Welcome James R. Tuck! He is here to promote BLOOD AND BULLETS (available February 7, 2012 from Kensington). This is the first book of his Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter series about a tough as nails monster hunter. Abigail’s review will be up soon, but in the meantime, James is counting down ten other male protagonists in urban fantasy worth checking out. Let us know your favorite in the comments.
You can read all the previous Top 10 Lists HERE
Top Ten Male Protagonists in Urban fantasy
by
James R. Tuck
James R. Tuck here. Some of you may know that I write books, some of you may be like: “who's dis guy?” Well, I am an author. I write a dark Urban Fantasy series about an Occult Bounty Hunter named Deacon Chalk. Book one, BLOOD AND BULLETS, comes out February 7th.
I know a lot of you are big Urban Fantasy fans like me and you know that it is not normal for a series to not only star a male in the lead role, but to be written by a man. So in honor of the release of BLOOD AND BULLETS and the main man Deacon Chalk, here is my Top 10 list of Male Protagonists in Urban Fantasy. (say that three times fast, lol.)
10) John Constantine from DC Comics
The ultimate cocksure bastard. He's hard to call a hero. More people suffer for his actions than are saved by them, but he is undeniably interesting because of his flaws. No skin is more precious to him than his own and half the time he is just bluff and swagger, but it works. It works really well.
9) Edward from the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton
Well, it is hard to narrow the field in an Anita book, there are a lot of great male characters to choose from and Laurell does a good job of bringing them all onstage. But we all know that the best is Edward. For me it was Obsidian Butterfly that sealed the Edward deal for me. It was the first book to feature him in a semi-lead role and it was done brilliantly.
8) Blade from Marvel Comics.
Half human, half-vampire, all badass. With his big sword and unrelenting hunt for vampires to kill. He is a tragic figure, stuck between our world and theirs, belonging to neither. And he is cool, just really damn cool.
7) Eric from the Void City novels by J. F. Lewis
If you aren't reading these books then shame on you! Eric is a terrific character. Another one where it's hard to call him a hero sometimes, but dammit, that's what he is. This series is absolutely crazy and Eric is the king of that craziness.
6) Michael from the Cin Craven series by Jenna Maclaine
Michael. He is the smoldering, sweeping romantic lead. I really dig the fact that he is totally in love with and committed to Cin. He is the other half of her and Jenna's descriptions of him are spot on. He reads as a man who is deadly predator tamed only by his love for Cin.
5) Owen from the Monster Hunter series by Larry Correia
Owen was thrust into a situation without his consent. He was dumped headfirst into a world of monsters and has had to make his own way through it with the help of some shifty prophecy and some spectacular modern weaponry. His down-to-earth-ness is one of his best features. It makes him very relatable. He is the Urban Fantasy protagonist you see yourself having a beer with.
4) Hellboy by Mike Mignola
The ultimate fish out of water. Born a prince of Hell and the Beast from the Apocalypse (yes, THAT Apocalypse) he gets by with a wry sense of humor and a deliberate ignorance of what he truly is.
3) Cal Macdonald by Steve Niles
Damaged. Cal is truly messed up. The shit he gets into frequently veers into the territory of an acid trip from Hell. The man fought a giant brain! Cal is out there man.
2) John Taylor from the Nightside series by Simon R. Green
John Taylor needs counseling almost as much as Cal does. His life is a crazy mix of old gods, new demons, and evil with an acid-koolaid chaser. This series keeps twisting the common tropes of Urban Fantasy, tying them in knots.
In a noose.
Around your throat.
1) Harry Dresden from the Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher
There is a reason Harry Dresden is number one on this list. Harry is the subtle badass. He holds the power to shatter worlds and still bumbles his way through armies of enemies. He is self-deprecating without being annoying and justifiably awesome when it is time to rally. Jim does a fabulous job of telling a helluva story and making every little detail play to the bigger picture. A terrific hero from a master storyteller.
So there you have it Loyals and True Believers. Of course there are parts of what I like in each of these to be found in Deacon Chalk as well as dramatic differences that make him unique. He is a dark, damaged man who fights monsters, throwing himself in their paths, hunting them down until the day he is just that little bit too slow, just that little bit not strong enough and one of them takes him out and sends him on to be with his dead family. Until then he will keep you safe in the night.
Deacon Chalk: Occult Bounty Hunter. If you've got monster-sized problems, he's got bullet-sized solutions. The number's in the phonebook.
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Book Details
BLOOD AND BULLETS by James Tucker
Available on February 7, 2012 from Kensington
Description:
He lives to kill monsters. He keeps his city safe. And his silver hollow-points and back-from-the-dead abilities help him take out any kind of supernatural threat. But now an immortal evil has this bad-ass bounty hunter dead in its sights…
Ever since a monster murdered his family, Deacon Chalk hunts any creature that preys on the innocent. So when a pretty vampire girl “hires” him to eliminate a fellow slayer, Deacon goes to warn him—and barely escapes a vampire ambush. Now he’s got a way-inexperienced newbie hunter to protect and everything from bloodsuckers to cursed immortals on his trail. There’s also a malevolent force controlling the living and the undead, hellbent on turning Deacon’s greatest loss into the one weapon that could destroy him…
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Great list!!! I have to say these are some of my top favs as well. Good luck on your release, I can't wait to read your book!
ReplyDeleteI agree about Harry Dresden! Second the good luck on release day!
ReplyDeleteEric from Void City should have been higher but nice list overall.
ReplyDelete