Friday is for Fairy-Tales: Top 10 Characters in Random Magic

This is a meme hosted by me every Friday.



My post today is about: Top 10 Characters in Random Magic by Sasha Soren

In the spirit of the Random Magic Tour, this Friday post will explore the book Random Magic by Sasha Soren further. You can read my review HERE (one post before this one). As Random Magic features many fairy-tale elements, it is perfect for this meme.

I chose ten characters that I enjoyed reading about the most, either because they're brave, or quirky, or funny, or extra gloomy. They caught my attention and today, I'm sharing them with you:

1. Winnie Flapjack: Winnie is a doodle witch who helps Henry in his quest to find Alice, the very girl from Wonderland. How is Winnie a doodle witch? On page 44, she explains: “I’m a doodle witch, practice witchery ‘til I find out what I’m really good at.” She has big green eyes and dark hair in messy pigtails. She is a very interesting and dynamic character, a girl who is intelligent, witty and slightly quirky. She is brave – one of the bravest people you’ll meet – and adventurous. She talks a lot and is fun to be around. It is also very practical to have Winnie by your side because her smarts can save you from just about any situation.

2. Henry Witherspoon: Henry is the one who is chosen by Professor Random to find Alice. Henry is the son of Lord and Lady Witherspoon. At the beginning of the story, he seems to be restless, feeling trapped and wanting something to happen. Then, he is sent on a big adventure into an unknown world and at first, his courage is tested and he is confused, but Henry becomes a brave, adventurous young man on this journey. For him, it is a journey of self-discovery.

3. Brute: He is the wolf from Red Riding Hood. I love his introduction. On page 93, it says: “A huge silver wolf had popped up from behind the tree. He was dressed in a poofy red hood and a long gingham dress. A big straw basket hung stylishly from one furry paw. (…) “I met a girl,” he mumbled, by way of explanation. “In a red riding hood.” “Again?” ” It seems Brute has issues with girls in red riding hoods. He is Winnie’s friend and they met when Winnie saved his life. He is like one of those people who are silent and speak only when they have something to say. He’s a bit of the brooding type.

4. Charon: He is the mythological ferryman of Hades. In the novel, he happens to be on vacation, which I find extremely funny. He is on vacation to change the routine he finds boring. He is dark in appearance and has a dark sense of humour, be he is quite approachable. Winnie outwits him, but as he sticks to the rules of his profession, he honours their agreement.

5. Count and Lady de Morgue: I will describe both under #5 because they are very much alike, with only slight differences between them. First, SPOILER: They are vampires. END OF SPOILER. They are all gloom and doom and melancholy. They are preoccupied because of their teenage daughter who is too cheerful and bored with their way of life. The count is suave and has a hypnotic gaze, but the gloom is stronger. Lady de Morgue is also sensitive. I love this description of them on page 114: “Like a set of matching funeral angels, Lady de Morgue was as beautiful to look at as the count, and doubly gloomy.” I loved their characterization and it was funny how they talked about their meals, the way we do about mashed potatoes.

6. Hypatia: She is the spiritual daughter of Count and Lady de Morgue. In history, Hypatia was the first important female mathematician from Alexandria, Egypt. In the novel, Hypatia is cheerful, rebellious and bored with all the gloom and melancholy of her parents’ ways. Her full name is quite impressive: Hypatia Mandragora Lilith Dementia de Morgue. On page 120, she is described like this: “A young girl, her silver hair in pigtails, burst through the door. Her hot orange T-shirt and lime-green mini-skirt were startling in the gloom. She bounced along on purple sneakers that lit-up with every step she took.” She’s a lot of fun. She helps Henry and Winnie by surfing the internet.

7. Callie: Callie is short for Calliope, the muse of epic poetry. She is the first of the nine muses and she writes, a lot. According to her sister Efterpe (muse of song), Callie knows everyone in every book ever written and with her knowledge, Callie can help Henry and Winnie. Callie likes to drink mead…too much. She’s always drunk.

8. Effie: short for Efterpe, muse of song. She is the fourth muse and she is very charming and obliging. She is the sort of person, uh, muse you would call super nice and would want to hang out with.

9. The creator of the Floating City: She is woman whose wisdom and insight are impressive. She wanted to create an untainted, happy and peaceful city, hidden from the world, but she failed because the city is not quite what she had wanted it to be. The city is her failure, but she is willing to not give up hope just yet, although she has been tempted. And, if I understood this correctly, the creator is Love. She helped Henry a lot.

10. Baba Yaga: She’s a witch in Slavic folklore, so I simply had to include her. (We call her Jaga Baba; same pronunciation, just different spelling and word order). She’s a nasty old hag. She only helps Henry and Winnie in return for a favour. In the novel, she’s on her way to the casino, so Henry and Winnie must find her a lucky rabbit’s foot.