Underdogs Make the Best Characters

I recently wrote about the type of novel characters I like for a new books site, Shepherd. In “The Best Novels about Underdogs on a Doomed Mission,” I give you the damned and the screwed who just won’t give in.

I’ve always been drawn to characters who are stuck between two worlds and in over their heads with a plan that’s doomed to fail, but they stick with it anyway. They often don’t know exactly what they’re doing, but they believe in making the effort. Those are the main characters in all my books, really, whether the story’s set in WWII or present-day Oregon. The Losing Role is a prime example.

Shepherd (in beta) helps readers find the books they like in a new way. They aim to “create an experience like wandering around your favorite bookstore but reimagined for the online world.” To get there, they’re asking authors to share their favorite books grouped by themes they’re passionate about. Sounds like a plan to me, so when Shepherd’s founder Ben Fox came asking, I was happy to oblige.

What books did I choose? There are classics and a couple you might not know but could love. And the characters? There’s young Mattie Ross in Charles Portis’ True Grit. Mattie has one of the best voices in fiction. She’s just fourteen when a coward shoots her dad dead and takes his horse and $150. But Mattie’s not going to let that go unpunished. Then there’s burned-out British agent Alec Leamas in The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, and a real-life German spy who resisted Hitler all on his own, and more. Some aren’t as noble, such as Tom Ripley in Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, but all mean well in their own minds.

Check out the rest of the books and characters here.