[Silencer]

Deuce, on Jan 11 2008, 10:37 AM, said:

*laughs* Ironically I am the same as you. Writing and greatly enjoy the character that is Rake. Of course I enjoy anti-hero's quite a bit. I think one of the reasons he is so enjoyable is the fact we all know he has a lot of power. Enough to shake those who should be very powerful in their own way whether ascendants or humans. Rake's name is spoken in awe. But with all that power he cares about an ounce. It means nothing to him nor his standing among others. That is intriguing because a lot of the time when someone has power it consumes and shapes them. That isn't the issue in his case.

Another reason would have been in Memories of Ice we got a glimpse of what lies beneath through his discussions with Whiskeyjack. It's like Cotilillion in the way how we think of them as the definition of badass yet there is more to them than that and it travels rather deep. We get insights on their views of matters shaping around them and how they both feel the burden of their actions and what path they must walk.

Eh, just my two cents.

Mentalist, on Jan 11 2008, 06:04 PM, said:

Illy, he means the first Soletaken we SAW in MBotF...
and incidentally, there were 3 (4) others--of the dragons battling Raest, only Silannah was a pureblood Eleint...
Rake is fascinating. Most of all, i think it has to do with his position. We are used to think "Dark=evil, bad, must hate, desise, etc". Yet in GotM, as we slowly realise that High ZHouse Dark is NOT the root of all evil, we also see him being a "hero" (rescuing the "damsel in distress" Apsalar from the clutches of the Rope), plus the overall badassitude.. and this discrepancy between the cliche and reality is what makes it memorable... and the feats of badassness, Dragnipur, and the way everyone quakes when they think of him just adds to that...

Menandore, on Jan 12 2008, 11:01 AM, said:

He's male, he would have slept with her without mind blurring.

I have to agree, he's the best character of the series IMHO. I also agree that it's got a lot to do with other characters building him up. He's not been directly in the story line much except in MOI but even in GotM the focus wasn't on him much. But he's mentioned a lot. Often little snippets of information that just leave you wanting more.

Fiddler, on Jan 16 2008, 07:06 AM, said:

Rake is interesting mainly because we NEVER see his POV, just his actions, it makes his mind that unknowable chasm that can only inspire imaginiation.
For instance, if Rake had a POV in the books and was constantly going on in an interior monologue about how to use his power for the good of his people, we'd still like him, but might think he's a touch whiny. Or even liken him to outspoken and idiotic fundies. Or even worse, Rake's interior monologue shows us his doubts and fears and he ceases to be the very stuff badassery is made of!

All of the above, quoted for truth.

thesalus, on Jan 16 2008, 04:53 AM, said:

Adore rank, amen.

I think a lot of it is in the name itself alongside the sheer number of variations in his name and his worldwide renown.

As well as Elder Gods having an emergency contingency plan especially for Rake.

Contributes to his badassery. Epic win, on his part.

redJAKO, on Jul 19 2009, 09:34 PM, said:

Noone mentioned that if he feels he needs to act, he is willing to go through masses of powerful Ascendants to do so, evidenced in MOI, and about to go after Silverfox over Caladan, Whiskey, etc.

I wish post-GOTM Rake still possessed, even to high mages, that "pressure" that incapacitated people when he arrived..such was his powa

He has it in MoI, and later. Just not mentioned as much, as he doesn't arrive by warren very often.

[TheSurvivor]

Anomander Rake is actually one of my least favourite characters along with Karas Orlong, *shifts eyes nervously* perhaps knowing why I don't like them would help? I know AR is all badass and long-lived, big scary sword and blah, blah, blah. To me the Man is too arrogant, its fine to have some arrogance but he goes a bit too far (Karsa is the king of arrogance and I'm just waiting for someone to beat him half dead at least) and acts like he's prince of the world. Perhaps I'm just biased on his GotM personae but he always acts like nothing is worth his time and he could kill anyone anytime therefore they should be tending his every need like servants. He is basically the embodiment of a calm, cool, confident complexion without a healthy does of humility.

[Silencer]

Whaaaaaaaat. I view Rake as the exact opposite. He even says in GotM that Shadowthrone + Hounds + Cotillion may be able to take him out - it just wouldn't be worth it for them, as they'd lose too many assets. He is amazingly humble for his power, look at his friendship with Whiskeyjack! He merely has the weight of an entire race of lethargic, half-emo, nigh-immortals all looking to him for guidance on his shoulders.

Karsa, I'll grant you, is terribly arrogant. But Rake? No. I disagree with you there.

[MTS]

Yeah, I'd have to disagree too. Rake is by no means arrogant, I see him as more...self-assured. He doesn't wave around his power like a fiery beacon, he uses it with caution and he rarely throws his power in people's faces. He has a strong sense of confidence and he knows his limits. Confidence is not the same as arrogance. I think reading TTH shows Rake's true personality the most. That unshakable confidence, in others as well as his own.

This post has been edited by Mappo's Travelling Sack: 12 September 2009 - 04:49 AM

[HoosierDaddy]

I'm not sure where this knowledge comes from, so I'll spoil it.

Would somebody who is that arrogant

Spoiler

spend years pretending to be just a regular guy?

<------------- I'm such a frigging nerd.

This post has been edited by HoosierDaddy: 12 September 2009 - 04:53 AM

[MTS]

Hah, that is a good point. We learn that from T'riss, in BH, so good move to spoil it.

[Hows it for stains]

Because hes big, black and has a sick sword.

'Nuff said

[chowdher]

I think the reason people think Anomander Rake is awesome is because he is so mysterious and seemingly uncaring. I for one do not even like Rake and I think he is essentially a spoiled little girl that skirts around issues and has no real ability exxcept the sword he stole and his magic he inherited from Tiam. I also think that his so called self-assurance and confidence is just cowardice to take true action and commit himself to a cause.

[Bauchelain the Evil]

I think you are being a bit too blind in your Rake hate. I'm not a fan of his, either, but saying he has no skills is ridiculous.

Dragnipur: It isn't as he just found it lying ina ditch, he fought a duel with its original wielder, an incredibly powerful Elder God. This alone speaks volumes of his skills.

Magic: First of all, not all of Rake's magic is inherited from Tiam. Second, killing the Mother of Dragons is no mean feat either.

[MTS]

chowdher, on 18 December 2009 - 05:07 PM, said:

I think the reason people think Anomander Rake is awesome is because he is so mysterious and seemingly uncaring. I for one do not even like Rake and I think he is essentially a spoiled little girl that skirts around issues and has no real ability exxcept the sword he stole and his magic he inherited from Tiam. I also think that his so called self-assurance and confidence is just cowardice to take true action and commit himself to a cause.

You're talking about Anomander Rake, right? Son of Darkness? Wielder of Dragnipur? Because I think we're talking about two different people.

No real ability? He's a Son of Mother Dark herself. The guy is as close to a savant with Kurald Galain as you are likely to get. He managed to kill Draconus, an Elder God, before he had Dragnipur. I hardly call that no real ability. Uncaring? The guy is hardly Kallor. He obviously cares for people, such as Korlat and even Whiskeyjack. Why you think he is a spoiled little girl is baffling, to be honest.

As for committing to a cause, well...

Spoiler

the guy basically infused himself with Chaos to save the Andii from civil war. If that's not commitment to a cause, I don't know what is.

I don't know why he would be so confident and self-assured if he was hesitant, either. Read Toll the Hounds, and then read this statement again. It's your opinion, granted, but I daresay it's greatly misinformed.

[HoosierDaddy]

I think he showed a pretty committed effort to stopping the Pannion Domin, don't you? Also, he single handedly went magic for magic with Tayschrenn, and there's something to be said for that.

Finally, he designed Vengeance, the sword wielded by Andarist and now Traveller.

[EsotericForest]

Rake is also one of my favorite characters, along with Rallick Nom. Something both characters have in common is a cool and collected calm they always bring with them wherever they go. It's a certain confidence that I think attracts many of us to them. With Rake though, you get a strong impression of a certain maturity many of the other characters lack. I believe that since we do know so little about him though, it also has a certain appeal. If you're reading the Steven Erikson, Malazan series though, you have a certain thirst for mystery, and Rake helps satisfy that.

[KeithF]

I fell in love with Rake (platonically...though if I were to switch teams... ) because of his scene in Gardens of the Moon where he's talking to Baruk about how he's trying to save the Andii from ennui by giving them causes to fight for. It's probably the scene I remember best from that book because it gives such a strong impression of Rake and the Andii as a whole as really, truly being this ancient race bowed down under the weight of millennia. Rake also stood out in GotM (along with Baruk and Whiskeyjack) as a genuinely mature and adult character as opposed to the teenage wunderkinds who populate a lot of fantasy literature (I disliked Paran and more especially Crokus because they seemed too close to this stereotype).

In his appearances in the later books, Rake continues to stand out as the guy who tries to do what has to be done when no-one else will...who does the impossible, sees the invisible, touches the untouchable, breaks the unbreakable...ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWA! Fantasy is very fond of presenting us with characters who are supposedly the most noble, most brilliant, most powerful etc. person/thing in the world in some fashion, but unlike a lot of such characters Rake actually gives the impression of being that sort of one-in-a-billion super-hero (in the non-cliched sense of the word).

[rhulad]

Rake is awesome cause of all the mystery surrounding him... and he has a really big sword. Big badass swords are always a win.

[Whip]

DRAGNIPUR!!! and he can become a dragon

[Red King]

Rake is awesome because of his mysterious being, the fact that he is this supreme being that not only has knowledge of 300,000+ years (or so, whatever amount of absurd time he's been alive) and that he took Dragnpiur (sp?) and slaughters people with not only his sword, but with his Elient powers and the fact he has the Elder Warren of Darkness in his gaping maw as a dragon. But, what also sets him apart, is how his mind thinks on a different level then even most of the other Ascendants that Rake knows. His second-in-command thinks to herself about how Rake is thinking on a level that doesn't seem possible, she goes on about how it might be the blood he drank, but that is not the point. Rakes power alone, and the prowess he shows in using it is just awe-inspiring when Erikson describes to you how it is all used with precision. Even in GotM, he tells Baruk about how he was not focusing his power so that he could distrub the other mages and his presence alone detered the Empire from even attempting to siege Pale by pure reputation. That is truly, a terrifiying and unpredictable being.

- Ultor

[HedgeWalker]

Pretty much agreeing with most of what has been said so far; Dragnipur, Soletaken, Leader of Andii etc etc...

There is a scene in MoI when WhiskeyJack deals with Anaster's cadre of the dead seed. The fact that a demonstratively powerful ascendant is trying to save a friend from having to deal with the consequences of what needs to be done was very moving. Couple this with the initial judgement of him merely being a slaughterer, and we have another example of his depth.
I also liked Mok/Envy's description of his visit to the Seguleh island - went up to seven, then required a breather! He's a legend!

[Ulrik]

Bad book thread...truly honest answer can be made only after TtH

[Trull's son]

Rake is awesome 'cause one time, at the grocery store, I had to pay $20.04. I only had two $20 bills. To my delight, Rake, who frequents the same grocery store and was by chance waiting in line behind myself, offered to give me the four pennies. Oh, did we ever have a jolly good laugh after that one, let me tell you.

[Dingo]

In GoTM everybody was scared to Hood of Rake. Then he goes and talks to Crokus' uncle like he's a regular guy. That is a regular guy with a giant talking bird for a pet. Plus the hair. Dude's a badass.