He’s a mean one, Mr. Grinch. He hates Christmas and anyone who finds joy in celebrating the holiday. When he decides he’s had enough, he concocts a plan to steal every last present and decoration from every Who in Whoville so that he can effectively ruin Christmas once and for all.
Obviously, his plan doesn’t work. Christmas, as the Grinch learns, is about more than gifts and tinsel. But there’s hints that the Grinch isn’t really the villain he is initially portrayed to be. After all, could a truly terrible guy have an adorable dog named Max?
That’s the fun of grumpy characters in science fiction and fantasy. They have reasons for being grumpy and broody and moody. And despite their exterior, there are glimpses of the heart they’re hiding in the small nuances of their dispositions. It’s a satisfying journey to unlock their secrets and watch that heart grow three sizes too big.
Here are seven science fiction and fantasy novels with grinches of their very own.
A Christmas Carol
Ebenezer Scrooge just might be the original grinch. He’s bitter and a miser, not even allowing his poor assistant an extra piece of coal to keep warm while he works. But when he is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve, he’s suddenly reminded of what was, what is, but most importantly, what could be if he doesn’t learn to let Christmas cheer into his heart.
Mort
It makes sense that spending so much time collecting souls would cause an immortal being to develop a bit of a curiosity towards humanity. So, of course Death adopts a cat, and a granddaughter, and even a butler while exploring the meaning of life. Even the Grim Reaper can find purpose when he has the right people in his life.
Six of Crows
For Kaz Brekker, the only thing that matters is business. He’ll wheel and deal with anyone for anything and walk away without a guilty conscious. Or so he’d like you to believe. The thing is, though he keeps his feelings to himself, his machinations often benefit the other members of the Crows, including one nimble assassin in particular.
The Beautiful Ones: A Novel
No one is more dramatic to discover he actually has a heart than magician Hector Aurvay. Once he realizes he’s actually in love with Antonina Beaulieu, he crumbles to the floor clutching his chest in pain. There’s nothing worse than love. Especially when it means facing a dark truth about yourself that you’d rather keep buried.
Vicious
By all outward appearances, Victor Vale is a loner with a vendetta. So why is he buddies ex-con with a penchant for chocolate milk who helps him protect a little girl with a dangerous power? Victor might be grumpy to everyone else, but when it comes to Mitch and Sydney, his heart is definitely three sizes bigger.
The Rage of Dragons
Tau is has a lot of reasons to be broody and grouchy. He was born gift-less, guaranteeing him a position as front-line fodder for the war. But before he can execute his plan to get injured and escape, everyone close to him is brutally murdered. He has a lot of reasons to be angry. But once he learns how to finally open up just a little, readers can’t help but root for him despite all that Tau does to push people away.
A Psalm for the Wild-Built
Sibling Dex just wants to find some meaning in their life. The answer, they think, is tea. They become a tea monk on the edge of the wild, serving tea to wandering humans. The last thing they expected was for a robot to wander in. They really never expected that the robot would break through their grumpy exterior and warm their heart.
Featured image: Geoffrey Moffett / Unsplash
