[Ceda Kuru Qan]

Just curious to see if others agree that Coltaine's Fall was one of the saddest and most dramatic, well-written scenes in the series. Granted, there is some sort of comfort knowing that he is reincarnated, but to have come so far only to be crucified and killed at Aren was a damned shame. How does everyone else feel about it?

This post has been edited by Ceda Kuru Qan: 10 February 2010 - 01:19 AM

[SpectreofEschaton]

I agree, especially after the slog through hell to get there. A wonderful kind of hell, though, and one that I need to revisit at some point. (DHG is loaned out at the moment, never got around to rereading it.)

As for other scenes, there were a bunch that moved me almost as much, but I can't talk about them here. Memories of Ice was full of them, there was one in particular about halfway through the Bonehunters, two at the end of Reapers Gale, and one near the middle of Dust of Dreams.

[kingnothing]

Coltaine's fall was definately one of the most heartbreaking sequences I have read or seen in my entire life. The beauty was in unrelenting detail of it. The fact that he did succeed, but his chain of dogs wasn't about the refugees, Korbolo Dom and Reloe didn't seem interested in the refugees in the end, it was Coltaine. Destroying him was a crushing revelation. I loved their final stand though.

But yeah there are a heap more scenes that gave me the same feeling as the Fall, scattered throughout the rest of the series. Of course I can't actually say it on this thread but they are well worth it. One definately comes ot mind in MOI. That scene is probably the most moving AND heartbreaking scene I've ever had the pleasure of reading.

[Sinisdar Toste]

yes, the whole sequence of the fall was wrenchingly heartbreaking, even more so because of pormquals clear incompetence. eriksons writing is the most powerful i've ever encountered. i think i had tears in my eyes the first time i read squint loosing that arrow

[Ain't_It_Just_]

Abso-damn-lutely. It's a testament to SE's writing skills. Honestly, the way the 7th just went down fighting, the soldiers unable to do anything about it and then being forced to kill Coltaine-it made me cry once or twice.

[Ulrik]

Fall itself was great heroic last stand, perfectly written, many times used theme but driven to perfect style.
BUT
for me its most powerful part was Pormquals cowards forever stand. It makes my blood boil, emotions banging inside my skull and pure disgust and disbelief.

But I must admit that there are scenes which sucked, kicked, depressed, tortured me much more... because Fall was peak of something succesful but other... (I wont spoil here)

[Eispeis]

It's powerful stuff alright, but as others have said, the bad news keeps on coming in this series

I've shed tears three times while reading the series. Once in MoI, once in RG and once in TTH.

My god I'm looking forward to tCG and a re-read.

[Iconik]

I still get goosebumps when I think about it. As I was reading it it felt like it was happening in slow motion. I wanted SOMEONE to do SOMETHING. The way Nil (or was it Nether) was on the ground in someones arms crying. Duiker feeling completely lost trying to convince someone to do something. The complete silence on the ramparts as every one watched the inevitable. And Squint. Oh Squint. You poor soul.

Goosebumps typing this out. I actualy thought about getting some artsy crow tat on my shoulder blade. Coltaine is THE BEST character in the series.

[Salt-Man Z]

Sinisdar Toste, on 04 February 2010 - 04:55 AM, said:

i think i had tears in my eyes the first time i read squint loosing that arrow

I had tears in my eyes the fifth time.

[kingnothing]

I'm sure there are more moments in DG, a shame we can't chat about the amazing moments later on in the series.

I know this is techinally part of the fall, but the realisation that Duiker's been nailed to a cross was devestating for me. I was almost repulsed by it.

[Ceda Kuru Qan]

I just added a new post in the General Topics section titled "Most Devastating Moment." Everyone should be free to post any and all of their moments from the entire series there.

[rhulad]

Coltaine's fall was definitely one of the saddest moments in the series for me. He was just so awesome.

[Aptorian]

Bad Kingnothing, bad! This is the Deadhouse Gates forum, no BH spoilers.

[kingnothing]

Sorry there Apt, I was on the wrong thread. there's another one in the general books forum, thought this was the one.

[Grief]

It's fine to have something like that in the thread, just put spoiler tags around it like this:

[spoiler] Text here [/spoiler]

And a warning about which book the spoiler is from.

[kingnothing]

I keep forgetting how to do the spoler tags, thanks for the reminder though, I won't make that mistake again now.

[Verjigorm]

As said in my "controversy" thread, I can agree to SE's craftmanship in setting up this scene, but I personally could never relate to Coltaine's character or most of the Wickans. So for me, the end didn't have this kind of emotional effect it seems to have on a lot of other readers. I have to admit that I was even "glad" that this one time, Uber-Coltaine wasn't so invincible...this feeling lasted until the ravens showed up.

Having finished MoI two weeks ago, I can say that most of the tragedies in there moved me far more than Coltaine's end. In DG, Kulp's end stood out for me, cause it was very sudden and unexpected. In contrast, Coltaine's end wasn't so surprising, cause there seems to be a certain build-up to his end.

I also -maybe strongly connected to my non-idendification with Uber-Coltaine- never got, why it was such a big deal for Squint to deliver the mercy shot. In the end, he did something good to spare someone, who couldn't been saved anymore. I would buy it, if Nil or Nether -who had an established relation with Coltaine- would react like this, but a soldier to whom Coltaine was a complete stranger didn't really fit for me in having this strong emotional reaction.

[Sinisdar Toste]

try to place squints emotional reaction in the broader context of being part of the 10th army who have watched pormqual do absolutely nothing while coltaine and the wickans and the 7th achieve something destined to go down in legend, then, consider the fact that squint has just been down with the refugees whom were delivered to safety in spite of an entire continents rage, then he comes up and kills the man who's responsible for it all.

honestly, even without all this i don't see how you can't weep for squint. he doesn't know coltaine's gonna be reborn

[Vesper]

I thought it was heavy handed, and it is my least favourite part of any of the books to-date. For Coltaine to die within sight of his salvation after hundreds of leagues traveled was just too much of a kick in the teeth for me to accept without some measure of disappointment. At this point I knew better than to expect happy endings in a book series entitled "the Malazan Book of the Fallen", but the flagrant disregard for the sense of accomplishment the reader would receive from seeing Coltaine's force make it left me with a sour taste in my mouth. And the fact that the damned nobles who made it got the rest of the army to go out to die -- along with the Imperial Historian who could have set the record straight on over their charred pompous asses -- was just so needless in my eyes. There were, what, four hundred soldiers left and the bare scraps of two Wickan clans? Would it really have killed for the army to make it within arrow-range of the wall, and thus deter Korbolo Dom's advance? Really? I mean, really?

In regards to other plot-lines at the end, I found Mappo and Icarium's departure totally heartwrenching. I kept imagining what I would do if my best friend -- with whom I share a bond closer than family and love -- were to ask me to sacrifice him after 94,000+ years. I cried manly, manly tears for Mappo as he carried Icarium off to save him from himself. I'm sure that if I would have bottled them they could have been used to cure cancer.

I didn't like, however, how overconfident Topper was in Kalam's abilities. Without the help of Fiddler and co. he would have certainly not survived two Hands of Claws coming after him. Fortunately for Topper's grand assumptions, Kalam had plot armour!

This post has been edited by Vesper: 09 February 2010 - 06:25 AM

[Red King]

I know for me, when Coltaines fall arrives, I physically put down the book and yelled "That's bullshit! WTF!" My good friend and his mom just stared at me for a few moments. It was very angering for me since I truly enjoyed his tactical genius and the little surprises that came with his strange way of thinking when it came to fighting with and enemy that outnumbered him greatly. It was most heart breaking mostly because of how you followed them for every grueling step they took and watched them rip apart their enemy, then, just as they are about to put both feet firmly in their rightful place, they get a shove from some douche with a fuffy haircut and a paid position. The nobles just added that extra twist of the knife with their self-serving, selfish, and truly disgusting words against the 7th and Coltaines Wickans. Never shall Coltaines memory die in vain! For the Chain of Dogs!

- Ultor