Top Ten Tuesday: Memorable Sidekicks

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list  that one of our bloggers here at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

Top 10 Most Memorable Secondary Characters

So, looking over my list, I'm seeing a trend in my choices. Most of my favorite secondary characters are ones that, while definitely secondary to a more front-and-center hero or MC, manage to be heroes in their own right. I mean, Pride and Prejudice, both Mr. Collins and Lydia are definitely memorable, but they aren't particularly likable, so I didn't want to include them in my list. Most of my picks are very heroic. What can I say? I'm a sucker for low-key, every day heroes.

Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing
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10. Abraham Van Helsing -- Even before Hugh Jackman made him an action hero, Van Helsing was the wise scholar who would guide the heroes toward defeating the evil Dracula. He was the Gandalf/Dumbledore/Yoda type character, and you couldn't help but love him!

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9. Reepicheep -- Gotta love this guy! He was heroic because he wanted to be; no matter that he was a tiny mouse. He personified the idea that even those with small footprints could have giant characters.

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8. Yoda -- Okay, not from a book. But everyone on the PLANET knows who Yoda is. I'd say that's a pretty memorable secondary character!

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7. Zeddicus Zu'l Zorander -- Another wise, Gandalf-type character from the Sword of Truth series. I always remember Zed because he was wise and kind but also hysterical and kind of ditzy, or at least zany. I remember a scene where he got flustered and fell backward in his chair. I laughed for five minutes. Yeah, I remember him!

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6. Neville Longbottom -- I always wanted more about Neville, especially after what we learned the end of book 5. I was so pleased that he got to do something uber-cool in the final battle against Voldy.

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5. Ron Weasley -- Who didn't love Ron? From book 1, when he looked into the Mirror of Erised, he totally had my heart. He was just an average kid with normal boy desires, but they were so endearing! Gotta love him. Plus he always made me laugh.

Yup, that's Humperdink
pretending to be Sydney Carton
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4. Sydney Carton -- Perfect example of a low key character, who happened to be a distasteful guy in most of the world's eyes, but he ends up being the ultimate hero. Who can forget his amazing sacrifice?

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3. Loial, Son of Arent -- You knew I'd include some WoT choices, right? Loial lives up to his name--an endlessly loyal friend--but he's also sweet, kind, BOOKISH, a WRITER, and you know, when he goes into battle with an ax, get out of the way! 

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2. Samwise Gamgee -- Sam is one of the most interesting  characters ever written, not least because of the way readers perceive him. Most people think of him as a sidekick (which is why I included him in this list) but even Tolkien considered Sam, not Frodo, the hero of the story. Fascinating, considering that the story centers around Frodo and only very rarely do we get anything from Sam's POV. Love him!

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1. al'Lan Mandragoran -- Probably my favorite male character from WoT. He's handsome, honorable, endlessly loyal. The perfect guy, the perfect warrior, gets to kill all sorts of evil baddies in serious kicka** ways, and he's the love interest of my favorite female character. Need I go on? If yes, seriously sit down and read this series! 

Who are your Top Ten Secondary Characters?

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