BTT - Quirky characters
Booking Through Thurdsay asks:
This week’s question is suggested by (blogless) JMutford:
Sometimes I find eccentric characters quirky and fun, other times I find them too unbelievable and annoying. What are some of the more outrageous characters you’ve read, and how do you feel about them?
The first that come to mind are the great series - Robert Asprin’s The Great Skeeve (Another Fine Myth, et. al), Lois McMaster Bujold’s Miles Vorkosigan (Warrior’s Apprentice, Diplomatic Immunity, and a half-dozen in between), and the two books Robert Frezza wrote featuring Scandanavian vampires and Bucky Beaver - McLendon’s Syndrome and VMR (the Vampire Master Race theory). Probabaly Ramou, in Christopher Stasheff’s Starship Troupers (A Company of Stars, We Open on Venus) would be considered quirky.
Elizabeth Moon delights in the occasional quirk or three - the dotty space yacht owner / champion steeplechaser in Hunting Party and Winning Colors, Randall’s Rangers in the fourth tome of Vatta’s War, Command Decision. “All to smithereens he blew, to the great delight of all his crew!” “All the fancy stuff, and poetry, too.” Ky chuckled.
I suppose even Ron Weasely, in J.K. Rowlings’ Harry Potter books would be considered quirky.
Generally I like the novelty stories and quirky plots. A bit of bizarre behavior let’s the story wander into interesting areas, explore different interactions, and maybe learn something about tolerance, about how even the village idiot has a story to tell.