in a need for a guile hero

[Sifou]

I need a "guile hero" as main protagonist in fantasy or sci fi or any sub-genre in those 2.
Guile Hero is trope for a hero who usually is a skilled normal dude who fights way out of his class using tricks manipulation and playing the odds to win.
Examples:
URBAN FANTASY: Chosenalex verus by benedict jacka the perfect guile hero use him as a yard stick if you can.
FANTASY: Aedan from Dawn of Wonder Dawn of Wonder or lock from The Lies of Locke Lamorathe lies of lock lamora
STEAMPUNK kinda : The RithmatistThe Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
Please and thank you all .

[David]

Miles Vorkosigan fits the bill in some of the Vorkosigan books (The Warrior's Apprentice and The Vor Game in particular).

[Sifou]

David wrote: "Miles Vorkosigan fits the bill in some of the Vorkosigan books (The Warrior's Apprentice and The Vor Game in particular)."

thank you ill definitely check them out.

[Deborah]

Timothy Zahn writes some Alastair MacLean-style heroes like this, only sci-fi. Especially in The Icarus Hunt and in his Quadrail pentalogy, starting with Night Train to Rigel. For that matter, he also does this with Angelmass, Cloak, Scoundrels, and probably others.

(The Icarus Hunt would be a good place to start.)

I second the Vorkosigan recommendations.

[Sifou]

Deborah wrote: "Timothy Zahn writes some Alastair MacLean-style heroes like this, only sci-fi. Especially in The Icarus Hunt and in his Quadrail pentalogy, starting with [book:Night Train to Rigel|29..."

thank you for the recommendations ill give anything a try so keep'em coming.

[Brenda]

CURSE OF CHALION, also one of the cleverest heroes going.

[Sifou]

Brenda wrote: "CURSE OF CHALION, also one of the cleverest heroes going."
thank you brenda i think i have CURSE OF CHALION in my stacks AND now i have a reason to read it ^^

[AndrewP]

I will jump on the bandwagon recommending Curse of Chalion. It's a great book.

[Sifou]

AndrewP wrote: "I will jump on the bandwagon..."
Feel free to share if you remember or come across another book with a guile hero.

[Quantum]

AndrewP wrote: "I will jump on the bandwagon recommending Curse of Chalion. It's a great book."

great blurb. added to my fantasy TBR. love Bujold even though I didn't finish the only book of hers that I started reading (A Civil Campaign, which I fully intend to return to).

would you consider Curse of Chalon to be dark fantasy?

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

If "probability mage" Alex Verus is "a skilled average dude" most urban fantasy will be right up your alley. It looks like you have some of the grittier stuff already on your "read" list. I'm slowly working my way through the big names in UF myself so maybe I am not the most helpful, but that's the premise for books by
Ilona Andrews, Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant (they're the same person), Kim Harrison etc.

The first books for each are a tad rough IMO but the characters definitely fit your bill. Sorry if you've already read--I only skimmed the first couple pages of your UF read list. :-)

[AndrewP]

Alex G wrote: "would you consider Curse of Chalon to be dark fantasy? .."

No, it's got some dark magic but overall the book is not dark fantasy.

[David]

Alex G wrote: "great blurb. added to my fantasy TBR. love Bujold even though I didn't finish the only book of hers that I started reading (A Civil Campaign, which I fully intend to return to). "

I adore A Civil Campaign, but it's an odd entry point into that series. Not only is it buried deep in the series, but it's the second book of its story arc. You might want to at least read Komarr first, if you don't want to start at the beginning.

Alex G wrote: "would you consider Curse of Chalon to be dark fantasy? "

I wouldn't. It has some dark elements, but it's not nearly as dark as, say, Game of Thrones or The Black Company or the Malazan books.

[Yefim]

Fantasy: Baru from The Traitor Baru Cormorant is a smarts/guile hero. Glokta from the First Law Trilogy (The Blade Itself and its sequels) qualifies, as does Monza Murcatto from Best Served Cold). Kellhus from the Prince of Nothing series (The Darkness That Comes Before and so on) definitely qualifies.

On the sci-fi side: Zakalwe from Use of Weapons qualifies

[Quantum]

Thanks, David and AndrewP!

[Sifou]

Allison wrote: "If "probability mage" Alex Verus is "a skilled average dude" most urban fantasy will be right up your alley. It looks like you have some of the grittier stuff already on your "read" list. I'm slowl..."
well its kinda of relative cause his fighting way out of his league.
and his power fits the "Heart Is an Awesome Power" trope his power is somewhere at the bottom of the superpower scale. or as commonly "viewed in his world"
its like felix castor from the his power is good only if its applied correctly or good luck fighting a demon with whistle xD

[Sifou]

Yefim wrote: "Fantasy: Baru from The Traitor Baru Cormorant is a smarts/guile hero. Glokta from the First Law Trilogy (The Blade Itself and its sequels) qualifies, as does Monza Mur..."

thanks man ill check them out ill probably start with The Darkness That Comes Before cause i already have the audio-book version.

[David]

In another thread I was just reminded of The Grace of Kings. Kuni Garu (and his faction) from that book is very much a "guile" hero.

[Sifou]

David wrote: "In another thread I was just reminded of The Grace of Kings. Kuni Garu (and his faction) from that book is very much a "guile" hero."
some reviews for this books are brutal xD.
tanks ill check it out the premise sounds good, im getting a very anime epic history vibe.

[Don]

1) THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS.

2) THE RED KNIGHT

[David]

Sifou wrote: "David wrote: "In another thread I was just reminded of The Grace of Kings. Kuni Garu (and his faction) from that book is very much a "guile" hero."
some reviews for this books are b..."

I gave it three stars myself. I enjoyed it but I'm only recommending it because its hero seems to be what you're asking for.

[Sifou]

Don wrote: "1) THE GIRL WITH ALL THE GIFTS.

2) THE RED KNIGHT"

The Red Knight sounds fun thanks.

[Mary]

Michael Flynn's Spiral Arm series is full of guile heroes: The January Dancer, Up Jim River, In the Lion's Mouth, On the Razor's Edge.

The Legend of Eli Monpress by Rachel Aaron

The Evil Wizard Smallbone by Delia Sherman

[Mikhail]

The title character from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12...

He is a master thief in a fantasy Venetian-type city. And his gang is called The Gentlemen Bastards. Surviving (and sometimes suffering) by his wits is what Locke is all about!

[Sifou]

Mary wrote: "Michael Flynn's Spiral Arm series is full of guile heroes: The January Dancer, Up Jim River, In the Lion's Mouth, On the Razor's Edge...."

tnx mary ill definitely give em a shot the list looks promising.

[Sifou]

Mikhail wrote: "The title character from http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12...

He is a master thief in a fantasy Venetian-type city. And his gang is called The Gentlemen Bastards. Sur..."

yeah I know im waiting for the The Thorn of Emberlain now ^^

[Sha]

I second Miles Vorkosigan, and would also like to recommend Jim Butchers Codex Alera. The protagonist Tavi is forced to be a guile hero because he is he only non super in a world of supers.

I love the Curse of Chalion and I think it's well worth a read, but I'm not sure of Caz qualifies as too much of a guile hero- he reacts and survives far more than he plans. Penric from the sub series novelettes of Penric and Desdemona on the same universe is probably a better fit, especially in the later novels.

If you haven't read discworld, I'd recommend the Moist von Lipwig books. Also, all the witches books, because witches in the disc are by definition guile heros.

I'll look through my notes and see if there is anything else I can think of. Hope this helps though.

[Melanie, the neutral party]

Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom

[Sarah]

Melanie wrote: "Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom"

Seconding this.

Also: Eugenides of The Thief

[Grace]

EUGENIDES OH DEAR LORD YES. He's good in The Thief, but his tricks become steadily more
impressive as the series goes on.

[Sha]

Oh yes. Eugenides is very definitely a guile hero

[Sarah]

Sha wrote: "Oh yes. Eugenides is very definitely a guile hero"

Grace wrote: "EUGENIDES OH DEAR LORD YES. He's good in The Thief, but his tricks become steadily more
impressive as the series goes on."

I love him so much. I think he's one of my favorite character's this year. I feel compelled to talk about him every chance I get.

[Sifou]

thank you all for your recommendation. I'll do my best to check what i can find of these books.