Here at Two Thirds, we talk about a multitude of different platforms, whether it be games, comics, or television. All these provide the opportunity for writers and artists to tell their stories in their own way. To me, though, the pinnacle of storytelling is still found in the written word. Books allow authors to get their story out into the world without the need for visuals or production. Anyone can write a book as long as they have the roadmap in their head and the determination in their heart to do it. With no real constraints, a good book can really elaborate on things like world building and characterization in ways that the other mediums can’t. I believe the greatest characters are found in books, in part because they have the time to build and develop as the story progresses. Two Thirds have unified together recently to read a particular book together as one. For a short time, we became Three Thirds.
Godsgrave, the second book in the Nevernight Chronicle, gave us the one thing that we are constantly lacking: agreement. We all read Nevernight about a year ago and each of us loved it, so when we were looking for a story that we could all read to discuss and experience together, Godsgrave perked up above any others. After finishing the book, and concluding all our discussion, I found that there was still more I wanted to say. There is one way in which I am most at home saying anything: Ranking the shit out of everything! It may seem odd to jump into a character ranking in the middle book of a trilogy, but it’s been a while now since I’ve read Nevernight and I didn’t have a website back then. I can give you one hint on what that ranking would have been, though, and tell you that Carlotta was a fucking gem and didn’t deserve what she got. Now with that out of the way let’s carry on. Here are my top 10 characters from Godsgrave.
10. Bryn/Byern
Bryn and Byern remind me a lot of Ashlinn and Osrik from the first book. They are cocky and witty, charming and dangerous, funny and friendly all wrapped up into one dynamic duo. Their biggest hindrance comes by way of their commitment to the usual twin tropes. When they showed up, I turned on my mental timer for the usual “you should respect your elders” “you’re only older by ten minutes” conversation. I didn’t have to wait very long. Don’t worry, in case you forget, they make sure to have this conversation twice.
Aside from that, though, they are incredibly playful and fun and two of the first to show a real kinship with Mia. When Byern meets his inevitable fate, you can feel the sorrow that comes from Bryn. You can sense the sadness from Mia. They were just too likable for Kristoff not to butcher at least one of them.
9. Wavemaker
I wanted to put Wavemaker higher on this list, I really did. I then thought back to all the things he did throughout the book, and the list was actually rather short. There will always room on my lists, though, for those who are willing to sit on the sidelines and just be fucking cool. That’s the role that Wavemaker takes up and he wears it oh so well. His interactions are casual and fairly unremarkable and almost always bringing a sense of positivity to an otherwise grim situation. He is able to shower his companions with a beautiful song as well as he can shower the sands with blood. I hope one day that he can find a simple life in the theater and get away from the killing he knows too well, but hopefulness is a dangerous mindset in this world.
8. Mister Kindly/Eclipse
Oh, the shadow companions who can never seem to shut their not mouths. I get it, you aren’t fond of each other, but do you really need to spend half a page getting the same pointless jabs at each other? There’s serious shit going on and we don’t have time for this!
Slight annoyance aside, Mia’s shadows stick with her through the entirety of her journey and are the only true constant she has in her life. There is something to be said about sticking around when times are horribly tough. As much disdain as they have for each other, they still have a love and a loyalty for Mia. Eclipse is as loyal as can be, but Kindly shows more actual love to Mia than maybe anyone else in the story. He may be the only one to advise caution, while also willingly following her crazy plans when she throws caution to the wind. While Ash, Mercurio, and Eclipse may love Mia in their own way, none have shown the commitment that Mister Kindly has.
7. Mercurio
Mercurio could have easily turned Mia away. Not only when they first found each other after the death of her father, but also here, when she planned to go against the Red Church and murder the leaders of their nation. It would have been so easy for him, and understandable as well, given the insaneness of the plot they schemed up. Rather, he accepts the fate that would come from his betrayal of the Church and lends aid to Mia. Say what you will, but spinning stories to a band of the fiercest killers in the land is no small feat. It takes someone damn smart to be able to keep them off Mia’s tail as long as he did. This loyalty, combined with his propensity to tell things how they are, make Mercurio a fine addition to this list, even if he is, as Ash would say, a grumpy old prick.
6. Arkades
Speaking of grumpy old pricks, we have a badass one here. Executus Arkades is essentially the Mad Eye Moody of the Nevernight Chronicles in exceptionally obvious ways. Does he walk with a limp like an old school pimp? Sure does. Is he continuously pulling from a bottomless flask? Absolutely. Is he cranky beyond belief and more than willing to tell his students off at the smallest of mistakes? Starting to sound like a direct ripoff isn’t it.
The one thing that Arkades does have that Moody lacks, though, is the thirst of a teenage boy. Maybe it is actual love that he has for his Domina, but either way, he has incredibly clouded judgement that comes from thinking with the stick between his legs (or his heart if you’re optimistic).
Put all that aside, and one thing still remains. Arkades is a badass. After half a book of building up the great Furian the Unfallen, gimpy Arkades is able to put him, as well as two other gladiatii, in the sand. By being able to put down your collegium’s three greatest warriors while they are working together, you show what a real champion looks like.
INTERLUDE
Before we enter the realm of the Top Five, let’s take a short divergence down the path of the average. There are so many memorable characters in this book that I am easily able to choose ten who left a positive impression on me. Beyond that, there are still more who played parts both small and large who were less remarkable and less enjoyable. Let us quickly run through some of those who will not be making our Top Ten.
Butcher - With all the gladiatii in this story, some were destined to fall too far to the background to make a big impression. While he seems like a solid part of the group, Butcher just didn’t do enough with his limited time.
Fang - As far as dogs in stories go, Fang is a bit mild. He’s the scrap eating companion of the gladiatii and his death shows that no one is safe, not man, woman, nor dog.
Finger - A chef with a name unfitting of a chef, Finger showed a commitment to hazing which I respect. I’m glad he didn’t end up poisoning the meal too.
Furian - Oh my god Furian sucks. High and mighty and always a dickhead, Furian didn’t deserve all the praise and attention he got. Try having a conversation with somebody without being a total douche. Bedding Leona is pretty rad though, but otherwise I’m glad he got axed. Fuck you Furian.
Ishkah - I had no idea that we’d be coming across other humanoid beings in this world, but with Ishkah, there is now room to expand the types of enemies that can be thrown at Mia in the future, even if The Exile herself (itself?) didn’t do that much for me.
Leonides - Man this guy is just a big meanie. He knows what he’s doing and gives off a very powerful and intelligent vibe, but yeah, still a big jerk.
Magistrae - Go to hell Magistrae. I know you have an actual name, but I’m too mad at you to go figure out what it is. You earned what you got.
5. Leona
I’d understand it if someone didn’t like Leona throughout the story. She can be cruel, temperamental and controlling. This is honestly why I began to enjoy her as a character. She runs her collegium how I feel I would maybe run it, if I was in her position. While most people of power in fantasy stories are “always one step ahead” or “cool and calculating” Leona is a real person trying to be in charge and unable to hide any of her obvious flaws. She loathes her father (for damn good reason) and is dead set on besting him at his own game. She uses the love that her executus has for her, to tie down his undying allegiance. She bangs it out with her hunky slave champion and ends up unintentionally and unknowing developing at least a semblance of a feeling for him while doing it. Bad with money and pridefully irrational and all things that are insanely human. Constantly bouncing back and forth between friendliness and superiority with her cohorts sounds realistic for someone new to this kind of power. It’s refreshing to me to have someone in charge… just kind of winging it.
4. Maggot
R.I.-fucking-P. This was cruel Jay. If there was literally any person in this whole story that did not deserve to be an innocent bystander in a stew poisoning murderfest, it was Maggot. She epitomises innocence in a world of murder and deceit. Young and small, yet able to hold her ground against the fiercest around her because of her intelligence and temperament, Maggot is the one I wanted to learn more about. I wanted her to stick around and learn from Mia, while being the conscience she sometimes needs. She could have been the Robin to Mia’s Batman, and yet this is no longer possible. She was ripped from our grasp when she is what we needed. Maybe the bloody path the reader is being taken down is too dark for the likes of so much light. I would have liked to see her leave more of an impression on the world before being so unjustly ripped away.
3. Mia
Our bloody heroine arrives at last. She may not think herself a hero, but in a world such as this, she is as close as there can be. Constantly fighting between her dream of vengeance and the building kinship with those around her, Mia is a thrilling vessel to be taking this trip on. She has had one mission since the start of her journey in Nevernight: three names to cross off her list. Three names of the most powerful people in Itreya whom have been sentenced to die by Mia herself. With one name down by the time we get into the story of Godsgrave, Mia devises this absurd plan in order to take out the remaining two in one fell swoop.
Mia has the skills, luck, and powers to pull off absurdity that would otherwise be impossible for anyone else. At this point, she has been trained by the most elite band of killers anyone has ever known, and with her combination of training in the sands of the collegium and the mountain of the Red Church, she stands capable under the duress of any situation. With all these skills, and her own mad dream, she finds herself in a revolving door of characters with both their own stories and ambitions, most of whom have as much blood on their hands as she does. While the common folk may think them cloudy eyed killers, or certain death waiting in the shadows, Mia has a knack for learning who they are and who they were and what has caused them to have been on the right end of death all their lives. She may say she hates it, but she will always end up caring for them, and her grand master plan would undoubtedly be easier without those pesky feelings, but seeing her ebb and flow between them makes the story that much more fun.
2. Ash
Dearest Ash joins us after instigating the betrayal of all betrayals in the climax of Nevernight. She murdered Tric, took down the Red Church and would have gotten Mia killed in the process had she not been struck with a case of the “right time, right place” disease. Needless to say, she had a hole to dig herself out of when she happened upon Mia, and dig herself out of a hole she did. In a couple hundred pages she went from being the most untrustworthy person Mia had ever met, to a trusted friend and lover. She does this by doing what Ash does best. Charming the shit out Mia, and in addition, us as the reader. Filled with arrogance and wit, Ash rides the line between the story’s best side character and the story’s smartest villain. You can always feel that she really does care about Mia, and maybe she does even love her, but if she ends up stabbing Mercurio in Darkdawn, are we really going to be that shocked by it? She could do anything at this point and I’d find myself unsurprised. Whatever she is doing, though, I’m in. Ash rocks.
1. Sidonius
There is not one thing I didn’t love about Sid in this book. He comes in with Matteo and balances out his calm demeanor by hitting on anything with a hole and taking as many shots to the face and groin as any man can take. It’s entertaining as all hell and just when you think it might start wearing out its welcome, the immaturity is replaced with a necessary leadership while on the sands of the arena. After said leadership is no longer needed, he continues his usual debauchery. What makes Sid so great, though, is he knows when to be the dumb brute, and when to be the caring friend. He’s a softy at heart and when he learns what Mia is, he doesn’t even think to tell a soul, and when he finds out who she is, he never leaves her side. He understands why she’s there, and the difficulty she must have being in the dungeon of a place she once lived in as a girl. His story of how he acquired his “COWARD” brand only helps to make us admire him more. He stands up for what he knows is right, regardless of the consequences to himself. He can teach us that even if all the hardships in the world get thrown at you, nothing helps you sleep like a clear conscience.
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