Shakespeare might think a rose would smell as sweet even if it was called “roadkill”, but I’m not su sure this applies to character’s names. I’m not one to judge books by their cover. But I do judge characters by their names. (Sue me). Especially YA or romance novel heroes. Yeah, I read books for their plots and all, but I fall for their characters. And I really need to like my leading men.
A character’s name is key because it has to suit his personality, be appropriate for the world the author is creating and, most importantly, it has to be swoon-worthy. Book-heroes’ names have to be strong, rough, cool, filled with consonants. It has to be so good that just saying his name out loud makes you quiver.
Can you imagine being saved from a ferocious dragon by some dude called Leslie? A pirate called Georgie? An incorrigible rake named Bob? Or a vampire called Marley? Can you image having a book-boyfriend named Walter?
Yeah. I didn’t think so.
Now, names like Draven, Rhage, Dageus, Fury, Lord Ravenswood, Jericho Z. Barrons, Khal Drogo, Hunter, Cian or Sebastian, make your heart beat faster.
Whenever I pick a book, I read the summary on the jacket searching for the hero’s name. That’s a total YAY or NAY thing for me. Of course, there are some exceptions. Mr. Darcy (though we all love him to pieces) isn’t very strong. Fitzwilliam on the other hand, has a nice ring to it. Tobias doesn’t sound so manly as to face his every fears, but Four seems pretty tough.
Now, Peeta… I can’t explain.
Another name that might not fulfill the rough-around-the-edges standard is Jamie. But James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser is pretty perfect., don’t you think?
