I love them, those shadowy characters, assassins, tricksters, Evil Overlords and others of the kind.

Because they are cool. And because I don't like the "Holier Than Thou" attitude many of the good guys in the fiction have.

Artemis Entreri is the first that comes to mind. And Demandred from WoT. And then... the Hunter from the Black Sun Rising...And Vampire Hunter D...

Post me some titles of the books with your your favourite anti-heroes in them. I want to meet them all. <3

The most evil is Maldoror ("Les Chants de Maldoror"). I would'n call it my favorite, because he is just too cruel. Not for the weak of heart, seriously, but if You want to meet the darkest souls take a risk ;).

Eric, from Phantom of the Opera. I wouldn't consider him a hero, but I still love him.

Violet Beauregarde, from both the book 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory' and the old movie. Well, maybe she's not quite an anti-hero, but she's not the hero, but I still love her! Charlie was a bit of a Marty-Stu in my honest opinion!

Lucifer from Milton's Paradise Lost. I know, I know, it's a poem more than a book but I can't help it. He's like the type cast for the anti-hero. I'd also have to say Raistlin from Dragon Lance; he certainly wasn't a hero but he wasn't exactly a villain either.

Stryker from the Dark-Hunter series by Sherrilyn Kenyon. He's in quite a few of the books. His book is One Silent Night. His book showed his sensitive side and gave more insight into why he does what he does, so now, I like him. I don't like his wife at all, though. That was one happy ending I didn't want. Maybe he'll kill her later on, but I doubt it.

I can't think of any books at the moment but i do love those kinds of heroes more. *thinking really hard* Atemis Fowl is the only character i can think of right now- he's just cool. Deciding which laws to follow and which are beneath him lol ^_^

I don't really like them. *Shrugs*

I love anti-heros because their motivations are far more intriguing and they're willing to deviate much farther from the norm than law-abiding, generally well-socialized individuals.

If you're interested in people who commit crimes or otherwise reject conventional moral standards, you might want to check out Mario Puzo's mafia stories (I'm partial to The Last Don, but The Godfather is the most famous), or even the biography of Paul Castellano, a famous mafia don. They all delve deep into the psyches of mafia killers, providing a realistic and compelling look into another system of ethics.

I mean, if you're into mob stories, that is.

Originally Posted by Tut'ankhamun

Eric, from Phantom of the Opera. I wouldn't consider him a hero, but I still love him.

You mean Erik xP
He's not really a hero, but since he hates Raoul I guess he would be an anti-hero. Even though I still like him more than Raoul xP

Eric, Erik. Whatever. It's not like I've read the book. I'm surprised I even knew his name.

Strykerius from Sherrilyn Kenyon's DH series. <33 Love him. :)

If you like fantasy, check out Steven Erikson's The Malazan Book of the Fallen, starting with Gardens of the Moon. There are few characters that can even superficially be accused of having a holier than thou attitude, and when they do it's usually because they're naïve - which usually punishes itself.

In other cases, even if they seem to be a goody-two-shoes, it's usually the front of a devious plot - whether the character's own or that of some hidden force pulling the strings. There are heroes a-plenty, but there are so many characters that you're quite likely to see the other side's perspective as well. Everyone is working for their own purposes and there are more hidden masterminds than there are plots.

Oh, and Kyprioth from the Trickster duology by Tamora Pierce

Originally Posted by Tsubasa Rose

I can't think of any books at the moment but i do love those kinds of heroes more. *thinking really hard* Atemis Fowl is the only character i can think of right now- he's just cool. Deciding which laws to follow and which are beneath him lol ^_^

Artemis Fowl is exactly what came to my mind when Anti-Heroes were mentioned! :cool:

Hm. There are several, but maybe only a few I can think of at the moment.
o1. Bo Cleevil from the May Bird series. He's just so awesome with his no-head deal, and those red eyes. Bo Cleevil is watching you. That kind of scared me for awhile, and I would always check my closet for red eyes.
o2. Oh this one's a bit embarrasing. But who can't think James is kinda cool? Of course, the more I get into Twilight hate threads, the more logical it seems to despise the book. I don't completely hate Twilight, but I carry New Moon everywhere with me.
o3. Victor Grindall from The Land Of Elyon series. I know he's a bit of a coward in the second book for fleeing Castalia, but I still think he's friggen awesome. Though, as the author fixated him, he's probably really hideous.

Artimis Fowl is brilliant, i would definatly consider him one of the best anti heros, a film should be made on those books.
What a get a little annoyed at is those really wet, polite heros, like harry potter. I like the books, just not the character. I think now days authors are a little to scared to make more harcore main characters, sometimes the bad guy winning is the best thing that happens.

I love the bad guys way more than the heroes. i love the Walkin Dude from The Stand by Stephen King. i love his name and hes suuuuuuuuupppperrrr evil. haha :)

i also like Darken Rahl from Wizards First Rule by Terry Goodkind. (if u havent read this book go to the store immediatly and BUY IT!!!!! so good. )

Patrick Bateman in 'American Psycho.' Holy...do NOT read the book if you are easily squemish because it is horribly violent. Bateman is the main character. The book is slow in the beginning but about 100 pages in, you understand why this book was picketed when it was being released in the 80's.

So far, that's all I can think of really...

Originally Posted by 1492

.......Artemis Entreri is the first that comes to mind......

I total have to agree with that statement. Also Jarlaxle is pretty kick Arse.

I absolutely love Stryker from the Sherrilyn Kenyon series because he's so multifaceted and has a sensitive side that he really tries to hide.
I also like Apollymi from this series because she is so evil, she is even referred to as the Destroyer. She loves her son and would do anything for him, but she wants to take revenge on two people that would cause the end of the world.
But really even those that you would consider the hero in SK's books aren't exactly clean cut hero types, they seem to be more of anti-heroes because of some of the things that they have done.

Originally Posted by dark_tenshi17

Lucifer from Milton's Paradise Lost. I know, I know, it's a poem more than a book but I can't help it.

Lucifer can be an excellent anti-hero. I would argue that Lucifer is the king of anti-heroes.

Light Yagami is a king of anti-heroes. And yes, Death Note is a manga, but a manga is still a book.

I enjoy anti-heroes, as they usually have more depth than the "usual hero," but I've come to think that we've entered an age of extreme anti-heroes. This saddens me, because, like everything else, moderation is key. If everywhere I turn, if everywhere I look, there is an anti-hero. . .the effect is lost.