[ColtaineRattlesSlow]

I have literally just finished reading the scene with the death of Coltaine, Bult and List, and I have to say, it is probably the most shocking, tragic and sad thing I've ever read in a book in my life. Coltaine and Bult were among my favorite characters in Deadhouse Gates, a book with many great characters, and to see them die with such brutality and violence was terrible to me. The way Korbolo Dom goes about making Coltaine suffer is the most difficult thing I've ever read. I was honestly nearly in tears reading that scene. I've read the ASOIAF series, and heard before reading it that

Spoiler

the Red Wedding in a Storm of Swords

was the most tragic and shocking thing in a fantasy book ever, and when I read it I was a little let down by it, expecting more, but after reading Coltaine's death in Deadhouse Gates, it makes all of ASOIAF's claimed realism and shock seem like nothing. What makes it even more tragic is when List drops the banner and rushes to Coltaine's side, only to be beheaded in his attempt. When Nil (or was it Nether?) was shouting for somebody to put Coltaine out of his misery on the cross, I was nearly physically shaken. Wow, what a powerful and tragic scene. I hope Korbolo Dom pays for what he's done, (I know very little about events to come in the series.)

R.I.P Coltaine, Bult and List.

This post has been edited by Abyss: 23 November 2012 - 07:29 PM
Reason for edit: SIF spoiler blocked

[worry]

Yah, it's pretty big-time, probably where a lot of readers fall in love. You should edit the thread title to something a bit less final though if you catch my drift.

[Sinisdar Toste]

nothing ever effected me like that scene did. until i read the rest of the Malazan Book of the Fallen

[End of Disc One]

I found Deadhouse Gates to be massively overrated when I read it. A lot of that probably has to do with expectations--I loved GotM and everyone kept saying DG was so much better. What DG really was, was different. That said, Coltaine's death affected me more than any other scene in the series. So amazingly well written.

[Abyss]

MODGOD NOTICE of SIF spoiler concealed because not everyone has read the series,
title changed because thread titles appear on the homepage.
Carry on.


That entire sequence is brutal, in a brilliant way. From Duiker on the walls to the battle to Nil and Nether to the crows to Squint's arrow, it just hammers the reader again and again.
There are, arguably, scenes in later books that carry more impact, but not many.

[Siergiej]

Although I am not a big fan of fantasy literature (with an exception for MBotF obviously), I consider ending of Deadhouse Gates one of two, maybe three most shocking and devastating things I have ever read. So brilliant.

[Crow Clan Baby]

And then, of course, Erikson is totally going to twist the knife on you in just a handful of pages time.

[ColtaineRattlesSlow]

I finished Deadhouse Gates a few days ago, and have just gotten over what happens to Duiker and the rest of the Seventh. Damn you Steven Erikson for making me this depressed yet eager to read Memories of Ice, even though I know it's back to Whiskeyjack, Paran and Kruppe. Never before in a book have I been so relentlessly tormented by an author's decision to kill characters in such brutal ways. Duiker being nailed to the tree has got to be the most depressing and cruel thing I've ever read in a book, which, suprise suprise, Coltaine's death held that mantle before. I read that scene while sitting in class, and had to put down the book and regain composure. Damn Steven Erikson is unforgiving in his writing, and I've heard that Memories of Ice is no exception.

[Atrate61]

Epic. That is the only word I can think of. Just.....epic.

[Abyss]

 Atrate61, on 21 August 2013 - 05:25 PM, said:

Epic. That is the only word I can think of. Just.....epic.

Very.
And yet so very human, which is a large part of why it blows the mind even on the upteenth rerrad.

[jonny_anonymous]

Dat ending..... holy crap

[Macros]

Nothing else in the series touches the fall for me, after building Bult and Coltaine into such characters, and then the cold parting where the refugees left the army, I thought it was done and was ki d of glad I wouldn't be told of how it ended, imagining a glorious stand to the end on an unknown plain. Then for that scene on the with Squint was just brutal, wanted to reach into the book and murder Pormqual and Rel.

[motherofdragons]

Like ColtaineRattles, I've read ASoIaF and so know about tragic scenes in fantasy. I just got to Coltaine's death and... jesus. Martin has nothing on Erikson. I was brought to tears by that scene. He crossed a continent and saved thousands of people only to die in a horrible way. At least the crows were able to take his soul, unlike with poor Sormo.

[Bridgeburner Perdido]

I literally rear red wedding on my own wedding day. Had I known, obviously, I would not have...
But yeah, I didn't read DHG, I have the audiobook for it. I could not believe what I was hearing on my ride home from work. I was brought to tears.
Later, when Duiker brings in the last of the refugees into Aren, the baby walking aimlessly with its arms reaching out for anyone, anything, I cried again.

[Sinisdar Toste]

 Bridgeburner Perdido, on 27 October 2013 - 09:33 PM, said:

I literally rear red wedding on my own wedding day. Had I known, obviously, I would not have...
But yeah, I didn't read DHG, I have the audiobook for it. I could not believe what I was hearing on my ride home from work. I was brought to tears.
Later, when Duiker brings in the last of the refugees into Aren, the baby walking aimlessly with its arms reaching out for anyone, anything, I cried again.

then you realize that the baby is grub

[dsilent1]

Coltaine's death really got to me. The journey of the Chain Of Dogs is by the far the most epic I have read yet and believe me, I have read a lot. It's like you become such an integral part of the Chain and ultimately come to view Coltaine as something close to a god (which he really was since he had almost ascended), that his death is like a knife through the heart. And then the epilogue gave me goosebumps that lasted for hours later.

[LadyForlorn]

Heyhey
first post here. And an excuse for all the mistakes i will make, english isnt my mother tongue. I havent read any further than DG so far but Coltaines death was the best scene in the series and on of the best moments scenes in books in general ive ever read. Even though i like ASOIAF more (yea wrong forum to say this but im not even sure about it anymore ) and it was pretty obvious that the whole situation would end up in a tragic way his death was a much harder gut punch than the

Spoiler

Red Wedding or Neds Starks death

. But what kinda ruins it for me is that neither Coltaine nor Duiker stay dead. As Tattersail or Paran did. As probably every other great character with a great, emotional ending will do.
I think the problem is that Erikson likes his characters even more than we do so hes unable to kill them. I read some interviews and baby Coltaine wont even play a role in the future series, he was just reborn to not be dead.

This post has been edited by LadyForlorn: 02 February 2014 - 11:47 AM

[Stormcat]

I disagree about him being reborn just to not be dead. But you have to read on and see if your opinion changes.

[worry]

Glad you're liking the series, but please don't spoil other series' books either por favor.

[LadyForlorn]

sorry, added spoilers. But is he important for any storyline?