[King Bear]

1. Quick Ben
2. Quick Ben
3. Quick Ben
4. Quick Ben
5. Icarium

But seriously

1. Quick Ben
2. Quick Ben
3. Quick Ben
4. Quick Ben
5. Quick Ben

- TQB FTW! -

Now that's out of the way:

1. Quick Ben (and Kalam!)
2. Icarium (and Mappo!)
3. Whiskeyjack
4. Tehol (and Bugg!)
5. Trull

Damned hard to narrow it down to just 5 characters. I also like Brys, Rake, Fiddler, Hedge, Bottle, Iktovian, Silchis, Tool, Coltaine, Kruppe, Pust, Toc, Cotilion, Ganoes, Dujek, Duiker, Heboric.....

Soooooo many good characters. O Malazan Book of the Fallen, how do I love thee?

[stender]

Oh and Pormqual. Now hear me out. Pormqual is the single character in the hundreds in the series that you can utterly despise. He is the only one where you can't "see his side of things." He has no redeeming qualities, and it is kind of refreshing to be able to loathe a character completely in this series.

[Ligeza]

First post

1. Quick Ben - His just awesome at everything - when he fended of the Edur.. goosebumps everywhere

2. Kalam - Just like Quick Ben but using his knives instead of magic.

3. Cotillion - A god with awesome skill yet one that still cares for mortals whereas it seems rest just play their game.

4. Genoes Paran - Main character for me, like someone said 'it started with him, it'll finish with him.'

5. Karsa - His single-mindedness and ability to kill anything

[Agraba]

Fist Pormqual

Tanal Yathvanar

Kallor

the Mhybe

the Errant

[Icarium Kalam]

Agraba, on 18 April 2011 - 08:47 AM, said:

Fist Pormqual

Tanal Yathvanar

Kallor

the Mhybe

the Errant

pfff...

[Ilona]

Right so this has changed somewhat since 2008 when I last made a list like this (the thread actually still exists in the MoI forum so I was able to check, yes I was bored yesterday)...

1. Silchas Ruin. No competition there. I think all my friends regardless of whether they read MBotF or not know by now who he is. Obsessions are fun.

2. Fiddler. Don't remember much of him from GotM no matter how many times I re-read it. He really starts to stand out for me on DG, and after that he's made a steady climb to land second on my list.

3. Cotillion. The Patron of Assassins in itself is already pretty damn badass, and his intellectual qualities add worlds to his coolness, but what got him on this list is his repeatedly shown "human" side combined with that all.

4. Anomander Rake. Sorry dude, but in the end, your brother is more my type. You're still awesome though. *pat*

5. Whiskeyjack. Can't get rid of him, even given his drastically reduced screen time since his death (Captain Obvious much, eh?).


Honorary mentions to (in no particular order): Quick Ben & Kalam, Rallick & Torvald Nomnom, Trull Sengar, Tool, Dassem Ultor, Tehol & Bugg/Mael, Korlat, Yedan Derryg, Picker & Blend...

[Bulwyf]

Karsa, Rake, Trull, Tehol, Quick Ben

[Verjigorm]

1. Cottilion - He's the ideal tragic character, immortal, very powerful, still very humane, but helpless in the face of all the despair and insanity around him.
2. Apsalar - she's also a very tragic character with awesome skills, not really able to open up to anyone, due to her possession.
3. Hellian - By far the best, unique and funniest perspective of a drunk character, I've ever read. My Malazan comic relief character no.1.
4. Iskaral Pust - His way of irritating people by expressing his thoughts out loud is hilariously funny, but also a great scheme to accomplish his ambitions.
5. Silchas Ruin - All his sacrifices, all his brokenness and all his destroyed ambitions touch me deep inside.

It's tough to pick just 5, cause the Malazan universe offers so many great characters. Others that shine out, but didn't make my top 5 include:

Anomander Rake, Tehol and Bugg, Blend, Skintick, the Mott Iregulars, Shimmer, Kulp, Kallor, Cpt. Kindly and Tayshrenn.

[Steel General]

1. Malazan
2. Book
3. Of
4. The
5. Fallen

To hard to narrow it down, there are so many great characters spread throughout the series.

[TheBlackMistress]

in no particular order:
Quick Ben
Tehol
Anomander
Iskaral Pust
Paran
Helian
Toc
Shadowthrone

[geniusloci]

Uhm...
I also can't write only five. I missed Kalam a lot. I almost cried for Trull. I felt Onos like no one else. Karsa was developed simply amazing and very unforgiving to my attention. Gennoes Paran.. QB was a miss sometimes, it seems that he is more powerful being (or beings) than almost everyone else yet his back-story wasn't very fulfilling. The whole part that was about Itkovian sacrifice left me breathless. Gruntle... oh, my...

It's better to say whom I dislike, because I would point like 3 or 4 names

[Rhand]

In no particular order:

- Ganoes Paran
- Karsa Orlong
- Trull Sengar
- Kruppe
- Iskaral Pust

[LordofTheFallen]

I'm leaving out all gods and ascendants simply because they are likable often by power alone and would clog up my list, technically speaking Ganoes Paran is also a god/ascendant.


1. Manask. (from stoneweilder, so no spoilers other than he's very likable)
2. Kalam/Quick Ben. They are a team, and they would take up valuable spots on my list if I put them seperatly
3. Telorast/Curdle. The fact that these almighty dragons are so "weak and helpless" in their little skeletal bodies combined with their humor puts them on my list.
4. Icarium/Karsa. Both are unstoppable powerhouses and they are also likable, though Icarium can get tedious when he's forgotten everything...
5. Hairlock. even though he is evil, his power alone speaks for itself. he was unstoppable before Quick cut his strings and the Hounds stepped in.
6. The Wickens and the Seguleh. I like these guys simply because they are the best warriors. period.
7. Yedan Derryg. I'll admit that he isn't that much as of now, but wait til his part in TCG
8. Brazen Tooth. A powerhouse master seargent who kicks wholesale ass in RotCG
9. Tehol. I shouldn't have to explain this choice...
10. Kiska and Leoman. They are both strong and clever, and they make a great team.

[worry]

At #1 you're gung ho anti-SW spoilers and by #10 you're just like aw screw it. Quick turnaround!

[MillionSpots]

Gods, so many to choose from!

#1 - Quick Ben and Kalam. I really, really like their tandem.

#2 - Silchas Ruin. One of the very few Tiste Andii who knows how to joke. I also like how he's portrayed throughout the series; cruel at first, then we see him crying, then in TCG...

#3 - Hood. Yeah!

#4 - Ganoes Paran. From little kid to confused officer to gutsick captain to someone who kicks a goddess' ass. I love this character. Also, he's described as handsome, so yeah. *fangirl mode*

#5 - Trull Sengar. I love this guy.


Others: Nait, Anomander Rake, Onrack, Icarium and Mappo, Fiddler and Hedge, Antsy (and the rest of Bridgeburners first introduced in GotM), Kindly and Pores, Iskaral Pust, Tehol and Bugg, Kruppe, Toc the Younger, Iron Bars, Kulp, Cotillion and ST... Still many more, but I'll leave it at that.

[Mcflury]

#1: Kruppe: very mysterious guy, obviously very powerful and has at least K'rul at his side. Also his humor is lovely, how people can just drown in his words and not know the difference between their mouth and ass anymore at the end of a conversation

#2: Iskaral Pust: same as Kruppe for making people crazy, but I sometimes think Iskaral's humour is a bit too obvious. It's too clear at times he's just constantly pulling everyone's leg, making sure people will just see through his cover right away if they have half a brain. (Of course though, Iskaral knows this as well, so he might just adjust his tactic accordingly etc)

#3: Coltaine: I've always loved him. Great guy. At many times I actually consider him greater than Anomander. Mainly because Anomander has all the magic and stuff for him as well, Coltaine basically only has his cold iron and his following ascendancy to kick ass. (and, well, an army of loyal wickans, malazans,...)

#4: Tehol Beddict: self explanatory indeed

#5: Gesler and Stormy: okay, I'll be honoust, there are many characters I like at least as much, but I wanted to mention Ges and Storm here as well just because they're awesomely badass. It mostly took me till after tCG to fully realise this though, but I love them very much indeed

[Vaddon Ra]

Karsa Orlong - hands down the most exciting read, and actually one of the deeper and more interesting characters Erikson is dedicated to writing. Plus...he'll break you in half! Witness!

Dancer - As dancer...Cotilion is very very cool, but I really loved how ICE had him in NOK. I know he's only a small part but his presence sends Tayschrenn...TAYSCHRENN into an almost panic. I also loved how ICE portrayed the fight in Mock's Hold. How you only heard it and had to imagine yourself how it went...that kind of writing really inspires me.

Mok - I loved MOI because of the Tool/Mok mini storyline and rivalry. I love the seguleh in general and if it wasn't for Mr Orlong they would be the entire reason I read Malaz...well..not really but you know.

Tehol & Bugg - Made the whole Letherii storyline far far more enjoyable than if it was just a gritty violent bog standard war fantasy. Their comedy made it for me.

Anomander Rake (GOTM) - I know he's the same person in MOI and TTH but when I first read Gardens he was so hard and awesome to imagine. A just but truly hard ruler who takes no shit from people screwing around with him. He seemed to mellow a bit as time went on...which I think is the whole point. but I loved the mystery behind him in GOTM and I loved his harsh treatment of his enemies.

Urko Crust - Because...come on...he's the Urk and my entire inspiration every time I go to the gym

[sting01]

For what it is worth :

1) Bleak, because I met people like that when I was serving my country. His sacrifice was not the Gunga Din ' type, but trully the real concern for the only familly he did had (the only people who ever cared for him since his brother killd himself). So yea , at 50 y old, I cried (a bit) because it remenbered me of what I witnessed.

2) The nameless marine ('old guy I will ride you tonight!) not because she is a woman, nor because she die ... but because she is the symbol of countless men and women who decide to make their bodies the wall protecting the civillians against the tide of horror (civil war, barbarian, natural disasters...)

3) Hood, because he is the one who cares, cares for the deads, cares for the soul, cares for the future too. He is the archetype (spelling?) of all those who did/do/will do menials tasks that we all abhore (garbage guy for exemple)

4) Cotillon, because even if he is a God of deceipt, even if he could do as he please; he still have decency and he does not have much illusions about himself (desabused might be the word I am looking for).

5) L'oric, the guy is so ... human; so much hurt by his supposed weakness when compared with his father greatness. The proptotype (or quintessence?) of all the Calimero of the world.

[Tempest]

Yedan
Kilava
Trull
Itkovian
Cotillion

[Abberon]

I know I'm probably in the minority, but I like:

1) Duiker - felt like the most complete character in the most complete book of the series)
2) Fiddler - the only marine who I really cared about
3) Lady Envy - I loved her dialogue. She was fun.
4) Iskaral Pust - Clever/Funny
5) Icarium - He was suspense personified. I spent the whole series wondering when his he was going to lose his s***.