[Osserc - Lord of the Sky]

I'd definately say that the saddest part is when Kallor kills Whiskeyjack.

What does everyone else think?

[foolio]

I was oddly touched by seerdomins story about watching his father sail off for the last time, and being happy that his father had escaped.

I was also touched by the toc and seerdomin conversation , where Toc says something to the effect of,(refering to his diminishing weight)" I must be as nothing to you."

and Seerdomin says "I did not say that Malazan, I did not say that."

This post has been edited by foolio: 19 October 2010 - 08:16 PM

[LaunchpadJW]

If you have not read farther than MoI, then keep reading. If you have, you know that Whiskeyjack's death is border line soul-crushing; and without giving too much away, is only a modicum of icing on the emotional birthday cake that is the MBotF!
And I really do enjoy a good cake.


I can't wait for my re-read!

This post has been edited by LaunchpadJW: 19 October 2010 - 08:18 PM

[Defiance]

Shit, by the end of my first read of MoI I felt like my soul had been torn into a thousand pieces, put back together, then ripped apart again.

Seerdomin was very tragic. Love the character, despite the small role he plays with Toc.

Whiskeyjack's death put me in shock.

The Bridgeburners getting annhilated was terrible. Same with Dujek's army in general just getting completely ravaged.

Itkovian's sacrifice was both heartbreaking and epic.

Rake putting the dead Bridgeburners in Moon's Spawn.

I can't really choose. All of these moments were very sad.

[Adjutant Stormy~]

I literally cussed out my brother for about 20 minutes for not warning me that this would happen! Favorite character killing is the suck.

[SpectreofEschaton]

Kallor owes me for a hole in my wall.

[WhiskeyJackDaniels]

Duiker speaking in the epilogue is the most emotional for me, because its the culmination of everything that happened in MoI that you remember while they avoid it, and then Duiker suddenly returning to life basically and throwing the Chain of Dogs back at you.

[Primateus]

I was sad when I Whiskeyjack died. I really liked that character, but that also served to give his death greater meaning. If he had just been some indifferent character we would all have though shrugged and moved on

[Ulrik]

Saddest...eh...I have two and probably unusual...

Seeing modest and intelligent prince of Capustan skinned and almost eaten...
When Trotts died...he looked unstoppable and still...


Others were surprising, shocking, but always in some way predictable, weighted in its meaning...

[Beezulbubba]

I was so emotionally drained after reading Deadhouse Gates (I still contend Duiker's death had more emotional weight then Coltaine's) that the story of those who entered Hood's gate in Memories of Ice just didn't resonate with me as much (I went right into reading MoI after DG). But, if I had to pick one death in MoI that affected me, it would be Whiskeyjack.

And back to Deadhouse Gates, what about Baudin's death? that tugged at the heart strings as well (more then most of those who fell in MoI.... in my opinion anyway).

[Lusipher]

I have to agree that I'm more of a Deadhouse Gates person than Memories of Ice.
The deaths that stick out for me are Hedge, Trotts and Detoran. In some ways, I felt that Whiskeyjack's death was telegraphed by him saying "I'm getting too old for this" and "Once this fight against the Pannion Seer is done, I'm leaving the army!". It seems that whenever someone says that, they're going to to get killed. Which isn't to say that his death was ho-hum for me (who wouldn't have wanted to see little Korlats and Whiskeyjacks running around?!), but I kinda knew it was coming. And I have to say the same for Itkovian...after Capustan, it felt to me that he was living on borrowed time. He just seemed so lost after Fener was deposed and the rest of the Grey Swords were destroyed.

With Hedge, it was so quick...he throws a cusser at a Hunter that's right on top of him and you know he's gotta be dead, but the scene shifts, so it's kinda like "Okay, maybe Hedge survived..." but when the scene shifts back to Picker, she, like the reader , is just realizing Hedge is dead. Trotts is kinda funny because he's just killed about 20(?) of the Pannions and, while you're marveling at that, he falls over, dead. And finally, Detoran, in similar fashion to Trotts, is up against 6(?) Pannions, handling the situation very well until, at the end, she's dead as well.

[Beezulbubba]

Oh yeah, Trotts. He was a bb that stood out, such a distinctive character (funny, scary, serious, menacing). He played a pivotal roll in MoI, uniting the Barghast and getting them on board with the fighting the Pannon Domin . . . I thought he was great and it was a major bummer for me when he died.

[Use Of Weapons]

When Paran takes Quick to Moons Spawn at the end of MOI. That was heart-breaking.

[champ]

WhiskeyJackDaniels, on 19 October 2010 - 09:36 PM, said:

Duiker speaking in the epilogue is the most emotional for me, because its the culmination of everything that happened in MoI that you remember while they avoid it, and then Duiker suddenly returning to life basically and throwing the Chain of Dogs back at you.

that!

and summing it up as i cannot remember the direct quote - "dead bridgeburners on the wagon... first in... last out... for the final time!

[Abyss]

I agree with most of the upthread refs.

A couple of subtle tragic ones...

Gruntle's exchange with Stonny after he gets her to safety in Capustan - more or less "If you stay by that door you won't ever leave.".

While also one of the absolute coolest moments in the book, the re-telling of Gruntle rallying the Capans with a little girl's half eaten body is positively chilling.

Itkovian finding Karanadas' wasted body.

For some reason, Itkovian trading his helmet with the Malazan soldier was wrenching. Itkovian just had no idea how highly held he was.

When the BBs run into Lady Envy in the Pannion's keep and a small misunderstanding... "Well, this won't take long."... means half of them die when Envy could have taken out the Seerdomin in seconds.

One or two of the Imass memories raining down on Itkovian at the end are especially tragic.

Toc impaling himself while Mok and Tool are fighting.


...while i think DG is still the more emotional book, MoI is loaded with moments that hit the reader hard.

[Defiance]

Abyss, on 25 October 2010 - 07:22 PM, said:

...while i think DG is still the more emotional book, MoI is loaded with moments that hit the reader hard.

It's hard for me to say which book is more emotional. At least for me, MoI had more moments than DG; however, Coltaine's Fall at the end of DG was just unbelievable. It was not only tragic but incredibly epic as well - I think that's what makes it one of the most memorable moments in the series. There were so many emotions going through me when I was reading it - first awe and amazement as shivers ran down my spine (which continued for the entire scene), then anger on a level I have rarely felt when reading, and then immense sadness. It was the ultimate tragedy, amplified by how much screen time the Chain of Dogs had.

When you look at Whiskeyjack's death, the destruction of the Bridgeburners, and some other things in MoI, there's a lot of sadness and sometimes anger (at least for me). Most people wouldn't describe those scenes as epic (as in epically awesome; some were epically tragic). Itkovian's sacrifice is an example of a moment that was epically awesome and sad; however, it's missing the anger aspect of when I read about Coltaine's Fall.


Anyway, Duiker recounting the Chain of Dogs to the Bridgeburners at the end of MoI was awesome. In fact, I'd say it's one of, if not the best, ending I've ever read. I can even remember the last few lines off the top of my head, that's how memorable it is:

Admittedly, I did look this up in the book to make sure I had the punctuation right. But:

"Very well, permit me, if you will, on this night. To break your hearts once more. This is the story of the Chain of Dogs. Of Coltaine of the Crow Clan, newly come Fist to the 7th army..."

[Bauchelain the Evil]

Abyss, on 25 October 2010 - 07:22 PM, said:

When the BBs run into Lady Envy in the Pannion's keep and a small misunderstanding... "Well, this won't take long."... means half of them die when Envy could have taken out the Seerdomin in seconds.

That part made me actually hate Envy because while I know that she didn't do it on purpose and she actually felt bad afterwards, if only she had thought about it for a second and not acted as the haughty little princess...Grrr

[Trailblazer]

Looking in the rearviewmirror, what seems the saddest to me is the private conversation between Whiskeyjack and Anomander Rake, given what I now know. What could have come from their friendship? What would Rake have done to prevent Whiskeyjack's death? Gods, I weep at the possibilities!!!

[dreddiknight]

This thread is reminding me why I got all my friends into this series....
A girlfriend literally threw the book at me when she read Whiskeyjacks death!
My answer would be all of the above, but if I have to choose, Duikers closing words get me every time...

This post has been edited by dread I knight: 06 November 2010 - 09:53 AM

[HihioListern]

I spoiled Whiskeyjack's death the first minute I got the book, I was innocently flipping through it all and stopped on that page. It was such a OMG moment for me... but then when I actually came to it later on I wasn't that sad.
Itkovian's death was way sad for me, that almost had me crying coz I loved him, and no book had ever made me want to cry like that.
And, also the Seerdomin and Toc, I loved that too.
And Toc and Tool's relationship... one of my fav parts.
And Duiker's last words to finish the book... I was like, 'Awwwwwww... it's Duiker!'
And, NO! The BB's death, NO!!! ... Hedge... NO!!!

Mod edit: Watch the spoilers.