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TripleAught
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Post subject: Summer Reading Suggestions
 Posted: Jun 15, 2006 - 12:50 PM
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Editor-in-Chief
Joined: Dec 26, 2005
Posts: 229
Location: Boston
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Hey, I'm looking for some books to read this summer. I'll take recommendations on anything, but I'm particularly interested in books that the hero (or a main character) fails.
Just flat out fails. Not goes evil then gets redeemed. Not dies in the moment of his triumph. But makes a steady, valiant effort for good and gets trampled by the overwhelming forces of evil.
SPOILERS
For example, Ned in the Game of Thrones. No one else comes to mind off the top of my head but that should hopefully get you started. |
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deejayvee
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Post subject:
Posted: Jun 15, 2006 - 05:07 PM
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Jotter
Joined: Mar 06, 2006
Posts: 14
Location: Sydney, Australia
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Well the only other example I can think of is Ned's son Rob in the same series. 
But two series that come close to what you're after are by an Australian author Ian Irvine - The View from the Mirror, and The Well of Echoes. Towards the end of the first series it starts to get questionable about which one is the bad guy (not a who did it but more who is evil and who is good).
Both series seem like they're leading you toward a happy ending which does partly come about but, well, you'll see if you read it.
One warning though is that he can stretch a scene out a little too long at times. For example, the first book of the first series contains a chase scene that seems to go on forever. But after that they are really good. |
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vercongetorix
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Post subject:
Posted: Jun 15, 2006 - 07:32 PM
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Commentator
Joined: Jan 13, 2006
Posts: 55
Location: New York
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| Duke Leto in Dune is another classic example of someone who fails even though he's hardly the main character. I'm sure there's others... |
_________________
"I am become death, the Destroyer of worlds."
~Robert Oppenheimer quoting from the Bhagavad-Gita about the nuclear weapons program
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VanarAlhaldren
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Post subject:
Posted: Jun 27, 2006 - 07:43 AM
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Scribbler
Joined: Apr 15, 2006
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One series that I have read that might fit with what you are looking for is the Elric saga by Michael Moorcock. In many ways Elric isn't a traditional 'hero' so I don't know that the 'steady valiant effort for good' applies in the way that you mean. I don't know that it will be exactly what you are after and what happens may or not be a 'failure' depending on how you interpret Moorcock's story but 'loss' is definitely a major theme.
I read this series some time ago but still remember a number of characters and themes. For some reason the story and characters seem to have made an impression on me even though at the time I thought it was just another fairly good read. I definitely remember the ending quite vividly. |
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ghengiz
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Post subject:
Posted: Jun 30, 2006 - 02:32 AM
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Jotter
Joined: Jan 09, 2006
Posts: 16
Location: England
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| Legacy by R.A Salvatore, although the book focuses on a group of heroes rather than a single hero. |
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TripleAught
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Post subject:
Posted: Jun 30, 2006 - 09:55 PM
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Editor-in-Chief
Joined: Dec 26, 2005
Posts: 229
Location: Boston
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Thanks for the recommendations, I'll have to pick some of these up.
I have read the Elric saga, though it was some time ago. I might revisit it for an anti-hero kind of theme.
I've heard that Salvatore has some good work, never read any of it. Maybe it's time that I did.
Dune? Isn't that Sci-Fi? Out blasphemer! 
I should probably read that old classic too (or just re-watch the SciFi channel mini-series). |
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Fifty_old
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Post subject:
Posted: Jul 01, 2006 - 11:24 AM
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Joined: Jan 15, 2006
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Location: London, UK
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| Have you read the Malazan books? I am not sure you could say whether the good guy fails, and it is hard to say who the good guys are, though there is definetely a slant on what angle the books are generally told from, but people die and people fail quite regularly. |
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vercongetorix
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Post subject:
Posted: Jul 02, 2006 - 08:00 AM
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Commentator
Joined: Jan 13, 2006
Posts: 55
Location: New York
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| TripleAught wrote: |
Dune? Isn't that Sci-Fi? Out blasphemer!
I should probably read that old classic too (or just re-watch the SciFi channel mini-series). |
This coming from the man who religiously watches Stargate?
Also well outside of the Fantasy realm Honore de Balzac's Pere Goriot is an excellent example of the world screwing over the title character...although like most French lit from that period it's highly depressing. |
_________________
"I am become death, the Destroyer of worlds."
~Robert Oppenheimer quoting from the Bhagavad-Gita about the nuclear weapons program
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TripleAught
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Post subject:
Posted: Jul 03, 2006 - 01:19 PM
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Editor-in-Chief
Joined: Dec 26, 2005
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| vercongetorix wrote: | | Balzac |
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