The Amber Chronicles by Roger Zelazny
follow around the most soap-opera style family I have every read about. The second half of the series is narrated by Merlin. Merlin is the son of Corwin, the narrator and hero of the first half of the series, and Dara, a member of the royal family of the Courts of Chaos. He has lived most of his life on Earth, and studied computer science at Berkeley, of all places. He is described as having dark hair, and he is a mold-breaking blend of magic and science. From the very first time I read these books, Milo Ventimiglia is the only person I pictured for this part. And this was back when he was still Jess. Who knew he would become Peter Petrelli and totally fulfill my vision for heroics? 
Luke is the next character that we meet. He is Merlin's friend at Berkeley, but as the stories go by, we also find out that he is descended from the Courts of Amber as well (they are half cousins? does that sound right?) and has been trying to kill Merlin annually. He's vengeance bent and incredibly strong. Again, there is only one face that I immediately pictured, and that is Paul Walker
. I know he isn't a red head, but I still think he's our man.
Julia is Merlin's girlfriend from Berkeley. After showing off his shadow-walking abilities, he piqued her interest in magic and drove her to the crazy side of the occult. Good relationship, yes? Anyway, she turns out to be a total nut job, and a pretty significant sorceress in her own right. This choice is a little unconventional, but I like Elizabeth Banks. There is just something about her that says "crazy ex-girlfriend" to me, right?
Jasra is a really, really fun character to think about. Throughout the story, we find out that she is Luke's mother. She also has taken Julia under her wing and taught her sorcery and turned her against Merlin. This is one crazy witch, no pun intended. I want to see Susan Sarandon take this on.
This desire was only furthered by her turn in Enchanted.
And, lastly, Ghostwheel. This is not a corporeal being, but a hybrid magical and technological feat created by Merlin. As the object grows in strength, it becomes sentient and eventually believes itself to be a god. I don't know why, but I have always pictured this voice as being undeniably female. And as I write this, I cannot help thinking of Amy Poehler's line in Monsters Vs. Aliens:
"Your busted tired dance moves are no match for my security protocols."
So that's my pick, oddly enough, Amy Poehler.
Agree? Disagree? Post your thoughts in the comments?
Images: Google Images
