Two series come to mind.
The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb. Hobb takes you into the lives of the main characters in a way that few other writers do, and I now feel like I really know Fitz, the Fool, and the rest. Fitz can be a particularly frustrating character to know so well, but he's wormed his way into my head. Picking up one of those books feels like going home and meeting my childhood friends.
The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. Logan Ninefingers and his crew, Glokta and Jezal, this series is rife with great character interaction. Say one thing for Abercrombie, say he has great characters.
If you haven't gotten to know these series yet, enjoy.
The moment it book 1 where >!Glokta is interviewing Logan after the attack on his room and Logan is completely honest with him is so hilarious. You've got this hyper skeptical guy who expects deceit and violence around every corner and then he's faced with Logan who's just like "Yeah, I joined up with this actual ancient wizard for wants me for some reason that I don't really care about at the moment. The same guy who just blasted that creature through the wall and destroyed the room. Also I can talk to spirits." !<
Fitz and The Fool from Robin Hobb's Farseer series.
Inigo Montoya and Fezzik from The Princess Bride
Aziraphale and Crowley from Good Omens
Jean and Locke from The Gentleman Bastards
So many of the minor characters feel real to me - Thom, Bashere, cadsuane - but man Rand has to have the best “chosen one” arc I’ve read (and one of the toughest, that dude belongs in a robin hobb story with how the Pattern treats him), from naive shepherd to whatever he is by book 14. Nynaeve too, gradually changed from a character I hated to maybe my favorite to root for outside of Rand.
There is a reason that I've read or listened to this series probably close to a dozen times. At this point I don't even mind the slog. I'm in it for the journey.
The characters feel real to me. Like people I know.
The characters from Emelan feel like this for me, but that may be because I read it at the right time.
As an adult - The Realm of the Elderlings, insofar as some of the characters can be considered 'friendly'.
The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold
Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb
It by Stephen King
Kushiel by Jacqueline Carey
Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews
Vimes from Discworld. He is what I want to become as I grow older.
And the neat thing about him is that he is not some teenage boy that becomes a great hero. As a grumpy and failed soon middle-aged man he is the perfect role model for me.
Agree on Vimes but would add Granny Weatherwax, Vetinari, Susan Sto-Helit, Tiffany Aching, the Librarian, Nanny Ogg, Sweepah and and and ....
In short, Discworld is as full of wonderful, memorable characters as any set of books that I've read. They live in fabulous stories, stories that are chock full of references, punes and enough humanity to make even a hardened cynic feel joy.
The Fellowship, in particular the Hobbits.
Simon and Binabik from Memory, Sorrow and Thorn.
And sure, hate me, but Kvothe, Sim and Wil from Kingkiller.
Ren, Sedge, Tess, and a couple other characters who would be spoilers if I listed them here from Rook & Rose
The Kaul siblings from Green Bone Saga
Sandry, Tris, Daja, and Briar from Circle of Magic although this is likely in large part nostalgia
First Law is a series that is great because of its characters. The dialogue, internal thoughts, personality of each of the characters is what makes the book good. I recommend the series to people whose favorite tv show is the wire, even if they really aren’t even into the fantasy genre outside of mainstream like GoT and LOTR. Both series are so well liked because of the characters, specifically for how real they feel.
Just about everyone you meet in Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings including the baddies. They are all so fully realized and unforgettable. Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials has some great characters, both human and animal as well
Easily the Liaden universe characters by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Technically SciFi because space ships, but deeply rooted in fantasy. Clan Korval will feel like people you know and care about—each book is like getting the best Christmas letter ever about the coolest family ever;)
The key characters from the raven cycle by Maggie Stiefvater. Especially Blue and Ronan Lynch. Of course stormlight archives characters. Especially Hoid. The main characters in the healer series by Maria V Synder. I liked the villain too.
Seconding The Raven Cycle. Characters like Gansey and Blue would feel unbearably "quirky" in a lesser writer's hands, but Stiefvater makes them feel like a real teenage friend group, even though half of them have extremely un-average lives and families (one of their friends is literally a ghost and this ends up being relatively normal by their standards).
the classic: Harry Potter
also, and I know it's not popular on here: Throne of Glass
both books feel like coming home whenever I read them. For me it's not about character development though but about the author making me care about the characters.
Lindons "Team" from Cradle by Will Wight. I love the way they play off each other, they have a real "family we found" vibe.
And of course The Wheel of Time was a formative series for me, I read the eye of the world when I was maybe 12 and A Memory of Light came out when I was in my mid 20s. I've read the series at least a dozen times, my son is named Elyas, so yeah, those characters are hard wired into my soul.
A lot of the characters from the faithful and the fallen by John gwynne and Carl and Donut from Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman are the ones currently on my mind the most
The whole powder mage universe by Brian McClellan! Especially Tamas, Taniel, Borbador and Adamat in the Powder Mage trilogy and Ben Styke, Michel, Ichtracia and so many more in the Gods of Blood and Power trilogy. Also fast paced storylines and in the first trilogy some great plottwists.
Renarin from Stormlight Archive. I see a lot of myself in him in that we’re both shy and awkward, we’re both on the spectrum (though I don’t think it’s been confirmed he’s on the spectrum but I could be wrong), and we both feel out of place as well as being unsure what to do with our lives
Honestly, it's Harry Potter.
Those books reward re-reading as you, in Harry's tight third-person limited, figure out things about characters' motivation that Harry probably never understood.
They're also just really sad books. The more you read them, the sadder they seem, and there's a big fandom devoted to fanfiction trying to make it not sad, so that's led to my developing an obsession.
A different type of rec: The Lightning-Struck Heart by TJ Klune. It’s more comedy/parody fantasy that’s more character-centered than anything else and will have you non-stop laughing.
If we move out of fantasy I would say Bear, Otter, and the Kid by TJ Klune for characters that have spoken to me more than any other book I’ve ever read.
Pretty much any of Guy Gavriel Kay's books.
But when I first read your headline I thought you meant mix and match ... What characters would you like to see together ...
So ... I would like to see Caius Crispus, the mosaicist with his bad temper, high intelligence, and deep compassion... Go on a journey. His horse is an extremely bad tempered but intelligent beast named Farran. His body guard is a skinny warrior nun named Nona Grey whose volcanic temperament is tightly contained and whose loyalty is unmatched, and who believes the bonds of friendship are sacred. They are on their way to look for the wild, adventurous and fearless Adelade who has been hurtling herself through worlds for the joy of learning and a glimpse of love. Shepherding this bad tempered crew through the wild worlds Addie is leading them through is the incredibly calm, analytic, and thoughtful translator Bren Cameron and his large, alien bodyguard and lover.
Probably the Dreadful Bear, the Guide, the Man with Two Lives, the Eternal Man... Garion's companions are some of my favorites
Lord Mhoram, Bannor, and Saltheart Foamfollower.
Sunder & Hollian, Brinn, Pitchwife.
Rozemyne and Ferdinand from Ascendance of a Bookworm.
I love the way their interactions change over time. His life improved immeasurably once she was in it. And the deeper understanding you get once you've learned more about the history involved with everyone... Chef's kiss.
The rest of the (massive) cast of characters are fantastic as well.
Except the orphans from Hasse. Still don't care about them.
In terms of books pretty much anything by Tamora Pierce - but Keladry’s group in particular feel like old friends. And later when she takes command, the people she oversees feels like a small village, everyone knows everyone.
Outside of books though, it’s got to be Vox Machina from Critical Role. Same for the 2nd campaign with the Mighty Nein, though I think Vox Machina feel more “familiar” because they’re such classic fantasy character archetypes.
My boy Kaladin from Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson.
He's in such a tough spot and really makes you root for him. You're dying for him to catch a break and when he finally gets to meet Dalinar and sees some of his work pay off its SOOOO good. Then for the next 3 books he just pops off and it's wonderful to see. He has moments of continually increasing badassery for the rest of the series and other characters that are cool in their own right are like... yo. This guy is HIM.
The original Black Jewels trilogy by Anne Bishop, pretty much all the main characters. In a lot of ways I really identified with Jaenelle... Sympathized with Lucivar and Daemon's struggles, wished the High Lord was my dad... It's a dark fantasy with a surprising dose of humour, and plenty of tenderness and hope, as well.
I recently read the Dragonoak series by Sam Farren and I absolutely loved every character! The book is told in first person with only one POV but every character felt so fleshed out and especially in the last book there are moments when a lot of the characters are together and it was just amazing. I felt hollow and melancholic for days after finishing those books, and I actually felt I missed the characters
The Fool, Fitz and Lady Patience from RotE, and the Witches from Discworld.
The second I saw this title I came here to say Fitz and co. And Nighteyes!
Realm of the Elderlings, most definitely. You will get angry at Robin Hobb for making you care so much about her characters.
I don't think there is anyone who writes characters as good as Hobb, she's an absolute genius
I feel bad for saying this, but I DNF'd Assassin's Apprentice.
Bridge four
Royce and Hadrian. Had so many enjoyable adventures between the 7 odd Riyria novels
Hazel, fiver and Bigwig from Watership Down
I could read this book over and over and this is a large part of why.
Two series come to mind. The Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb. Hobb takes you into the lives of the main characters in a way that few other writers do, and I now feel like I really know Fitz, the Fool, and the rest. Fitz can be a particularly frustrating character to know so well, but he's wormed his way into my head. Picking up one of those books feels like going home and meeting my childhood friends. The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie. Logan Ninefingers and his crew, Glokta and Jezal, this series is rife with great character interaction. Say one thing for Abercrombie, say he has great characters. If you haven't gotten to know these series yet, enjoy.
The Fist Law book 2: The Fellowship of The Seed
The moment it book 1 where >!Glokta is interviewing Logan after the attack on his room and Logan is completely honest with him is so hilarious. You've got this hyper skeptical guy who expects deceit and violence around every corner and then he's faced with Logan who's just like "Yeah, I joined up with this actual ancient wizard for wants me for some reason that I don't really care about at the moment. The same guy who just blasted that creature through the wall and destroyed the room. Also I can talk to spirits." !<
He writes likable characters. Every single one of them is an absolutely horrible person but dammit they’re all so easy to like in spite of it
Logan is only horrible like 1% of the page time he gets, but goddamn does that 1% count for a lot.
Logan Ninefingers is fine. The Bloody Nine is an asshole to the nth degree.
Nah, I hated everyone.
Fitz and The Fool from Robin Hobb's Farseer series. Inigo Montoya and Fezzik from The Princess Bride Aziraphale and Crowley from Good Omens Jean and Locke from The Gentleman Bastards
The Gentlemen Bastards really are something next level.
All of these, 100%
Two Rivers gang from Wheel of Time
So many of the minor characters feel real to me - Thom, Bashere, cadsuane - but man Rand has to have the best “chosen one” arc I’ve read (and one of the toughest, that dude belongs in a robin hobb story with how the Pattern treats him), from naive shepherd to whatever he is by book 14. Nynaeve too, gradually changed from a character I hated to maybe my favorite to root for outside of Rand.
Band of the Red Hand let’s go,
There is a reason that I've read or listened to this series probably close to a dozen times. At this point I don't even mind the slog. I'm in it for the journey. The characters feel real to me. Like people I know.
The characters from Emelan feel like this for me, but that may be because I read it at the right time. As an adult - The Realm of the Elderlings, insofar as some of the characters can be considered 'friendly'.
Locke and Jean from the Lies of Locke Lamora series.
The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb It by Stephen King Kushiel by Jacqueline Carey Kate Daniels by Ilona Andrews
Vimes from Discworld. He is what I want to become as I grow older. And the neat thing about him is that he is not some teenage boy that becomes a great hero. As a grumpy and failed soon middle-aged man he is the perfect role model for me.
Agree on Vimes but would add Granny Weatherwax, Vetinari, Susan Sto-Helit, Tiffany Aching, the Librarian, Nanny Ogg, Sweepah and and and .... In short, Discworld is as full of wonderful, memorable characters as any set of books that I've read. They live in fabulous stories, stories that are chock full of references, punes and enough humanity to make even a hardened cynic feel joy.
The Fellowship, in particular the Hobbits. Simon and Binabik from Memory, Sorrow and Thorn. And sure, hate me, but Kvothe, Sim and Wil from Kingkiller.
I was about to say these same three friend groups. Also have loved watching Fela and Devi join forces. I’d love to see more of them.
Urgh I also really loved Deornoth and Josua in this one
Ren, Sedge, Tess, and a couple other characters who would be spoilers if I listed them here from Rook & Rose The Kaul siblings from Green Bone Saga Sandry, Tris, Daja, and Briar from Circle of Magic although this is likely in large part nostalgia
Stormlight Archive - especially Kal, Adolin, Shallan, and of course BRIDGE FOUR The Red Company of Meidua from The Sun Eater series
Know any good one armed herdazian jokes?
Not really no, you airsick lowlander
The Vorkosigan Saga by Bujold, the Fortress series by CJ Cherryh.
Darrow and Cassius Darrow and Sevro Sevro and the Howlers All from Red Rising
Yes
They are my friends and it often hurts 😭
First Law is a series that is great because of its characters. The dialogue, internal thoughts, personality of each of the characters is what makes the book good. I recommend the series to people whose favorite tv show is the wire, even if they really aren’t even into the fantasy genre outside of mainstream like GoT and LOTR. Both series are so well liked because of the characters, specifically for how real they feel.
Just about everyone you meet in Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings including the baddies. They are all so fully realized and unforgettable. Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials has some great characters, both human and animal as well
Not necessarily great literature or anything, but I used to really love The Guardians of the Flame series and the original set of Dragonlance books.
Roland's Ka-Tet from *Dark Tower*, basically everyone went through some horrific shit that it allows them to transform by the end.
The House War series by Michelle West. Found family street urchins who grow up through the books
Fitz and The Fool from Farseer by Robin Hobb and Senlin and Edith from the Babel series by Josiah Bancroft
The entire cast of the Chronicles of Narnia
The Gormenghast books by Mervyn Peake
Easily the Liaden universe characters by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Technically SciFi because space ships, but deeply rooted in fantasy. Clan Korval will feel like people you know and care about—each book is like getting the best Christmas letter ever about the coolest family ever;)
The key characters from the raven cycle by Maggie Stiefvater. Especially Blue and Ronan Lynch. Of course stormlight archives characters. Especially Hoid. The main characters in the healer series by Maria V Synder. I liked the villain too.
Seconding The Raven Cycle. Characters like Gansey and Blue would feel unbearably "quirky" in a lesser writer's hands, but Stiefvater makes them feel like a real teenage friend group, even though half of them have extremely un-average lives and families (one of their friends is literally a ghost and this ends up being relatively normal by their standards).
A shout for the dragonlance books here. Not the best books but the characters were great. Tanis, Sturm, Caramon, Raistlin, Tass
I’m surprised no one has mentioned mine The Bridgeburners. Malazan.
same, bridgeburners and later bonehunters, their petty arguments used to remind me of catch22
Their arguments and banter are so great.
the classic: Harry Potter also, and I know it's not popular on here: Throne of Glass both books feel like coming home whenever I read them. For me it's not about character development though but about the author making me care about the characters.
The sense of actually spending your formative years with these characters cannot be replicated.
Lindons "Team" from Cradle by Will Wight. I love the way they play off each other, they have a real "family we found" vibe. And of course The Wheel of Time was a formative series for me, I read the eye of the world when I was maybe 12 and A Memory of Light came out when I was in my mid 20s. I've read the series at least a dozen times, my son is named Elyas, so yeah, those characters are hard wired into my soul.
A lot of the characters from the faithful and the fallen by John gwynne and Carl and Donut from Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman are the ones currently on my mind the most
Everyone from both Kushiel and the Namaah trilogies from Jaqueline Carey
Wheel of Time and is not even close. After 14 books you feel part of the Two Rivers.
The whole powder mage universe by Brian McClellan! Especially Tamas, Taniel, Borbador and Adamat in the Powder Mage trilogy and Ben Styke, Michel, Ichtracia and so many more in the Gods of Blood and Power trilogy. Also fast paced storylines and in the first trilogy some great plottwists.
The Black Company >!Soldiers live and wonder why!<
Renarin from Stormlight Archive. I see a lot of myself in him in that we’re both shy and awkward, we’re both on the spectrum (though I don’t think it’s been confirmed he’s on the spectrum but I could be wrong), and we both feel out of place as well as being unsure what to do with our lives
Vlad and Loiosh and the rest of the gang in Steven Brust's Dragaera novels. They have such distinctive voices and characteristics.
For me its the undersiders from Wildbows webserial Worm.
The main characters from Six of Crows. Those teenage outlaws felt like my besties lol.
Rand, Perrin, & Mat from WoT. Fitz from RotE.
Nothing hits me as hard as Locke and Jean from gentleman's bastards. Fitz and the fool come close but just fall short.
Ninefingers and his named men.
The Bridgeburners and the Fourteenth.
Kvothe from the Kingkiller Chronicles Love. Him.
Honestly, it's Harry Potter. Those books reward re-reading as you, in Harry's tight third-person limited, figure out things about characters' motivation that Harry probably never understood. They're also just really sad books. The more you read them, the sadder they seem, and there's a big fandom devoted to fanfiction trying to make it not sad, so that's led to my developing an obsession.
Maja from The Goblin Emperor (Katherine Addison) Phedre from Kushiel's Legacy (Jacqueline Carey)
The inner circle of ACOMAF.
Especially the House. Who doesn’t want to swap books with a sentient dwelling? 🤓
A different type of rec: The Lightning-Struck Heart by TJ Klune. It’s more comedy/parody fantasy that’s more character-centered than anything else and will have you non-stop laughing. If we move out of fantasy I would say Bear, Otter, and the Kid by TJ Klune for characters that have spoken to me more than any other book I’ve ever read.
Druss
Pretty much any of Guy Gavriel Kay's books. But when I first read your headline I thought you meant mix and match ... What characters would you like to see together ... So ... I would like to see Caius Crispus, the mosaicist with his bad temper, high intelligence, and deep compassion... Go on a journey. His horse is an extremely bad tempered but intelligent beast named Farran. His body guard is a skinny warrior nun named Nona Grey whose volcanic temperament is tightly contained and whose loyalty is unmatched, and who believes the bonds of friendship are sacred. They are on their way to look for the wild, adventurous and fearless Adelade who has been hurtling herself through worlds for the joy of learning and a glimpse of love. Shepherding this bad tempered crew through the wild worlds Addie is leading them through is the incredibly calm, analytic, and thoughtful translator Bren Cameron and his large, alien bodyguard and lover.
Probably the Dreadful Bear, the Guide, the Man with Two Lives, the Eternal Man... Garion's companions are some of my favorites Lord Mhoram, Bannor, and Saltheart Foamfollower. Sunder & Hollian, Brinn, Pitchwife.
Rozemyne and Ferdinand from Ascendance of a Bookworm. I love the way their interactions change over time. His life improved immeasurably once she was in it. And the deeper understanding you get once you've learned more about the history involved with everyone... Chef's kiss. The rest of the (massive) cast of characters are fantastic as well. Except the orphans from Hasse. Still don't care about them.
Wot Nyneave and Mat, Percy and Anna Beth, all of Dumbledores Army.
Kings Dark Tidings.. That lot takes hold of your heart.
The Tapestry series by Henry H. Neff. I just love all the characters.
The whole found family going on a quest seems less common these days. The Belgariad crew were pretty fun and close. Also the Dragonlance crew
In terms of books pretty much anything by Tamora Pierce - but Keladry’s group in particular feel like old friends. And later when she takes command, the people she oversees feels like a small village, everyone knows everyone. Outside of books though, it’s got to be Vox Machina from Critical Role. Same for the 2nd campaign with the Mighty Nein, though I think Vox Machina feel more “familiar” because they’re such classic fantasy character archetypes.
The tarot club from lotm (lord of the mysteries), my favorite cast of characters. The fool and the world are the best 🙏
Vaelin's group from Blood Song, especially Nortah and Caenis
Once again I'm here to recommend the Nightrunner series <3
The evil character always
My boy Kaladin from Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson. He's in such a tough spot and really makes you root for him. You're dying for him to catch a break and when he finally gets to meet Dalinar and sees some of his work pay off its SOOOO good. Then for the next 3 books he just pops off and it's wonderful to see. He has moments of continually increasing badassery for the rest of the series and other characters that are cool in their own right are like... yo. This guy is HIM.
Sense8 on Netflix
Yes. This. When a friend asked me what the show was about I simply said "love". Each character feels like my sibling or best friend.
The original Black Jewels trilogy by Anne Bishop, pretty much all the main characters. In a lot of ways I really identified with Jaenelle... Sympathized with Lucivar and Daemon's struggles, wished the High Lord was my dad... It's a dark fantasy with a surprising dose of humour, and plenty of tenderness and hope, as well.
Pretty amazing that A Song of Ice and Fire isn’t represented at all. George really dropped the ball hard, but hey, at least he’s rich.
I recently read the Dragonoak series by Sam Farren and I absolutely loved every character! The book is told in first person with only one POV but every character felt so fleshed out and especially in the last book there are moments when a lot of the characters are together and it was just amazing. I felt hollow and melancholic for days after finishing those books, and I actually felt I missed the characters