Favorite Secondary/Minor Characters

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together. 

Favorite Secondary/Minor Characters

There have been many times that a secondary/minor character in a novel has made just as much of an impact for me as the main characters. This Top Ten Tuesday list has 10 of my favorite secondary characters from my favorite books and series.  

1. Hoid/Wit from the Cosmere universe by Brandon Sanderson 

- One of my favorite characters out of any book is definitely Hoid/Wit from the Cosmere universe by Brandon Sanderson. I first was introduced to Hoid in The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive #1). He appears in each of the books throughout the Cosmere and is absolutely delightful. In most of the books he is only a secondary character, but there are a few that he is the narrator of the story. 

- Some of the books that include Hoid: The Stormlight Archive and The Mistborn saga. He is the narrator of Tress of the Emerald Sea, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter, and The Fires of December (which comes out this December) 

         

2. CMOT Dibbler from the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

- CMOT (Cut-Me-Own-Throat) Dibbler is a street vendor in Ankh-Morpork and is often used as a running gag throughout the series. He shows up in most of the books set in the city of Ankh-Morpork. Dibbler is constantly failing at being a salesman. Though he is able to sell his sausage inna bun even to people who have gotten sick from them before. 

- Some of the books that include CMOT Dibbler: Guards! Guards!, Moving Pictures, Reaper Man, Soul Music, The Truth, Night Watch, and Making Money

3. Sybil from the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

- Lady Sybil Deidre Olgivanna Vimes (née Ramkin) is the Duchess of Ankh and is one of my favorite characters from the series. Sybil is first introduced in Guards! Guards! the first of the city watch books. She breeds dragons and is such an awesome character. I adore her and her relationship with Sam Vimes. 

- Books that include Sybil: Guards! Guards!, Men at Arms, Jingo, The Fifth Elephant, Night Watch, Thud!, Where's My Cow?,  and Snuff.

4. Albert from the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

- Albert (Alberto Malich) was the founder of the Unseen University (the wizard university in Ankh-Morpork) who tried to gain immortality. In the Discworld series he lives in Death's domain and is his man servant. 

- Books Albert appears in: Mort, Sourcery, Reaper Man, Soul Music, Hogfather, The Last Continent, and The Last Hero.

5. Zale from The World of the White Rat books by T. Kingfisher- I first read about Zale in Swordheart last year and they instantly became one of my favorite characters. Zale is a priest for the Temple of the White Rat and a solicitor- sacrosanct with a focus on property law. I'm hoping they will come back into the sequel to Swordheart, Daggerbound later on this year. 

- Books Zale has appeared in so far (that I know of): Swordheart and Paladin's Grace

6. Shadow from the Emily Wilde trilogy by Heather Fawcett

- Shadow is a large black hound or Grim who is glamoured to look like a large dog. He is the best dog and a great companion to Emily. I really feel the scenes with Emily's anxiety about him aging. He is in each of the books of the trilogy. 

 

7. Orga from the Emily Wilde trilogy by Heather Fawcett 

- Orga is faerie cat who belongs to Wendell Bambleby. She is a loyal and fierce creature who helps aid Emily in her adventures throughout the Faerie realm. Orga appears in Emily Wilde's Map of the Otherlands and Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales. 

  

8. Calcifer from Howl's Moving Castle series by Diana Wynne Jones 

- Calcifer is a sardonic fire demon who is bound to the wizard Howl by a magical contract they made. He was once a fallen star before he made his bargain with Howl.  Calcifer is described as a blue flame that turns green at the top. He has a long thin face with orange teeth. Often he is crabby, whiny and cowardly though he shows deep loyalty to those he cares for. 

- Calcifer appears in all of the books in the Howl's Moving Castle trilogy. 

 

9. The Nome King from the Oz series by L. Frank Baum 

- The Nome King from The Oz series is one of my favorite villains from literature. The books he appears in from the books L. Frank Baum wrote for the series are: Ozma of Oz, The Emerald City of Oz, Tik- Tok of Oz, and The Magic of Oz. 

    

10. The Hungry Tiger from the Oz series by L. Frank Baum  

- We meet the Hungry Tiger briefly in the first book in the series but his first major appearance is in the third book Ozma of Oz. There is a running gag with him where he constantly says he is so hungry he can eat a baby, but says he can’t because of his conscience. He is a good friend of the Cowardly Lion and goes on many adventures with him. 

 

- The Hungry Tiger is in many of the books written by L. Frank Baum for the Oz series: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Ozma of Oz, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, The Road to Oz, Little Wizard Stories of Oz: "The Cowardly Lion and the Hungry Tiger," The Scarecrow of Oz, Rinkitink in Oz, and The Magic of Oz.