A good 'character story?' could you recommend me one?

[RocksW]

Hey escapist, im looking for a new book to read. I'd like anything really as long as its good, but i'd prefer a more character focused story this time. Something like 'the kite runner' by Khaled Hosseini maybe, but a different subject matter. I'm not against fantasy, but i'd prefer if it was at least a bit grounded in the real world.

Having said that though i'm open to pretty much anything, feel free to recommend anything. Maybe just give a brief synopsis of what its about though, so i know why you liked it. Thanks:]

 

[Valagetti]

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by, Jeff Lindsay.
It inspired the TV series.

 

[Jaded Scribe]

Although it's epic fantasy, I think you might like David Eddings. His character development is excellent, and he lets the characters drive the story as much as the characters are driven by events. Get Belgarath the Sorcerer, Polgara the Sorceress, The Belgariad, or The Elenium books.

But, especially with The Belgariad (a 5-book arc), think of it more as one story chopped into 5 parts. You aren't going to see major climaxes in every book, but the story sweeps along at a good pace.

 

[nolongerhere]

Well, American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis is pretty much focused on the one character. A completely psychotic, hideous, and compelling character. Though I give you fair warning; this is the most violent book I've ever read. Especially the violence against women. At some points, I actually had to stop reading the book for a bit to take in what Patrick just did.

 

[gallaetha_matt]

I read a book last year called Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie. The amount of work he put into these characters just blew me away. Every one (and there are loads of the buggers) has a fully realised and interesting backstory that doesn't detract from the main plot. The main characters all have solid arcs that pay off completely in the end game. There is no dead wood. Everything flows together and works - not to mention there are some pretty interesting life lessons in there, some kick ass battles and some genuinely witty dialogue.

Cannot recommend it enough.

It's one of the best books I read last year and I go through a lot of books.

Plus; it's a one-shot. Not part of a long series, so you can devour it whole (and you will) and not have to worry about any cliffhangers. The characters stay with you, if only because they are so vivid and lifelike.

If you want to read about one really good character, the Night Watch series by Sergei Lukyaneko is a good contender. If you can follow the twisting plot and keep up with all the double and triple crosses, and you have the patience to read a novel translated from Russian, you'll really enjoy the main character.

Also, you can't go wrong by any Raymond Chandler books about Phillip Marlowe. Start with The Big Sleep and go from there. Phillip Marlowe is one of my favourite literary characters - always worth picking up one of his adventures if you get a chance.

Oh I have more. So many more. But I figure I've taken up too much of your time. I always do that - I'm actually not this garrulous in real life, only on the internet, or when I'm drunk.

 

[RocksW]

Well, American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis is pretty much focused on the one character. A completely psychotic, hideous, and compelling character. Though I give you fair warning; this is the most violent book I've ever read. Especially the violence against women. At some points, I actually had to stop reading the book for a bit to take in what Patrick just did.

I was considering reading that once, it sounds interesting but very unpleasant at the same time lol. Was it worth reading for the ammount of horrible stuff in it?

 

[darth.pixie]

Well it somewhat depends on the style of the book you want to read...something more modern or something classical

One of the most complex character story I've read was "Resurrection" by Tolstoy. It's somewhat like a huge character study although some are classically one-dimensional. His writing does not favor aesthetics like in his following books but it's still interesting to read.

Something a lot lighter would be something by Nigel Williams like "The Wimbledon Poisoner" which made me laugh quite a lot and presented the story of a usual, boring, bored man who wants to kill his wife and ...well, he's very unlucky.

 

[nolongerhere]

Well, American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis is pretty much focused on the one character. A completely psychotic, hideous, and compelling character. Though I give you fair warning; this is the most violent book I've ever read. Especially the violence against women. At some points, I actually had to stop reading the book for a bit to take in what Patrick just did.

I was considering reading that once, it sounds interesting but very unpleasant at the same time lol. Was it worth reading for the ammount of horrible stuff in it?

It is worth reading because it's fantastic. The characters are delightfully repulsive, the writing is brilliant, and Patrick Bateman's descent into further madness is compelling. But if you're bothered by violence, don't get it because you probably won't manage to get through the book. Some of the acts stay with you. I'll tell you one particularly horrible act, without mentioning names, but I'll still leave it in spoilers in case you want all the horror.

Spoiler: It's quite horrific.

Spoiler: Seriously.

He nails a woman to the floor, sprays he face with mace repeatedly, cut's out her tongue, and then fucks her in the mouth a couple of times. Other stuff happens to her over the next few pages. Aren't you glad you read that?

 

[Thaluikhain]

Although it's epic fantasy, I think you might like David Eddings. His character development is excellent, and he lets the characters drive the story as much as the characters are driven by events. Get Belgarath the Sorcerer, Polgara the Sorceress, The Belgariad, or The Elenium books.

But, especially with The Belgariad (a 5-book arc), think of it more as one story chopped into 5 parts. You aren't going to see major climaxes in every book, but the story sweeps along at a good pace.

I'd point out that you can get more or less any Eddings series, because they are all exactly the same. Except for the last one, in which he proves to the skeptics that some effort was required for his earlier works, by showing us what happens when he really can't be bothered.

 

[Super Six One]

I Am Legend? Thats an awsome book makes the film looked like a sack of shit.

(I enjoyed the film its just the book is so different from it and so much better)

I'm not sure if it counts as a character book tho anyone better at judging genres? I would say it is.

 

[Blitzwarp]

I'm not sure if it 100% counts as a character story, but Of Mice and Men's characters are pretty damn powerful, considering they're only with you for a short period.

 

[SG Xibalba]

'The Dark Tower' series by Stephen King

Think Lord of the Rings meets the wild west and you're half way there.

Epic in scope with some amazing characetsr like Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Oy it's really not to be missed.

The first book in the series opens with:

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed."

How could you possibly resist an opening line like that and not want to know more?

 

[Cargin]

Well, American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis is pretty much focused on the one character. A completely psychotic, hideous, and compelling character. Though I give you fair warning; this is the most violent book I've ever read. Especially the violence against women. At some points, I actually had to stop reading the book for a bit to take in what Patrick just did.

I was considering reading that once, it sounds interesting but very unpleasant at the same time lol. Was it worth reading for the ammount of horrible stuff in it?

It is worth reading because it's fantastic. The characters are delightfully repulsive, the writing is brilliant, and Patrick Bateman's descent into further madness is compelling. But if you're bothered by violence, don't get it because you probably won't manage to get through the book. Some of the acts stay with you. I'll tell you one particularly horrible act, without mentioning names, but I'll still leave it in spoilers in case you want all the horror.

Spoiler: It's quite horrific.

Spoiler: Seriously.

He nails a woman to the floor, sprays he face with mace repeatedly, cut's out her tongue, and then fucks her in the mouth a couple of times. Other stuff happens to her over the next few pages. Aren't you glad you read that?

...and thats not even the worst bit, and im not even finished it yet! definitely a book that requires some kind of mental stamina, but so far, utterly genius.

 

[Verex]

The power of one

 

[nolongerhere]

Well, American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis is pretty much focused on the one character. A completely psychotic, hideous, and compelling character. Though I give you fair warning; this is the most violent book I've ever read. Especially the violence against women. At some points, I actually had to stop reading the book for a bit to take in what Patrick just did.

I was considering reading that once, it sounds interesting but very unpleasant at the same time lol. Was it worth reading for the ammount of horrible stuff in it?

It is worth reading because it's fantastic. The characters are delightfully repulsive, the writing is brilliant, and Patrick Bateman's descent into further madness is compelling. But if you're bothered by violence, don't get it because you probably won't manage to get through the book. Some of the acts stay with you. I'll tell you one particularly horrible act, without mentioning names, but I'll still leave it in spoilers in case you want all the horror.

Spoiler: It's quite horrific.

Spoiler: Seriously.

He nails a woman to the floor, sprays he face with mace repeatedly, cut's out her tongue, and then fucks her in the mouth a couple of times. Other stuff happens to her over the next few pages. Aren't you glad you read that?

...and thats not even the worst bit, and im not even finished it yet! definitely a book that requires some kind of mental stamina, but so far, utterly genius.

I know. Tell me, has he gotten to the zoo yet? Because for me, that was the most horrifying part of the whole book. If you've read it, you'll know what I'm talking about. I'm not even going to write it down, because it's just too ... shocking to risk spoiling it. Bateman is easily the most monstrous character from any story I've read, and this may have been his most monstrous moment.

 

[HellspawnCandy]

Hey escapist, im looking for a new book to read. I'd like anything really as long as its good, but i'd prefer a more character focused story this time. Something like 'the kite runner' by Khaled Hosseini maybe, but a different subject matter. I'm not against fantasy, but i'd prefer if it was at least a bit grounded in the real world.

Having said that though i'm open to pretty much anything, feel free to recommend anything. Maybe just give a brief synopsis of what its about though, so i know why you liked it. Thanks:]

I'd suggest "Do Androids dream of electric sleep?"(it's a science fiction novel which Blade Runner was loosely based off of) and "I am legend"(it's not like that crappy movie but it's about the apocalypse and vampire like things and loneliness etc)

 

[Koroviev]

I'd recommend Haruki Murakami's novel Norwegian Wood. I can't write a decent plot synopsis to save my life, so here's the official version:

Spoiler

This stunning and elegiac novel by the author of the internationally acclaimed Wind-Up Bird Chronicle has sold over 4 million copies in Japan and is now available to American audiences for the first time. It is sure to be a literary event.

Toru, a quiet and preternaturally serious young college student in Tokyo, is devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman, but their mutual passion is marked by the tragic death of their best friend years before. Toru begins to adapt to campus life and the loneliness and isolation he faces there, but Naoko finds the pressures and responsibilities of life unbearable. As she retreats further into her own world, Toru finds himself reaching out to others and drawn to a fiercely independent and sexually liberated young woman.

A poignant story of one college student's romantic coming-of-age, Norwegian Wood takes us to that distant place of a young man's first, hopeless, and heroic love.

If I had to do work and actually describe it myself, I'd say that the novel brings to mind a mix of Girl, Interrupted and Cather in the Rye, but with 100% less entitlement complexes.

My other suggestion is Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, but someone already appears to have taken care of it. However, I would like to add that I'm rereading it tonight.

 

[weedalin]

Genesis by Bernard Beckett is a pretty clever short novel, if you're into the sort of philosophical/intellectual tone in books.