A couple of days ago Kat talked to Patrick Rothfuss about his 2013 Fantasy Pin-Up Calendar which raises money for his Worldbuilders charity. They talked about Heifer International, art, sexual objectification, and women’s changing roles in speculative fiction. They also talked about the possibility of a future Male Fantasy Pin-Up Calendar, you know, just to be fair. ;)

So I polled a few female bloggers, asking which male fantasy characters they adore. Here are their suggestions. If you’ll leave your suggestions in the comments, you’ll have a chance to win a book from our stacks.

Prince Gareth

Prince Gareth

“The most swoonworthy fantasy male character that I’ve read about lately has got to be Greyfriar/Prince Gareth from the VAMPIRE EMPIRE series by Clay and Susan Griffith. He’s got that whole mysterious masked mystery-man dark and brooding thing going on. He is super hot (obviously), has a great sense of humor and fights like an absolute demon. The way he respects and supports his heroine (Adele) is super hot and makes him a character that is just so easy to love. Even with all his hotness he still manages to portray a sense of wonder and naiveté about the world.”
~Karissa at Karissa’s Reading Review

“I don’t usually go for blondes, but Joscelin Verreuil from Jacqueline Carey‘s KUSHIEL’S LEGACY is the perfect man. Like many fantasy heroes, he’s tall, strong, passionate and totally masculine, but what sets him apart is that he’s absolutely unwavering when it comes to sticking to his principles. He’s like a rock. But he’s got a sensitive side, too, and when he falls in love, his loyalty and devotion is just as steadfast, even when it isn’t deserved. (Also, he’s got really cool weapons and armor.)”  ~Kat at FanLit

Atticus O'Sullivan

Atticus O’Sullivan

“Tybalt from Seanan McGuire‘s OCTOBER DAYE urban fantasies is a Prince of Cats (and his name and identity seem to be taken from Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, as I discovered when seeing a production of that play recently), a shapeshifter who can become a literal cat when occasion warrants. He is strong, mysterious, and very sexy.”  ~Terry at FanLit

“I adore Tybalt and Joscelin too, but I’ve just got to mention Atticus O’Sullivan from Kevin Hearne’s IRON DRUID series. He’s a millennia-old Druid with the wisdom of the ages, but looks like that adorable slacker guy we all knew in college. And he’s got an awesome dog.” ~Kelly at FanLit

Anomander Rake

Anomander Rake

“Curran Lennart from the KATE DANIELS urban fantasy series by Ilona Andrews. What’s not to love about the Beast Lord of Atlanta? A lion shifter with golden eyes, serious alpha traits, and will still cook you dinner at the end of the day.”
~Abigail at All Things Urban Fantasy

“Anomander Rake from Steven Erikson‘s MALAZAN BOOK OF THE FALLEN series. He’s smart, ancient, mysterious, a royal badass in any battle, and can transform into a gigantic black dragon. Coupled with his sword Dragnipur, the man is a force of nature. He wins my pinup calendar vote hands down.”
~Sarah at Bookworm Blues

OK, readers, it’s your turn! Who do you nominate for a Male Fantasy Pin-Up Calendar?

As usual, one commenter wins a book from our stacks.

Author

  • Kelly Lasiter

    KELLY LASITER, with us since July 2008, is a mild-mannered academic administrative assistant by day, but at night she rules over a private empire of tottering bookshelves. Kelly is most fond of fantasy set in a historical setting (a la Jo Graham) or in a setting that echoes a real historical period (a la George RR Martin and Jacqueline Carey). She also enjoys urban fantasy and its close cousin, paranormal romance, though she believes these subgenres’ recent burst in popularity has resulted in an excess of dreck. She is a sucker for pretty prose (she majored in English, after all) and mythological themes.