Lord Foul's Bane
Stephen R. Donaldson
1977
Books with the “Reluctant Hero” trope
An ordinary person who wants no adventures or glory but is forced to protect others.
Characters and archetypes · Reluctant Hero
Books with this trope
The Hobbit
J. R. R. Tolkien
1937
Kings of the Wyld
Nicholas Eames
2017
American Gods
Neil Gaiman
2001
Sunshine
Robin McKinley
2003
Rosemary and Rue
Seanan McGuire
2009
All Systems Red
Martha Wells
2017
The Thief
Megan Whalen Turner
1996
The Colour of Magic
Terry Pratchett
1983
The Forever War
Joe Haldeman
1974
The Postman
David Brin
1985
Often found together with
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Morally Grey CharacterRelated tropes
Unreliable Narrator
The person telling the story hides the truth, is biased, or cannot be trusted about what is really happening.
Byronic Hero
A brooding, cynical, and magnetic rebel haunted by a dark secret from his past.
Morally Grey Character
A character who is not a villain but will cross ethical lines to reach their goal.
Mad Scientist
A scientist whose obsession with knowledge makes them break nature's or humanity's rules.