TTT: Fathers Day

June 13: Father’s Day related Freebie: favorite dads in literature, best father/daughter or son relationships, books to buy your dad, worst dads in literature, etc. etc.

I found this one a lot harder that the Mother’s Day equivalent. All the dads that sprang to mind were either more absent than good/bad, the partner of the mum I’d chosen that week, or just sort of … meh. Neither great nor awful. That being said, with a bit more thought, I came up with these guys. Let me know what your picks would have been.

Awesome Fictional Fathers

 

Samuel Vimes – Will do anything to make sure he gets home by six o’clock every night, no exceptions, to read Where’s My Cow to Young Sam.
The Discworld Series (City Watch sub-series) by Terry Pratchett

Akela, Baloo & Bagheera – Take in orphaned Mowgli, even though the entire jungle are afraid of humans. Try their best to help him fit in and learn how to survive.
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Micheal Carpenter – Basically a superhero. You know he’s good when he’s the hero your hero wants to be. Is a father to his own kids, including troublesome Molly, as well as Harry’s daughter and basically Harry himself.
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

Mr Quintana – Not that there’s a character in this book that isn’t awesome but Mr Quintana is especially fun and totally supportive. He’s a real ‘cool’ dad, who you wouldn’t mind hanging out with while you were at your friend’s house. He also clearly cares a lot about both Ari and Dante, moving the family back so Dante will be happier.
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Mr Bennett – Always seems the more laid-back and sensible of the Bennett’s, refuses to force Lizzie into marrying Mr Collins.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Terrble Fictional Fathers

 

Danny’s dad – A transphobic douch-bag. Need I say more?
Dreadnought by April Daniels

Leonidas Triskelion – Weirdly a-ok with having his daughter sacrifice her life for a snowball-in-hell chance at revenge on the monster that killed her mother. Which was his fault! And sees no issues with sleeping with his dead-wife’s sister while that’s all going on.
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Vlad Dracul – Literally names his daughter as a diminutive of himself and sees hardly any value in either of his children, Lada for being a girl and Radu for being ‘weak’. Then goes and leaves them as hostages in a brutal Ottoman court where anything could happen to them.
And I Darken by Kiersten White

Naila’s father (and mother) – Not only do they force their daughter into a unwanted marriage through drugging and kidnapping, on a less extreme level they also just refuse to listen to her and choose to put the family’s reputation over Naila’s life and happiness.
Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed

Count Olaf – Abuse via physical labour, trying to marry a child to get her parents money, constantly putting all three Baudelaire’s lives in danger. The list goes on and on. Olaf is one bad dude.
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket