Top Ten Tuesday: Rebels in Literature

Top Ten Tuesday is an awesome weekly meme created and hosted by the Broke and Bookish where bloggers create and share lists of our top ten... well, it could be anything bookish at all!  The categories are so random and fun that I can hardly wait to see what's going on next week.  This Tuesday we're featuring Rebels in Literature-- daring characters and defiant authors alike.  So many spring to mind... here I've rounded up the top ten who I know and love best.

1.

Katniss Everdeen

I'm sure none of you other raving Hunger Games fanatics even considering adding Katniss, our beloved Mockingjay, to your lists. ;)  I truly do think Katniss is one of the greatest heroines of contemporary lit-- maybe the greatest rebel in all of YA.  She fits the profile perfectly.  

2. 

Lyra Belaqua 

 As a kid, I was always more than a little in awe of a girl my own age who *drumroll* foiled a plot to poison her uncle by stowing away in a wardrobe, befriended gypsies and stole a few of their boats for good measure, worked out how to find truth from a mysterious compass none of the adults had a clue what to do with, discovered her perfect mother-- and proceeded to run away from said mother--, helped an enormous bear regain his armor and set off across the tundra atop that bear, lied to the all-powerful king of armored bears without batting an eyelid, and lastly, ventured, alone but for her daemon, into another world.  And that's only in the first book of the trilogy.  And that is Lyra Silvertongue, a half-wild cat if ever there was one.  Kudos to author Philip Pullman as well, for sticking to his guns in the aftermath of the attacks on His Dark Materials.

3.

Lestat de Lioncourt

The 'brat prince'; the vampire who became a rock star.  I am convinced he could beat Edward Cullen in a fight, though thankfully not in a sparkling contest.  I love Lestat's narration in The Vampire Lestat.  In that volume his rebellious nature shines through the most.

4. 

Tally Youngblood

There's just something about Tally.  *Winces*.  Anyway, the heroine of Scott Westerfeld's Uglies trilogy is some kinda badass.  She goes through quite a few faces over the course of the series, but I chose her Special face, because in the end, I think Tally was always a Special inside.  She's superior, she's reckless, she's unreasonably tough.  And she's very, very tricky.  She's the girl who brought on the Mind Rain.  If you haven't read this series, please check it out!

                               5. 

Oscar Wilde

Yes, from dystopian heroines to Oscar Wilde.  This guy was never afraid to speak his mind and be exactly who he was.  I wouldn't want to undergo a verbal duel with him, back in the day, so it's nice to be able to enjoy his witty and intricate stories and plays-- and sole novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray-- today.

6. 

Fred and George Weasley

These guys are the last word in Hogwarts pranksters.  And a couple pages more, maybe.  Of course, we never got to see the full extent of the Marauders' mischief, but Fred and George are the best tricksters of their generation for sure.  The Phelps's portrayal of them in the films is spot-on.

7.

Ayn Rand

I don't personally agree with a lot of the philosophy behind Ayn Rand's novels.  But,  I can't think of an author more passionate about expressing her politics through her books.  She invented her own freakin' philosophy despite criticism.  Ayn Rand was a rebel growing up in Russia; she was still a rebel after she moved to the United States.

8. 

Tris from Divergent

  Tris is one of YA's newest superstars and rebels.  I really enjoyed Divergent and Tris's amazing bravery, her decision to leave behind her faction and all that she knew to rebel and take a new and alien path.  This book has the makings of a Hunger Games-esque saga, though within the boundaries of a whole new world.  

9.

 Lisbeth Salander

Yeah, so I've heard they're making an American version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  Awful idea, in my opinion. It can't possibly be better than the original Swedish version... it could, maybe, be as good.  But then what's the point of remaking it at all?  Lisbeth Salander is an enigmatic and standoffish young woman to say the least.  She's often violent, reckless... and always genius.  Love her.   

10. 

                              Maximum Ride

The first few books in the Maximum Ride series absolutely rocked.  I don't know what James Patterson was thinking with the latter books.  I've tried to brainwash myself into forgetting that I've read them.  Still, avian-American Max and her Flock are the ultimate rebel angels.  (Oh, ha.  Ha...)  I love their ingenuity and teenage shenanigans, which often include saving the world from certain destruction.