If you want to see a few anti-heroes done right, I'd take a look at some of the recent fantasy series. Lewis and Tolkien did incredibly well with a hero archetype, but Stephen King creates a lasting impact with the depth and realism of his characters (see Roland of Gilead). Fantasy writers these days don't pull any punches, and with good cause. The darker, more realistic fantasy that is catching on is an improvement in my opinion. Not to say it's an entirely new idea, but it seems to be becoming more and more prevalent. A few other authors that have done extremely well with their characters (and some of my favorites) that you might want to look into if you haven't already are Anne Rice, Brandon Sanderson, George R. R. Martin, Glen Cook, and Frank Herbert. All are incredible authors; if my writing is a tenth of what they do someday, then I will count myself a lucky man.

Yes Golem is a prime example of redemption, although he went back to his wicked ways in the end in Return of the King, His redemption period of fighting himself every step of the way untill the end was spectacularly done.

Stupid hobbit jealosy. Sam just had to come along and completely screw the poor guy up.

Yes Golem is a prime example of redemption, although he went back to his wicked ways in the end in Return of the King, His redemption period of fighting himself every step of the way untill the end was spectacularly done.

Interesting dialogue. Make it seem real, not just mechanical back and forth. It's something I've tried to develop in my FF in the chapters with no fighting (and even in the ones with it!), and it's quite challenging to try and have your characters speak in a way that's believable.

"Would a real person actually say it like that?" is something I try to ask myself when going over bits of dialogue. If you can keep the dialogue real and flowing, you'll find that non-combat chapters can be really interesting, and good, realistic dialogue is often something I find lacking in FF's. Mine included :sadvaultboy:

True, true, but of the main characters, Frodo was more or less a hero the whole way. He was corrupted a bit at the end, but he overcame it. But I don't believe that was really enough to call him anything but a good guy, even when he is yelling at Sam. Most of the other characters are pretty much straight good guy as well: Aragorn, Gandalf, etc. The bad guys, meanwhile, are wholly bad. Sauron gets no redemption. The line between good and evil is black and white (literally), with little room in between. More recent fantasy, on the other hand, has started to blur this, which I find more realistic and entertaining. I'd rather have flawed heroes and villains who can justify their actions than such clear cut choices of morality.