What Makes a Character Memorable?

In my reviews, I often critique an author’s characterization, but I haven’t really touched on what separates a good character from a memorable character.  Here I hope to tell you some things I’ve noticed as a reader and as a reviewer.

1.  Their names.

Isherwood Williams.  Lestat.  Katniss Everdeen.  Harry Potter.  Do any of these ring a bell for you?  If they don’t—particularly the last one—you’ve obviously been living under a rock for the past decade or so.  What makes these names so memorable is the fact that they’re simple, easy to pronounce and yet they’re unique.  In my opinion, many of them are just about the right length to roll off the tongue with ease, no matter what your reading level.  Truly, most first graders can sound out these names and get something close to what they really are.  Names are so important for characters that on BabyNames.com there is an article about how to choose character names for writers. Continue reading →

The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice

(Cover picture courtesy of this site I cannot translate.)

Lestat.  The vampire hero of Anne Rice’s enthralling novel is a creature of the darkest and richest imagination.  Once an aristocrat in the heady days of pre-revolutionary France, now a rock star in the demonic, shimmering 1980s, he rushes through the centuries in search of others like him, seeking answers to the mystery of his eternal, terrifying existence.  His is a mesmerizing story—passionate, complex, and thrilling.

If you don’t like slow plots or are in any way sensitive to gore or explicit sex scenes, this book is not for you.  But if you can appreciate a slow but compelling narrative filled with fascinating characters, you will appreciate The Vampire Lestat.

The Vampire Lestat is the second book in the Vampire Chronicles, but you don’t have to read Interview with the Vampire to understand it.  Anne Rice lets her book stand on its own, but it is interesting to see first Louis’, then Lestat’s different perspectives.  Whereas Louis found his vampirism to be a curse, Lestat chose to embrace it, delighting in his newfound power.

I think a big part of why the Vampire Chronicles are so popular is the fact that Anne Rice has created truly memorable characters.  If I’m honest with myself, Lestat remains in my mind along with other great characters like Thu, Harry Potter, Katsa and Hamnet.  What keeps people coming back for more is her characters, not her slow moving plot or her sensual descriptions, as some reviewers claim.  Lestat is not always sympathetic, but he is appealing enough to command your attention.

I can honestly say that once you start reading The Vampire Lestat, you won’t be able to put it down.  When I first read it, I stayed up until four in the morning to finish it—although that was partly because the alternative was going to sleep on a concrete floor with nothing but a thin sleeping bag.  Still, it is a great book and you’ll have to forgive me for being cliché and describing it as “hypnotic”, because there is no other word for it.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

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Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle by Gordon Korman

(Cover picture courtesy of Scholastic Canada.)

When Vince heads out to sunny L.A. to go to film school, he’s sure he’s left his family and their criminal dealings behind him.

But then Vince finds out the hard way that you can take the kid out of the mob, but you can’t take the mob out of the kid.  Soon, his brother Tommy is shacking up in his dorm room, and a steady stream of “uncles” are showing up with his mother’s homemade rigatoni, and a whole lot of trouble, in hand.

Fans of Son of the Mob will enjoy reading more about Vince as he navigates his way through another hilarious adventure, while trying to keep his integrity—not to mention his life—intact.

Most sequels to originally stand alone novels are horrible, but Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle is definitely a great sequel to Son of the Mob.  Gordon Korman fills every page with his usual over-the-top sense of humour that will literally make you laugh out loud in parts.  But it does tackle some serious issues and not every part of the book is hilarious, which is partly why I love it.  Gordon Korman is one of the few authors I know of that can tackle serious issues with a good sense of humour.

Vince Luca is a great protagonist and is very three dimensional.  He is a good guy at heart, but he is definitely not perfect.  With his newfound freedom, Vince gives in to the temptation to be lazy, but what college student doesn’t?  Despite his faults, readers will cheer him on the whole way through the novel, especially during the climax.

Of course the plot of Hollywood Hustle zips right along in the usual Gordon Korman fashion.  It goes along quite quickly, but the pace fits the story without being ridiculous.  For young adults who are sick of all the doom and gloom that seems to be the trend in YA literature, this is the perfect book.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

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*For some reason, Barnes and Noble does not have this book.  The link will take you to their home page, so maybe you can find it and prove I’m blind.

If You Love Reading…

I know I haven’t been posted on a very consistent schedule lately, but I do have a life outside blogging and it’s been pretty chaotic.  It will likely remain chaotic until at least this Friday, which is when I’ll try to get back on my regular posting schedule.  So if you’re looking for book reviews, I would recommend checking out We Heart Reading, a relatively new site that’s dedicated solely to books.  It has reviews on YA novels, romance, adventure, fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, etc.  There are some really talented book reviews and writers on there, so I think many of you would enjoy it if you’re looking for something a bit different than what I cover here on The Mad Reviewer.  Go and check it out!  Comment, like, share!  And please put up with my shameless self promotion because I am also an author there.

Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods by Suzanne Collins

(Cover picture courtesy of Book Infinity.)

With two prophecies fulfilled, Gregor is now focused on the Prophecy of Blood, which calls for Gregor and Boots to return to the Underland to help ward off a plague.  But this time, his mother refuses to let him go…until Ripred the rat convinces her that Gregor and Boots need to stay for only a brief meeting.  Finally, Gregor’s mom relents, provided she is allowed to travel with them.

When they arrive in the subterranean city, the plague is spreading—and it has claimed one of his closest companions.  Only then does Gregor start to understand how the illness plays with the fate of all warmblooded creatures, but he still doesn’t know how he can combat it.

The Underland Chronicles by Suzanne Collins is probably the only series besides Harry Potter that I enjoy more and more as it progresses.  Since it is Suzanne Collins’ first series, you can see marked improvements in her writing style, pacing, plot and characterization.  Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods is the third book in the series, but it is definitely my favourite out of all five books.

The main reason I love this series so much is the characters.  Suzanne Collins has created an unique, memorable main character in Gregor, but it is the secondary characters that I love the most, particularly Hamnet.  Hamnet is the son of Vikus and Solovet who ran away from Regalia ten years ago to live in the jungle, but it is his reason for doing so that makes him so compelling.  He was once a warrior, but it is the conversation that he has with Vikus that haunts me to this day:

“What do you do here that you could not do there?”

“I do no harm,” said Hamnet.  “I do no more harm.” (Ch. 13, pg 161)

When we finally do learn Hamnet’s full backstory, it only cements my picture of him as a tragic hero, much like Lancelot in the Arthurian legends.  Suzanne Collins is very gifted at making characters appear cold and hard on the outside, yet highly sympathetic when you learn why they are like that.  It is truly her characters that move the plot forward at a fast pace and it is her characters that will keep readers eager to get their hands on the next book—especially with the little plot twist on the last page of this book.

I give this book 5/5 stars.

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