17 Feb 5 Powerful Wizards in Fiction
You read fantasy because of the time period right: dreaming of being a sheep farmer, living on some hill with a bunch of kids… no? Ok, well it must be because you reminisce on the good times and think to yourself that you were born in the wrong era and if you could just find a way to time-travel yourself back to the days of swords and boards right… no? Well, it must be because you have an obsession with characters with awesome abilities… yes? I knew that was it.
I myself drool over fascinating wizard characters that have amazing mind-numbing powers. There are many unique magic systems out there, so I have compiled a list of wizards within those systems that are the best. Although I would have loved to include Gandalf and Dumbledore on this list, I felt like the books didn’t show their true potential. I know, I know, I’m going to hear it, but it’s just my opinion, and quite frankly it felt like cheating including them. Plus it leaves room for other wizards you might not have heard of or read. If you haven’t read these books, I strongly suggest doing so simply because they are great books. However, studying these wizards will guide you in your own characters.
So, behold…
5 Powerful Wizards in Fiction
1. Allanon – The Shannara Chronicles by Terry Brooks
“Last, the character, Allanon (from The Sword of Shannara and later novels in the series) is possibly the baddest man in all story-telling – alluding to him being one cool character that MADE the series for me.”
Book Summary: Living in peaceful Shady Vale, Shea Ohmsford knew little of the troubles that plagued the rest of the world. Then the giant, forbidding Allanon revealed that the supposedly dead Warlock Lord was plotting to destroy the world. The sole weapon against this Power of Darkness was the Sword of Shannara, which could only be used by a true heir of Shannara–Shea being the last of the bloodline, upon whom all hope rested. Soon a Skull Bearer, dread minion of Evil, flew into the Vale, seeking to destroy Shea. To save the Vale, Shea fled, drawing the Skull Bearer after him….
2. Harry Dresden – Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
“A gentleman, bound to a code he could break at any time but doesn’t, he’s a resourceful (and morbidly funny) wizard who manages to get out of the tightest spots with quick thinking.”
Book Summary: Harry Dresden, Chicago’s only professional wizard, business, to put it mildly, stinks. So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry’s seeing dollar signs. But where there’s black magic, there’s a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry’s name.
3. Kvothe – The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
“Word to the wise– the first few chapters, before we delve into Kvothe’s childhood, almost fooled me into thinking I was reading a typical, formulaic medieval style fantasy about a wizard.
YOU HAVE TO KEEP GOING! I dare you to make it to the 14th chapter, The Name of the Wind, and not continue!”
Book Summary: My name is Kvothe.
I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
You may have heard of me.
So begins a tale unequaled in fantasy literature—the story of a hero told in his own voice. It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man’s search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend.
4. Rand al’Thor – The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
“I love Rand, hi character evolves from a farmboy to a man, one all we ladies would love to meet. His decisiveness if a bit jaded toward certain elements is also the thing we grow to love about him.”
Book Summary: The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.
When The Two Rivers is attacked by Trollocs—a savage tribe of half-men, half-beasts— five villagers flee that night into a world they barely imagined, with new dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light.
5. Rincewind – Discworld series by Terry Pratchett
“After the first chapter, I wasn’t sure about the book. I had no idea what was going on and I wasn’t sure about the British humor. But then it started to flow for me, and getting to know Rincewind the wizard, Twoflower the tourist, the barbarian, a the lay of the land on Discworld, I was thoroughly entertained. A fast, fun read, I am looking forward to reading more in the series!”
Book Summary: On a world supported on the back of a giant turtle (sex unknown), a gleeful, explosive, wickedly eccentric expedition sets out. There’s an avaricious but inept wizard, a naive tourist whose luggage moves on hundreds of dear little legs, dragons who only exist if you believe in them, and of course THE EDGE of the planet…
