't like them overly much. I certainly don't find them objectionable, and there are some evil characters in books and shows I like far more.
Just curious as I have encountered two in a row
Helen
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It's important to me that a character is believable, which, at least in fantasy, is sometimes not the case. I often have great trouble believing that a 15-16 year old character can be thrown into an adventure "as the only one in the world who can save everybody." Most children of 15-16 I know would be squished flat or die of fright within the first 10 pages of the adventure.
I've been re-reading the Belgariad and Malloreon novels by David Eddings for the last 6 weeks or so, and I think that the second series is better than the first one, although they are very much alike; it's just because the main characters are more believable.
In the first series, Garion and Ce'Nedra are children of 16 and 15, a farm-boy and a spoiled princess, thrown into an adventure to kill a god (Garion's quest), marry the hero (Ce'Nedra's destiny), and then become the most powerful rulers in the west to which all kings must bow.
While it's a good series and written well (for the most part; I sometimes find the dialogue a bit overdone), it's just not that believable. I actually like all the other characters much more, as the story puts them in their late twenties to early thirties, except one (Lelldorin, around 19.)
At some point in the beginning of the second series, Garion is 25. He was 16 in the first book, the quest lasted around a year and a half, and in the second series his assistant/Rivan Warder says something like "It has been eight years since you got married, and you still have no heir."
Later in the book, Belgarath says something like: "It has been about a dozen years since you killed Torak", so Garion has to be around 29 at that point, but it gets murky as some other dude says that Torak was killed about 14 years ago, which would put Garion at 31.
Long story short, at the point the series and quest gets underway in earnest, Garion is around 28-29, and at the end of the series he'd be around 30-31.
I find that a way more believable age to do earth-shattering things than 16.
One thing I also don't like is the young women in the books going after men that would normally be seen as very old. For example, Liselle (Velvet) had been in love with Kheldar (Silk) "as long as she could remember", and had been waiting "to meet him on adult terms." In the beginning of the second series they meet when Liselle is just entering the Drasnian spy service at around 16 (at the same time Garion is around 25), and later, she tags along during the quest. Garion is 29, so Liselle should be around 20 then.
But, at some point in Chtol Murgos, Kheldar says something like: "This would have happened when I was around 8 years old or so... 40 years ago." This would mean Kheldar is around 48 in the second series, performing physical feats you wouldn't ever see a real 48 year old man do (like jumping from horse to horse in mid-canter, like the movie version of Legolas), while being seduced and chased by a 20 year old woman/girl. Gold digger much? Silk IS the richest person in the world, you know.
King Urgit of Chtol Murgos, at age 39 (he actually states his exact age himself), is going to be married to Princess Prala, 16, who has been "seducing him for ages." That's a 23 year difference in age right there, and how in the world would a girl of 16 be seducing men 20+ years older than her "for ages"? Hard to believe.
Yes, I'm a stickler for character ages, and them doing unbelievable things at various stages in their life. I know fanatsy is partly suspension of disbelief, but having 16-17 year old boys and girls killing gods, and 16-20 year old girls chase after 39-48 year old men is just hard to swallow sometimes.