Fictional friends are so last month, we want to know about the juicy rivalries!
This month, we asked our staff to suggest some of their favorite fictional rivalries, continue reading to see what they had to say.
Favorite Fictional Rivalries
The Plantagenet and Tudor series by Philippa Gregory
Elizabeth York and Margret Beaufort in Philippa Gregory's The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels series are my favorite rivalry. This isn’t necessarily fictional because they were based on real people, but their portrayal in the series was fictional. They took quite an unlikely journey from enemies to uneasy allies amidst the unrest of 15th-century English politics.
- Amy Carroll, programming and community engagement manager
Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto
I am going to recommend Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto. Naruto was my very first experience with manga and anime, and it is still my favorite by far! The rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke is amazing to watch throughout the entire series. This series also has tons of side character rivalries as well. Each character uses their rivalries to constantly improve their skills, and it's so fun to see how everyone changes over time. If you love a good rivalry, you have to get into Naruto!
- Danielle Heiert, adult/teen services programmer
Hercules
Hades versus Hercules in the Disney cartoon, Hercules! I loved how Hades kept trying to stop Hercules from succeeding, but would then fail in funny ways.
- Clara Gerner, adult/teen services librarian
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville
Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. Nothing beats the rivalry between Captain Ahab and that eponymous white whale. A man consumed and destroyed by his desire for revenge against a whale that was trying to survive during the height of the whaling industry.
- Dave Anderson, Cold Spring Branch manager
The Book That Wouldn’t Burn by Mark Lawrence
My favorite fictional rivalry is in The Book That Wouldn't Burn by Mark Lawrence. Livira Page is a young girl who lives out in the Dust when her small village is attacked by the enemies known as Sabbers. She moves to Crath City to work at a library, where she comes across a book that changes her life. With the help of her new friend Evar, they work to bring down the Sabbers. It's such a great book, and it has the reader question what makes an enemy and who the real enemy is.
- Tera Stadtmiller, information services assistant
The Count of Monte Cristo
My example is from the 2002 film The Count of Monte Cristo. Edmond Dantès and Fernand Mondego are friends in the opening act of the movie; however, Mondego betrays Dantès to steal his wife. This leads to them becoming rivals in a different sense as Dantès ‘revives’ himself after a faked death to become the confidant of Mondego's child. He dedicates his new life to destroying Mondego as the newly christened Count of Monte Cristo.
- Jade Grigsby, patron services assistant
