[Avoid]

I've read all of the books except Dust of Dreams so Please mark you Spoilers.

I was wondering whos death upset the most people.

RG:
For me is was Trull's death. He was my favorite character, I didn't think it added anything the the book. I have not read DoD so I don't know how it affects that book.

HoC:
Felisin/Sha'ik - Was upseting because Erikson spent so much time developing her character in DHG. I didn't really like her anyways but to devote so much time to a character and then Kill here almost felt like a waste of time

BH:
Herobic - same as Felisin



Others that were upsetting but added to the story


DHG:
Coltain

MoI:
Wiskeyjack and alot of the bridge burners

TTH:
Anomander Rake



Let me know your thoughs. Also I would like to know how to add spoilers in a better way

[Defiance]

Pointless deaths are an aspect of the series, fitting into the theme of tragedy - we'd all like to believe that we could die heroically, given that chance, but honestly, how often does that happen? Despite the crazy fantasy world, Erikson likes to tell things like they are.

Felisin's development was what led her to becoming Sha'ik. With her death, again, we see the tragedy here - Tavore kills her own sister, and Felisin is abandoned by the godess at the last minute. That said, I wasn't surprised to see her die.

DOD spoiler:

Spoiler

Concerning Heboric, just keep reading.

The following deaths I didn't find disappointing in the slightest, just incredibly depressing. It's hard for me to say for sure, but I think Coltaine's death got the most emotion out of me. It blew my mind, brought me close to tears, and it sent shivers down my spine. Rake's was spoiled for me, so by the time I read it I'd already accepted the fact that he was gone (well, mostly). Was still awesomely epic though. Beak would probably be second - I'd grown attached to him as a character, and his selfless sacrifice really got to me. Trull's and Whiskeyjack's were just really depressing (although WJ's made me angry too, if I recall).

For spoilers,

[*spoiler] [*/spoiler] Just remove the *

[Grief]

To use spoilers:

[spoiler] Spoilers here [/spoiler]

I've editted the OP, and am moving this thread to TTH, since OP hasn't read DoD.

When I first read them, Whiskeyjack, Iktovians, and Coltaines deaths were all tragic. However, Erikson really diminshed this by not having their deaths be as permanent. Which is probably the main reason I find Trulls and Rakes deaths a lot sadder.

[lobo the wolfman]

I remember that WJ's death shocked me when l first read it, but it was always Coltaines and the remains of the 7th's death that always made me want to throw the book against the nearest wall, no matter how many times l read and reread Deadhouse Gates. The only other author that has had that effect on me was GRRM.

[iRFNA]

Everyone seems to forget pormqual's army.

Also, TtH spoiler sorta

Spoiler

Was anyone glad when last turned out to not be trull? Not that I hate trull or anything, but just that his death was complete instead of another full/partial resurrection of some kind.

[Seras]

Note: Most of the disappointment/upsets came during re-reads, its amazing how much you can miss

GoTM: Serrat, Rake's second in command died in a single paragraph? 'twas basically Vorcan going for Baruk after batting aside Serrat as though she was nothing. In a room full of High Mages FFS. I sort of expected 1/4 of the city being incinerated while they dueled.

Mammot was another interesting character whose death felt a bit rushed.


DG: Kulp's death comes to mind, he survived for so long only to be chewed to bits by Gryllen. Baudin's death had less of an impact, I could see him giving his life to save Felisin at one point or another.

Pormqual's army at the gates watching the 7th go down, and falling for that trap...I put the book down after reading about how they all disarmed. After MoI and TB I've gotten used to soldiers thinking for themselves, and its just hard to picture them following that order when it was damned obvious what was going to happen. Duiker's death didn't have much of an impact either (mostly due to the fact that I knew he was going to survive because of the vial QB gave Coltaine), at least until TtH where I got to see just how traumatizing the whole experience was for him.


MoI: Whiskeyjack's and the two Marines. I remember reading about how Silverfox just LEFT when they needed her most, which made their deaths feel pointless. Sure, her army of T'lan Imass was temporarily out of action, but she's a High Mage + Elder God + Bonecaster...


HoC: Definitely Delum Thord's death (it was funny though, having an old man whacking him over the head with a shovel, heh). He also seemed like a rather pointless character, there was nothing to distinguish himself from the rest of his party. He was just a weaker Karsa to me.

The Deragoth, it just seemed too easy for Karsa to succeed where a dozen or so Azalan demons failed.


MT: Can't think of any at the moment...


TB: The Claw... the finest assassins of the Empire, and Apsalar just tears through HUNDREDS of them in a matter of seconds, while Kalam and co barely made it past a couple dozen Hands.


RG: The old guy with the pretty hands? I can't remember his name right now, but having him die a second after coming into contact with Malazan forces...

Then of course there's Trull's death, for obvious reasons.

[Roldom]

what about murilio? all because his horse threw a shoe...

[TheSurvivor]

Roldom, on 26 September 2010 - 03:33 PM, said:

what about murilio? all because his horse threw a shoe...

Oh yeah, that's a good one too. I remember being frustrated at that. I know Brys comes back but at the time his death hit me hard because I was really becoming attached to him. Then there's Hull's death; didn't like him throughout the entire book but when it came to that moment where he had a chance to grab a small piece of redemption he died. Killed by a kid with a knife and that's going back to how heroic deaths or deeds aren't agiven occurance. Of course there are many more deaths, some have been said and others left out, but I'll leave what I've said.

[Avoid]

I Like what Erayle said about the malzan soldiers and how pomqual's army wouldn't just surrender.

Bry Death hit me in MT but I sort of saw that coming as the Edur were conquring Lethers so he almost had to die. But like so many charecters he returns in one way or another. (Toc, Wiskeyjack, Coltain, Dukier)

I wasn't surprised by Murrilio's death as I thought that would happen as soon as he left the city for the mine.

Looking back I would probably more upset at the two hounds of shadow;s deaths in GotM if it had happened at a latter point in the book.

Avoid

[Jingospice]

I didnt think Felisin's death was terribly disapointing. I appreciated the irony of Tavore saving her sister from the cullings in Unta only to kill her later.

Trull and Coltaines deaths were definetly the most upsetting, although Coltaine's death actually helped the plot progress, where Trull's death was pointless and tragic for no reason.

Anomander Rakes death was in my opinion the most epically awesome death ever!!! Dassem is my favorite character, and Rake my second. I was mad about Rake dying at first but when I saw just how far in advance he had planned things out, i couldn't even be bad, I was just amazed at his genius.

[Tatterdemalion]

Whiskeyjack, the end.

I hated Felisin, mostly. Tavore won me over the moment she chopped her head off. Ever since then I've been a Tavore supporter, and while all the characters are wondering about her mettle, I have great faith based on her ability to not even care who the person behind Sha'ik was.

Trull is my favourite character, that said, by Reaper's Gale I was almost numb to such pain (likely because so many had come back) so it didn't hit me as hard as Whiskeyjack and the gimp knee. That and my anger that Kallor was so OBVIOUSLY a snake in the grass and no one thought to, I don't know, tell him to get lost.

I think if Quick Ben dies I'll be most upset - unless in doing so they save the world or something. I feel like he and Kalam need to make it to the end - to honour the rest of them.

Also, it touched me when Uru Hela got torn to pieces by the Kyrhalllanahh'ha (or whatever) demon. Something about the fact that it was the only damn time in the whole series where you saw a Malazan soldier PANIC in the face of certain doom. All other times they're either cool as shit or quasi-suicidal.

PS: The guy with the pretty hands was Triban Gnol, eunich magistrate.

[Bauchelain the Evil]

Tatterdemalion, on 24 December 2010 - 04:53 AM, said:

PS: The guy with the pretty hands was Triban Gnol, eunich magistrate.

Triban Gnol was the chancellor not the eunuch, the eunuch drank the poison along with the King in MT. Had Gnol been an eunuch it would have been difficult for him to have sex with the Errant

[Ulrik]

Bauchelain the Evil, on 24 December 2010 - 09:12 AM, said:

Tatterdemalion, on 24 December 2010 - 04:53 AM, said:

PS: The guy with the pretty hands was Triban Gnol, eunich magistrate.

Triban Gnol was the chancellor not the eunuch, the eunuch drank the poison along with the King in MT.  Had Gnol been an eunuch it would have been difficult for him to have sex with the Errant

Well...in some ways, being eunuch isnt technically forbidding to have a sex with man...  Oh, such Christmas theme...

[Findarato]

Ulrik, on 24 December 2010 - 12:01 PM, said:

Bauchelain the Evil, on 24 December 2010 - 09:12 AM, said:

Tatterdemalion, on 24 December 2010 - 04:53 AM, said:

PS: The guy with the pretty hands was Triban Gnol, eunich magistrate.

Triban Gnol was the chancellor not the eunuch, the eunuch drank the poison along with the King in MT. Had Gnol been an eunuch it would have been difficult for him to have sex with the Errant

Well...in some ways, being eunuch isnt technically forbidding to have a sex with man... Oh, such Christmas theme...

not technichally, but it makes it more unlikely.

[Throne of War]

Roldom, on 26 September 2010 - 03:33 PM, said:

what about murilio? all because his horse threw a shoe...

Second.

[Glave]

pormqual's army.

I have never been so honestly enraged and wanted to punch a wall/shake a baby while reading as when he just had his entire army lay down their weapons and die.

Just thinking about it now makes me want to go bladestorm a bunch of level 1 gnomes.

There are other deaths throughout the books that are upsetting, but they're supposed to be. Wiskeyjack and Trull are the two big ones for me.

This post has been edited by Glave: 25 December 2010 - 12:39 PM

[MWKarsa]

Whiskeyjack- obviously has the suddenness of it was shocking to read.

Trull's the most depressing IMO after all that he been through to see it end like that was heartbreaking.

The Fall of Coltaine goes without saying to imagine the last desparate push and to fall short without the help that was standing on the walls witnessing it. Coltaine's death was tough but Bult's being hacked to death was just as tough as well as Corporal List's death. I just remember the mention of his many "mock deaths" and then to die at the very end trying to defend Coltaine at the very end was tough to read.

[foolio]

I got three words for you: Or-Fan-Tal.

[Bauchelain the Evil]

foolio, on 13 January 2011 - 03:39 PM, said:

I got three words for you: Or-Fan-Tal.

It depends. For me it was more a moment of awesome for Kallor.

[foolio]

Bauchelain the Evil, on 13 January 2011 - 04:08 PM, said:

foolio, on 13 January 2011 - 03:39 PM, said:

I got three words for you: Or-Fan-Tal.

It depends. For me it was more a moment of awesome for Kallor.

this is where we could merge the Dragons Suck thread and this one. I just thought it was incredibly unrealistic that a slash of a sword could kill a dragon....and how a sword could reach a dragons throatt and be swung by someone in the grip of a dragons paw just seems goofy to me. Just my humble opinion though. It seemed like a cheap way to put a feather in Kallors cap. Oh well. (having said all that , I understand where you are coming from as a fan of Kallor)