Now what I was thinking of doing was looking at a few characters that have shown up in the series as of book 6. And I think I will post something about a character or two as I am re-reading the series as the feeling comes along. Especially because there are so many characters that pop up throughout the books, and despite (at least for me) them all being really memorable I wanted to give some recognition for some of my favorite characters.
Karsa Orlong
This one really came as a surprise to me, the first time through the series I thought he was an extremely interesting character and there really is no one else in the book much like him. However, I will admit that when you first are introduced to him you will probably really dislike him. He is really headstrong, stubborn and extremely violent and of the mind that his race is the best ever and it is his job to wipe out the children (humans) plaguing the world and his kind. He was really set in his ways, and believed everything that was being fed to him by his grandfather and the elders of his tribe. The one thing that really struck me about him, is that as you go through the books he starts to grow on you.
He turns out to be brutally honest, and once his eyes were opened to the fact that the various fellow tribes gods were really T'lan Imass (another race, and very unique in a sense) who were seeking to use his people. Karsa really showed his capability for being an intelligent individual. The 6th book for me is really when I started to realize how much I liked his character, and how he has changed after having his whole world shattered to realize that not all is what he seems. Especially because he refuses to be used by any of the gods (after realizing the deceit by the T'lan Imass individuals), especially the Crippled God who tried to make him part of his entourage of people spreading his desires on the world. He still remains headstrong, but in a manner that now instead of wishing to punch him in the face despite knowing he could punch me into oblivion it almost becomes a good quality in him.
Anomander Rake
This guy, or Tiste Andii to be exact, right from the beginning became a character I was drawn to, and could never get enough of reading any points of view that included him. At first glimpse, because the book starts in the point of view of the Malazans, he is seen as a bad guy. However, his story to me is the most interesting of all the ones that are revealed. He has become the leader of most of the remaining Tiste Andii, and strives to give them a purpose after Mother Dark (their origin goddess) turning away from them. You first meet him when he has decided to ally himself with the Darujhistan, the remaining free city in an attempt to prevent it being conquered.
He carries with him a giant sword called Dragnipur, which brings about an end worse than death. When you are killed with the sword, your soul gets bound inside and chained to a giant wagon that is constantly striving to be dragged away from a giant vent of chaos. This sword grants a final end, because as we all know in some stories that death is not as final as it seems; with this story being no exception. Dragnipur must be constantly fed souls or else the chaos vent catches the giant wagon and all the souls are allowed to be freed into the world. Anomander, in order to wield the sword had to kill the previous owner and maker of the sword. And with it, he delivers cold justice. I never realized this the first time through, but his character reminds me a lot like Batman. In the sense that he is trying to save everyone, but he is misunderstood in a manner that causes those he is trying to save to hate or dislike him. He does the hard deeds that others waver from in order to save others from the burden of making the choice.
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Both of these characters are extremely complex, and I know that my brief overview of them does not give them justice at all. I can only hope that you guys will read the books in order to get to know them better.
(concept pictures for these characters thanks to http://fuckyeahmalazan.tumblr.com/post/38535927644 and Gia Coppola at Deviant Art http://nimunhan.deviantart.com/art/Karsa-Orlong-264478655)
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