Book Blogger Hop: Favorite Book Character

 

I saw this on two blogs I follow and thought it'd be fun to join in. I liked last week's question better, but I didn't find it until the last day. This week's question is:

Who is your favorite book character? I’ll give you a maximum of two choices, but they have to be from different genres!

Such a hard question! I'm looking at my bookshelves (there are four in my room) and am seeing so many good books with great characters. But I think I will have to settle on either Old Shatterhand or Old Surehand (or Winnetou??) from the many books Karl May wrote. I know, I can't pick two from the same genre! I love the two Old Surehand books, but I also love all the stories featuring Old Shatterhand and Winnetou.

Old Shatterhand on the left; Old Surehand on the right

From the movies made in the 1960s

For those who haven't had the pleasure of reading this fun tales let me enlighten you. Karl May was a German author who lived in the second half of the 1800s and died in 1912. He wrote lots of travel-adventure books. His most popular ones take place in the American wild west or in the Middle East. (Side note: I just learned this in German the "Orient" means the Middle East and Persia, but in English "Orient" means East and Southeast Asia.) Karl May hadn't actually traveled to the places he wrote about (in great descriptive detail mind you) but later in life did do a bit of traveling.

Back to favorite book characters. Both Old Shatterhand and Old Surehand are Germans who find themselves in the American wild west (the plains, the Rockies, the Southeast deserts) where they become frontiers men who never really settle down. (Think Davey Crockett or Daniel Boone or Zorro without the mask and not rich.) They are expert marksmen, their deeds are told around campfires, they strive to bring peace and never kill another human being unless it's absolutely unavoidable and even then they try to incapacitate their opponent instead. And they are both very strong Christians.

It's been ages since I've read any of May's works so I can't remember the details of Old Surehand's story. But I have a feeling I like him best. ... Maybe? In any case, Nemsi Books Publishing Company has been working on translating many of Karl May's books into English so that many more people can enjoy these fun tales. And apparently they're quite popular in Indonesia because I found those well liked on Goodreads!

Who is your favorite book character?