Hi everyone! I’m writing with the hope that you might be able to suggest something.
I’m trying to find books with a really engaging main character — someone witty, sarcastic, a bit teasing and playful, with a quick and clever mind. Intelligent and charismatic.
I’m mainly interested in fantasy, mystery or detective stories, but I’m open to other types of books as well. I just really enjoy characters who bring humor and personality into the dialogue.
If you have any recommendations with this kind of character, I’d love to hear them!
Thank you!
by ReadByHeart
8 Comments
The Dresden Files? The early books, anyway. He gets a bit more serious as they go on.
For snarky protagonists:
Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir
Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
Nick & Nora Charles from THE THIN MAN by Dashiell Hammett
Classic noir is this all over. Chandler, Hammett, Cain.
In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan! It’s a super funny fantasy with a very snarky smart hero who is deeply unimpressed with being transported to a new magical land and all it entails.
Kate Daniels series, October Daye series, Incryptid Series
Have you heard of the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde? They’re so fun! Extra enjoyable if you are a fan of the classics (which I’m honestly not but loved these books regardlesss).
My first thoughts were anything by Tom Robbins or PG Wodehouse. In Wodehouse’s case, often the characters are not supposed to be smart, but Wodehouse himself is so smart, that they come off as extremely intelligent. Bertie Wooster is the best example, and embodies almost everything you’re looking for. Witty, sarcastic, teasing, and playful. He’s not supposed to be all that smart, but almost everything about him suggests otherwise. Tom Robbins’s characters are more straightforward — they’re supposed to be smart and come off as such.