Characters you love to hate

[Dara]

I'm currently reading The Mad Ship by Robin Hobb and the character of Malta infuriates me. She's naive, meddlesome, arrogant, self-centered, and I love it. I love to hate her! Characters like Malta make books so much more enjoyable for me. Joffrey Baratheon is another one. He was so easy to despise because he was such a despicable human being but he kept things interesting, to say the least.

What are some characters you've come across that you love to hate?

[Sky]

Glokta from The Blade Itself / First Law Trilogy - though by the end of the series I just loved him :)

[[deleted user]]

Haha, Locke from Locke Lamora. As the series progresses Lynch slowly peels away the layers of Locke and at his most vulnerable he's pretty unlikeable.

Spoiler for Book 1+3
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But I pretty much hated him for how his obliviousness and naivete hurt Sabetha and twisted her and how his greed and pride lead to the deaths of the other Bastards.
(hide spoiler)]

But that's the point! He's not a perfect hero. And I love that. I wouldn't have it any other way. I don't think protagonists always have to grow or be relateable or be decent human beings to make a story interesting. I hate him as a person but appreciate and like him as a character if that makes sense. Lynch really explores the consequences of Locke's selfishness. Locke does not get off easily for any of his decisions. And there's enough likeable traits to him that you don't need Jean's perfection to keep the charm going.

[Kevin]

Yes, Malta was incredibly infuriating.

Captain Kennit from that same series also got a strong reaction out of me. Such an excellently written character, but such an absolutely loathsome scum bag of a human being.

[Joel]

I've been reading the Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb, and I despise Prince Regal.

Also, in the Way of Kings, I hated Sadeas.

[Ethan]

In the protagonist camp, Fitzchivalry Farseer bugs the crap out of me. I just want to slap him in the face sometimes. Most of the time. Ugh Fitz. But can't stop reading. Apparently Hobb knows how to write these characters.

[Brendan]

Difficult question but I think Severian from The Book of the New Sun? The guy was a self-centred knob but it worked in the context of the series.

[Dara]

Hobb writes characters that elicit such strong responses from the reader. I love it. I also loved to hate Regal. And Kennit. And Kyle Haven.

[Robyn]

I've just finished Book 4 of The Dagger and The Coin, and man do I hate Geder. It's mostly a love to hate situation, though I do occasionally just find him tiresome. (As I did with Joffrey.) He's such a sad man, and occasionally I think Abraham is using him as commentary on the nice guy/gamer guy who can't get a woman to like him trope. (Though I'm not sure if it's deliberate.)

Totally agree re: Malta, Kennit, and Kyle. (Actually, Kyle, I just hated.)

[Alan]

Wow is Robin Hobb good at making hateable characters because Nevarre from the Soldier's Son trilogy was more annoying than the others y'all named put together (though I can't say I "loved" to hate him).

I'm going to go with a deep cut for a character I loved to hate -- Simes from Starman Jones, boy was he a petty, pompous and punctilious ass.

[Jack]

Sadeas from Stormlight Archive, I can't remember the king in Stormlight archive but he is a jerk also. Then there is Jamie Lannister, Cerci Lannister, pretty much everyone who is not a Stark, except for Tyrion Lannister that is in a game of thrones.

[Sean]

I've only read the first Stormlight Archive book, but yeah, Sadeas is one of those great despicable characters. I think it helps that he has good motivations, and doesn't do what he does just to be evil.

Not so bothered by the king, though. For my part, he seemed more spoiled than a jerk. Like a lot of real royalty, I imagine - he doesn't want to actually *rule*, he just wants to play his games.

[Dara]

Kind of going in the opposite direction, character I hate that I kind of love: Lucius Malfoy. He's so deliciously awful and Jason Isaacs was perfect in that role.