[Dunsparrow]

This question is way too hard! It's especially hard because so many character shine as duos. Take for example...

Quick Ben and Kalam
Mappo and Icarium
Tehol and Bugg
(there are plenty more, but you guys know them as well as I do )

At any rate, I often have a special soft spot for characters who are not quite what they appear to be (such as Bugg, Quick Ben, Kruppe, Iskaral Pust, etc). I also like characters like Shadowthrone who aren't quite what I think they should be (he's certainly not what I would imagine as a a god of shadow, which is why SE is so brilliant).

Overall it makes me really happy that I don't even come close to having a favorite character. When I read most books I usually can't wait to get through certain chapters so I can get to the characters I like, but that's never a problem with SE.

[Bauchelain the Evil]

My favoirite characters are Tool, Bauchelain, Heboric and Kruppe.
Kallor, L' oric and Quick Ben aren' t bad either.
Oh yeah I also like Iskaral Pust, he gives a comic twist to the story

______________________________

Quote

You can't be serious!
Death is always serious.

Paran and Hood

Quote

This rain will make the sea rise, yes?

Mallick Rel to Pearl

[b2jorja]

Anomander Rake is really great person. .the cold justice:folken:

[eekwibble]

Quick and Kalam were the reason I picked up Gardens (I'd read MoI not knowing that there were 2 other books previous to it). They still do it for me now. The big, skulking, throat-slitting monstrosity and the ultra powerful, risk loving, God scorning nutter.
"Hood owes me" indeed.
Kruppe's dialogue is second only to Tahol's, but only just, and only because T's so bloody funny.
Speaking of funny though; Hellian! Every...single...time!!! She is the funniest, most random character in the series.
Still not sure if I forgive Karsa his misdeeds (damn you SE) but I love reading his sections now, especially in RG.
There's a lot to be said for a few of the dead ones too.
Coltaine was double hard and Heboric was a strange, but alluring chap.
Hood has a quiet comedy effect as well but if it's Gods it has to be ST. What a fruitcake! Makes me cry laughing at some of his random nonsense.
Gruntle's the firm favourite though. The miserable s***! Can't wait to here some more about the new God of War's shapeshifting posse.

[JoJo]

Gruntle. He has a job he doesn't want, working for a god he doesn't respect, and would like nothing more than to go back to being a simple caravan guard. However, he does what he has to do and keeps his sanity and sense of humor while doing it.

[Fiddlers Drum]

Fiddler, loyal to his old bridgeburner friends, protective of his new squad, smart and a bad bad man

gruntle is up there as well

[Rhaella]

Cotillion, by far. I love how cunning, perceptive, subtle, and all together dangerous he seems to be. But more importantly, I love the constant glimpses of humanity we always see in his character. I love the relationships he has with Apsalar and Cutter, and the wisdom he displays during those scenes. I love that despite being perhaps the greatest assassin ever, he genuinely cares a great deal and seems to really value life. Honestly, I don't think there's anything about his character I don't love.

Anomander Rake for second, because on top of being simply awesome in principle, I like the nature of his isolation from everyone else, and the way he's placed the burden of justice upon himself. And the fact that he denies his worshippers and his godhood out of hand is quite pleasing.

Pearl would be my #3, because I have a weak spot for that suavely arrogant sort of personality (and apparently for assassins as well, it would seem).

After that it gets very murky.

[Serakus]

Well, I have to say that almost all of Steven's characters are incredible, but here are a few of my favorites.

Duiker - I feel like Steven might have put alot of himself into this character, and you have to appreciate a character that analyzes everything, realizes the folly of it all, but still has the grim determination to do what he can do.

Itkovian - Incredible burdens this character carries, I really felt his pain at losing his patron god and assuming the responsibility to help the new order be founded.

Cotillion - How can you not appreciate the Patron of Assassins? I love his dry wit and at time you see glimpses of compassion from him.

Gruntle - Gotta love a Mortal Sword who won't allow his puppet strings to be plucked so easily. I really get a sense that Treach's House will be filled with somewhat begrudging players.

[Salt-Man Z]

I'd have to go with: Whiskeyjack, Dujek, Rake, Ganoes, QB, Cotillion, Gruntle, Duiker, Coltaine, Fiddler, Mappo, Tool, and K'rul.

[Wampyry]

Don't know if I could call him a favorite, but I feel for the Cripple God. That
poor guy got a royal screwing in the land of Wu. He deserves some payback
before Kruppe figures out a way to defeat him.

[Optimus Prime]

I'd have to say as far as fav character, it's Tehol for me.

I mean the towel dropping incident just won me over

Hilarious.

[Ilona]

Favorite character... So many so awesome characters in the series that picking just one would be impossible. Picking a handful might prove a challenge too. I'll.. try not to get carried away, too much...

In no particular order of importance:

Whiskeyjack - I'm drawn to leader types. Especially leader types that their troops adore and who are actually worth all the loyalty and, yes, love, even if (like Tattersail thought somewhere in GotM) none of the Bridgeburners would put it quite that way. I both loved and hated his death - hated it because, damn, I'll miss him, and loved because it proves that Erikson's characters are realistic in the sense that they do make mistakes. Not having that leg properly healed, so utterly retarded of him, but he couldn't have known, now could he. Also loved his relationship with Korlat, some very beautifully written feelings there, and the friendship with Rake. Small things that make all the difference in the world, like when Dujek & co rode to the meeting with Brood, and Korlat noted how WJ rode on Dujek's "unprotected" side, and the significance of that. Simply put, I loved the man. May he rest in peace.

Quick Ben & Kalam - Both awesome characters in their own right, but I feel I must list them together here, because a lot of what I love so much about them is their friendship. Can't wait to read more of them (as I've only just finished HoC). I hope they survive, if not through the end, at least for long yet.

Icarium - Such a tragic character. I mentioned earlier that I'm drawn to leader types - well, the same applies for slightly insane (guess you could call that memory problem and those rages that?), immensely powerful characters. Actually I should also include Mappo here, as like Icarium said himself, what would he do without Mappo? "Perish the thought"...

Anomander Rake - The "cool" sort of character that, I guess, is the first char a girl like me would fall in love with... *blush* Anyways, there's more to him than a cool dragonform and a great big sword, I can only point back to the scenes with WJ. How he saw that WJ was worth the effort to get to know, and chose to accept it though he knew how a friendship with a mortal is bound to end.

Cotillion - A lot of people have mentioned his "human" side (not sure what else to call it), those glimpses of compassion and stuff. Also like his companionship with Kellanved/Shadowthrone, how he's not the other's "servant", now or back in mortal life, but how they were seen as equals. Also loved how he left Kalam dazzled by his fighting skills. ^^

There are more... Coltaine, Duiker, Itkovian, Tool... Just find it hard to say anything clever about them so I'll just leave it at that.

[argentumaniac]

i'd say icarium, awesome depiction. haha but i also like apsalar/dancer/rope... enigmatic and sleek!

[circlebreaker]

There were a bunch of characters that really stood out in MoI:

Lady Envy - Envy was just wicked cool. She doesn't understand that mortals can't crush an Empire singlehandedly, and is constantly putting her 'companions,' Toc, Tool, the Segulah, and the two wolves (forget the names), into dangerous situations (for them, at least) that are not dangerous for herself.

Itkovian - Itkovian was probably the most moving character in the series, all the extremely touching scenes revolve around him. The immense amount of compassion he shows, namely to the T'lan Imass, but also to the majority of other characters he meets, really affected me.

Toc the Younger - At this point in the serious the most horrible stuff has always happened to Toc. He was thrown into a portal by an insane puppet, put through horrible ordeals by Envy, imprisoned by the Pannion Seer as the Matron's lover (and nearly killed in the process), and used as the vessel for the soul of a god. His story signifies that the higher powers care nothing for mortals save for what the mortals can do for them.

[vroz]

omg so easy..kruppe. He makes me laugh everytime.

[Pkdragon]

Itkovian was a standout character, obviously, and had the strongest, most emotional scenes. My favorite was actually the scene with the artist and his critic... a very well written, subtle scene, with lots of humor and yet a fair bit of meaning.

However, my favorite character of the series itself is probably Quick Ben. For all the reasons mentioned earlier in the topic, and I'm the fan of anyone who is so relaxed about challenging the gods themselves.

There's a score of other awesome characters, but if I were to list 'em all, it'd be a long list indeed.

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

This book especially is crammed with good characters. At the moment I'm really digging Tool, howeve I think that will change as other people are featured more. I don't think I can pick a favorite for this book.

[Tapper]

Lady Envy is my absolute favorite, I dare say she's in my number one spot as best side-character in the series.

The quicksilver temperament, the childishness in her expressions and dealings (the Poliel issue, the stamping with her foot) and the sheer singularity she tries to maintain when dealing with other powers, combined with the use of practically everyone and everything (including the Seguleh) as a diversion for her undoubtedly growing boredom over the ages just never fails to charm me. Oh, and her interest in bathing is a magnificent touch.

Quick Ben probably is my favorite character throughout the series. He can be nasty, he certainly is calculating but not (always) ruthless, and the concept of the twelve souls is amazingly intruiging. And in MoI there is the 'hole in the ground' scene, which is fabulous. In MoI, the sheer ingenuity of all the solutions and dealings he provides to deal with the CG are great and the first act on a grand scale by him.

Got to mention Rake as well - in MoI he always does the unexpected without being over-the-top, like he was in GotM.

[Grayjay]

Rake(utter BAMF) Whiskey Jack, Tool, Quick Ben, Coltaine, Cotillion, Itkovian, Duiker, Kruppe

[Terminus Est]

In this book, there were just so many great characters.

Tool and his ongoing feud with Mok, Toc and his...adventures , Itkovian, Gruntle.

To pick a favourite is too hard.