Although more of a post-apocalyptic literary novel than a science fiction story, the unnamed protagonist/father in Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" is probably my favorite dad in written fiction. Reminds me a little of Roland and how he developed as a father-figure to Jake in later Dark Tower books.
when I first read Hyperion as a teenager I told myself that if I would have kids one day, I would say "see you later Alligator, after while crocodile" to them, and now that I have my twins we say that to each other every night before they go to sleep :,)
Cormac McCarthy hasn't done many interviews, but the Oprah interview that he did right after The Road came out is worth a watch. He wrote The Road for his son, and it really shows. I'm super pumped that he has two novels coming up later this year. Their the first novels he's put out since The Road in 2006.
Happy Father’s Day! My favorite father in Sci-Fi and Fantasy is: - Belgarath the Sorcerer (David and Leigh Eddings) His relationship with Polgara and Garion is one of my favorites in all of fiction.
This was a great list and I completely agree about Duke Leto Atreides. I don't know if it counts because it's not fantasy or sci-fi, though it is adjacent, but mine is Jack from The Shining. His relationship with Danny is my favourite part of the book, and you can tell he loves him so much at the end.
Definitely agree with Thannon in Faithful and the Fallen, but think also Gar deserves a mention... the way he watched over Corban his whole life, looked after him once Thannon died. And his last scene 😭😭😭
Great video, Mike! Happy Father's Day to you. Thannon is 100% near the top of my list, but also Gar because of how he takes over as a father figure. Love them.
I’m a little late to the party so Happy Father’s Day! A few other fantasy fathers I’d like to add are Dogman from Age of Madness, Olin (Drem’s father) from Blood and Bone, and Lirin (Kaladin’s father) from the Stormlight Archive. Great video Mike! Have a good one 👍
I would agree that Ebenezer definitely counts as a father figure to Harry. There's so much love, sacrifice, frustration, etc. In that complicated relationship. Enjoyed your list. I was just thinking about The Expanse character and then you named him. Definitely one of my favorite story lines of the entire series.
So glad Burrich was on the list. There is a moment in the 2nd Fitz Trilogy that had me in tears (happy tears!) and i had to put the book down for abit. It was the line "Heart of the pack was here, and he had never let us come to harm"
Jason Dessen from Dark Matter did a LOT to get back and make things right with his wife and son, Charlie. Andy McGee from Firestarter. Arthur Weasley (Harry Potter series) was a good dad. I looove Burrich.
Oh, I'm so happy you included Burrich in this video. Having read all of RoTE so many times, I can assure you, that loving his character is *exactly the right reaction* One fantasy Dad I thought was wonderful, is Charlie Swan, Bella's Dad in Twilight. He had all the right instincts, acted in his daughter's best interest, and with her wellbeing always at the forefront of his mind. I loved Charlie - I liked his movie portrayal even better - the best piece of casting in those films imo. The other fantasy Dad that comes to mind is from TV. Bobby Singer. As surrogate Dad to the Winchester boys, Bobby did a great job in remembering they were kids too. While they never *lived* under his roof, they sought emotional refuge there often, and he was always there for them.
Burrich was kinda good, but his character arc at the ending of Assassin's Quest, though. Talk about a nightmare scenario, huh? I kinda called it long before it happened in the book, but I was still surprised that it indeed was the direction Robin Hobb was going with.
Hobb is one of my top 3 authors, but a friend of mine literally stopped reading Hobb althoghter because the Burrich situation bothered her so much haha
@@ducky36F In Bird Culture, that's considered a dick move. Honestly, though, I was kinda shipping hard Fitz and Kettricken. She went through a whole lot, like him, and they seemed to have a great relationship based on mutual respect and support. I was expecting for them to start falling for each other at some point to complicate the dynamic between Fitz and Verity.
I think Fitz himself is a great father figure himself. In later series he is a father and becomes a father figure to a few others, and what I loved is that you see him struggling with the same sort of issues that Burrich dealt with.
He's my favorite author of all time so maybe I'm biased, but it's a brilliant book. It's not my favorite book by him ( that goes to Blood Meridian or The Crossing), but it's certainly a touching story.
The relationship between the father and daughter in Michael McDowell's The Elementals really stands out. It's a good book, but the unique father-daughter dynamic (he's divorced, rich, has an outward DGAF attitude and she's sarcastic and curious -- but they're endearingly close) is what really elevates that novel. McDowell had an eye for writing family dynamics really well -- right on par with Stephen King.
Happy Father's Day, Mike! What about top could-have-been-great-Fathers in fantasy... if they had been in their lives? For example, Tavi's father in the Alera Codex, or Chivalry in Farseer? etc?
Happy Father’s Day Mike, you are my long lost father. You may not remember my mother but in 1998 you met her at a Metallica concert and took her home. You did not return her phone calls. I am your son
I'll admit that leto (I) is my favorite Atreides until Miles Teg shows up. Then it's a toss up. Ebenezer McCoy loses points by his feelings towards Thomas. You forgot the most awesome ones of them all, both from the Dresdenverse: Michael carpenter and Harry himself. Superman is also a pretty nifty dad himself.
I would have thought Darth Vader would make this list. Oh sure. He sucked as a dad most of the time. But, had to have been Father of the Year back in 83'!
I would argue Obi-Wan Kenobi. I know he claim Anakin was like a brother to him, but in reality, he took on raising a 10 year old boy to be a Jedi. They may be similar in age to where it could be like an older brother raising his younger brother, but I feel Kenobi is more like a father to Anakin. Palpatine is more like that creepy uncle than a father 🤣
maybe this doesn't fit as I only seen the movie starring Drew Barrymore. Stephen King's Firestarter. Her dad. At least in the movie adaptation was a great Dad. Maybe in the book he is different. I can't find the book anywhere so I can read it.
Arthur Weasley was the first father to pop in my head! I hope you had a fantastic Father's Day!
No Tywin?! But he’s a great father who had amazing, kind children😂 Happy Father’s Day everyone!
“Don’t tell my kids I died takin’ a shit!”
@@mikesbookreviews Didnt expect a city slickers reference to pop up
Although more of a post-apocalyptic literary novel than a science fiction story, the unnamed protagonist/father in Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" is probably my favorite dad in written fiction. Reminds me a little of Roland and how he developed as a father-figure to Jake in later Dark Tower books.
when I first read Hyperion as a teenager I told myself that if I would have kids one day, I would say "see you later Alligator, after while crocodile" to them, and now that I have my twins we say that to each other every night before they go to sleep :,)
Cormac McCarthy hasn't done many interviews, but the Oprah interview that he did right after The Road came out is worth a watch. He wrote The Road for his son, and it really shows. I'm super pumped that he has two novels coming up later this year. Their the first novels he's put out since The Road in 2006.
Kratos is a great dad ... atleast the 2nd time around .
PS nice T shirt by the way 😉
First one that pops in my head is Burrich, love the relationship with him and Fitz
Only done Farseer but I loved their relationship
@@mikesbookreviews You meet Burrich's children in the third trilogy and I quite liked their relationship too.
I quite liked the Pirate Zeff from One Piece and his relationship with Sanji. It's a very well written relationship which can be very moving
Taught him to be a simp though......
Happy Father’s Day to you, Mike!
Gracias!
Happy Father's Day, Mike! This is an excellent idea for a video, and I enjoyed your list. There's a lot to learn from fantasy and sci-fi dads!
I learned a lot from Duke Leto.
Happy Father’s Day!
My favorite father in Sci-Fi and Fantasy is:
- Belgarath the Sorcerer (David and Leigh Eddings)
His relationship with Polgara and Garion is one of my favorites in all of fiction.
Better than Sparhawk lol, even though I prefer those books
@@techsoul5590 nah, Sparhawk is great neighbor. Not his fault his daughter ended up being a goddess lmao
Dare I say... Sand Dan Glokta? :P Oh and Dogman! haha
I almost put Shivers since he’s been so close with Rikke but her real father was great.
This was a great list and I completely agree about Duke Leto Atreides. I don't know if it counts because it's not fantasy or sci-fi, though it is adjacent, but mine is Jack from The Shining. His relationship with Danny is my favourite part of the book, and you can tell he loves him so much at the end.
Definitely agree with Thannon in Faithful and the Fallen, but think also Gar deserves a mention... the way he watched over Corban his whole life, looked after him once Thannon died. And his last scene 😭😭😭
Happy Father's Day!! "A dad is the anchor upon which his children stand."
Thank you, men, for all you do for your children. You are so needed.
Happy Father's Day!
Great list! Tam is my favorite 😀
I'm surprised you didn't put Michael Carpenter on here.
Yeah. I goofed.
Mike you're a great dad. I love hearing you talk about your boys! You can really sense the love you have for them!
Great video, Mike! Happy Father's Day to you. Thannon is 100% near the top of my list, but also Gar because of how he takes over as a father figure. Love them.
Gar is great, too.
Happy Father's Day Mike
Any of the dads from the faithful and the fallen are S tier.
Mike how'd you forget Duke Leto?!?! When you announced this video I thought this would be your number one? haha
Was glad to see Burrich and Duke Atreides. But for me the one who deserves #1 Dad? Alfred.
Great selection on The Man in The Road
Happy Father’s Day to all my fellow dad’s out there! Sit down, kick your feet up, and enjoy a good book :)
Hope it was a good one, my friend.
Great video, I don't know all of the father figures you are listing, but I agree on both Tam from WoT anf Burich from Farseer
I’m a little late to the party so Happy Father’s Day!
A few other fantasy fathers I’d like to add are Dogman from Age of Madness, Olin (Drem’s father) from Blood and Bone, and Lirin (Kaladin’s father) from the Stormlight Archive. Great video Mike! Have a good one 👍
Happy Father's Day, Mike!
I liked the surrogate father relationship between Xavier and Tin in book 1 of the sci-fi series Hell Divers.
Happy Father's day Mike! I hope Tam al'Thor makes the cut😁
You know it.
Leto Atreides. I’m right near the end of Dune. It’s now one of my favourite books.
What an incredible video! The only additional father coming to mind is Thors from Vinland Saga if manga isn’t a stretch. Happy Father’s Day, Mike!
Ah yes. Brief but memorable.
Yes ned stark is definitely a good father 💯🙂
So is geralt I love the father daughter relationship between them
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY
Thanks!
Arthur Weasley!! 😂🤣
Excellent video. You hit pretty much all the ones that I thought of.
Nice video, Mike. And props to Madison for the inspiration. I hope you have a great Fathers Day.
Likewise!
I would agree that Ebenezer definitely counts as a father figure to Harry. There's so much love, sacrifice, frustration, etc. In that complicated relationship. Enjoyed your list. I was just thinking about The Expanse character and then you named him. Definitely one of my favorite story lines of the entire series.
Special shoutout to Liveship's Kyle!!!!
Joking apart, I really thought you would put Michael Carpenter in there.
Have a great Father's Day Mike!!!
Yeah that was a major miss on my behalf.
So glad Burrich was on the list. There is a moment in the 2nd Fitz Trilogy that had me in tears (happy tears!) and i had to put the book down for abit. It was the line "Heart of the pack was here, and he had never let us come to harm"
Great list!! Happy Father's Day!
Jason Dessen from Dark Matter did a LOT to get back and make things right with his wife and son, Charlie.
Andy McGee from Firestarter.
Arthur Weasley (Harry Potter series) was a good dad.
I looove Burrich.
Jason is a great one!
My favourite duo would be Jake and the Gunslinger.:)
Happy Father's day!
Oh, I'm so happy you included Burrich in this video. Having read all of RoTE so many times, I can assure you, that loving his character is *exactly the right reaction*
One fantasy Dad I thought was wonderful, is Charlie Swan, Bella's Dad in Twilight. He had all the right instincts, acted in his daughter's best interest, and with her wellbeing always at the forefront of his mind. I loved Charlie - I liked his movie portrayal even better - the best piece of casting in those films imo.
The other fantasy Dad that comes to mind is from TV. Bobby Singer. As surrogate Dad to the Winchester boys, Bobby did a great job in remembering they were kids too. While they never *lived* under his roof, they sought emotional refuge there often, and he was always there for them.
I would've swapped Ebenezar with Michael in Dresden Files. Happy Fathers Day, Mike :D!
Michael is a good addition. Maybe keep 'em both
Very unique topic. Great list
Clay Cooper is father of the year and you know it!
💯
Was sure you would pick Michael from Dresden😊
Great to see Burrich on the list :)
like that you mention Thannon. I just started a F&F reread and am 1/3rd through Malice and just read the power of words scene 😂😂
So good.
I loved this video!!!
Happy fathers day mike! hope all is well friend
Thanks! You too.
Burrich was kinda good, but his character arc at the ending of Assassin's Quest, though. Talk about a nightmare scenario, huh?
I kinda called it long before it happened in the book, but I was still surprised that it indeed was the direction Robin Hobb was going with.
Hobb is one of my top 3 authors, but a friend of mine literally stopped reading Hobb althoghter because the Burrich situation bothered her so much haha
@@ducky36F In Bird Culture, that's considered a dick move.
Honestly, though, I was kinda shipping hard Fitz and Kettricken. She went through a whole lot, like him, and they seemed to have a great relationship based on mutual respect and support. I was expecting for them to start falling for each other at some point to complicate the dynamic between Fitz and Verity.
Let’s hear it for the dads!!!
Michael Carpenter (Dresden Files)
Yeah. Mike is probably going to kick himself after forgetting his favorite character in the Dresden Files AND one of the best dads in fiction.
I’m embarrassed I missed this one.
Hell yes on The Road!
Yes, finally Gealt on the list. Best father in fantasy.
Best father in fiction is definitely Whitebeard, i cried more during his death than I did during ACE's.
Whitebeard🙌🏻❤️😢
An interesting topic. Off the top of my head…Ned Stark, Sand dan Glokta, Jack Torrance, Chris Nielsen (what dreams may come)
I think Fitz himself is a great father figure himself. In later series he is a father and becomes a father figure to a few others, and what I loved is that you see him struggling with the same sort of issues that Burrich dealt with.
I loved him with Dutiful.
I'm definitely will be reading the road this year 😀
It’s amazing.
He's my favorite author of all time so maybe I'm biased, but it's a brilliant book. It's not my favorite book by him ( that goes to Blood Meridian or The Crossing), but it's certainly a touching story.
The father in "the road" by cormac mccarthy great choice
I would have to put Fitchner au Barca on here
The relationship between the father and daughter in Michael McDowell's The Elementals really stands out. It's a good book, but the unique father-daughter dynamic (he's divorced, rich, has an outward DGAF attitude and she's sarcastic and curious -- but they're endearingly close) is what really elevates that novel. McDowell had an eye for writing family dynamics really well -- right on par with Stephen King.
Happy Father's Day and Juneteenth!
Happy Father's Day, Mike!
What about top could-have-been-great-Fathers in fantasy... if they had been in their lives? For example, Tavi's father in the Alera Codex, or Chivalry in Farseer? etc?
Neat idea.
nice video love the idea and topic mike your are the best book tuber
I like the Father from FireStarter
Golden Gabe, bit of a f up but does everything to make amends with his daughter
You could add Roland to this list as well. He was sort of a father figure to Jake. Those were still good choices.
Roland of Gilead and Jake.
Surprised no First Law esp Shivers with Rikke
Surprised you went with Ebenezer and not Michael from Dresden Files.
When it is a father daughter situation always hits me way harder after having two girls.
I believe it.
Happy Father’s Day Mike, you are my long lost father. You may not remember my mother but in 1998 you met her at a Metallica concert and took her home. You did not return her phone calls. I am your son
Get your grades up, dammit.
If Tam Al'Thor isn't on this list I'm flipping tables.
Edit: Phew, thanks.
I'll admit that leto (I) is my favorite Atreides until Miles Teg shows up. Then it's a toss up.
Ebenezer McCoy loses points by his feelings towards Thomas.
You forgot the most awesome ones of them all, both from the Dresdenverse: Michael carpenter and Harry himself.
Superman is also a pretty nifty dad himself.
I would have thought Darth Vader would make this list. Oh sure. He sucked as a dad most of the time. But, had to have been Father of the Year back in 83'!
Malazan isn’t grimdark because this one character pet a dog at the end.
@@mikesbookreviews You ever dance with the Devil in the pale moon light?
I would argue Obi-Wan Kenobi. I know he claim Anakin was like a brother to him, but in reality, he took on raising a 10 year old boy to be a Jedi. They may be similar in age to where it could be like an older brother raising his younger brother, but I feel Kenobi is more like a father to Anakin.
Palpatine is more like that creepy uncle than a father 🤣
LoL you are a little worried about spoiling that Ned Stark isn’t long for this world but blurt out John having a secret legacy.
Whoops.
Jack Torrance.
Darth Vader is a pretty good dad
Yeah, torturing your daughter and maiming your son are clear dad actions.
maybe this doesn't fit as I only seen the movie starring Drew Barrymore.
Stephen King's Firestarter. Her dad. At least in the movie adaptation was a great Dad. Maybe in the book he is different.
I can't find the book anywhere so I can read it.
Haha I was going to suggest Creed ….
🤩🤩
and Riken or however you spell it lol
For me, Gambino is definitely the best father👌🏼💯
😂
Happy Father’s Day!