All the Best Deaths

Okay, this is a bit morbid perhaps but I was thinking of it in regards to Strange the Dreamer and we’re so close to Halloween so All the Best of the Deaths. By the way this isn’t a good or bad thing some of these absolutely devastated me but they were so well done!

Also there’s some pretty famous deaths in here but just in case spoilers for: The Book Thief, Crooked Kingdom, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Mockingjay, Strange the Dreamer, & The Hate U Give.

Khalil from The Hate U Give

You know this death is coming from the synopsis of the book. I was prepared for it and yet Angie Thomas still did such a great job with Khalil’s small role and my heart was in my stomach as the whole thing played out. Probably because you know it’s coming and Starr’s reaction and the immediate nightmarish aftermath you are right there with her.

Rudy Steiner The Book Thief 

Much like Khalil you knew this one was coming. Hell, Death himself tells you its coming. Yet Rudy never does get his kiss. His death is brutal and I just like to pretend he’s off running somewhere like his hero and fine in a parallel book universe because even knowing it was coming I cried and cried!

Joffrey from A Storm of Swords

When Joffrey finally got what he deserved it wasn’t at the hands of the people who we might have thought most deserved to do it- hell, a lot of them were already dead. Not only that but his death lead to the destruction and death of the Red Viper, Tyrion’s trial and subsequent murder of Tywin and unfortunately I don’t think King’s Landing (especially in the show) was ever the same after those losses.

Well played Martin.

the God Children in Strange the Dreamer/Muse of Nightmares

The God Children perhaps the most innocent victims. They’re already dead at the beginning of Strange the Dreamer though we see more of the event in Muse of Nightmares. It’s a nightmarish thing and a horrible crime to kill the children but you also can’t entirely blame Eril Fane considering the humans had been raped and abused by the powerful Gods for generations before finally snapping.

Though celebrated Eril Fane himself is a broken man by the act and the way it effects Minya is equally tragic and the events will continue to ripple throughout both books.

The cost of occupation indeed.

Albus Dumbledore in The Half-Blood Prince

It made sense after all. The hero losses his final mentor and Harry lost everything anyway. So why not Dumbledore? But you almost have to admire the way he was pulling the strings even as the time of his death. The way it fairly screwed over Snape one last time, still kept Harry in a lot of dark and left his protege and friends to learn the questionable secrets of his life on their own.

Matthias Crooked Kingdom

I think my exact thoughts when this was happening were, “What the hell? What? No!” They had made it. They had made it to the end when Matthias past came back to catch him. It wasn’t anything Kaz could have foreseen or stopped. It wasn’t anything to do with the heist. Just a confused kid who thought he was doing the right thing killing a good guy and ruining my day! Poor Nina.

Ned Stark Game of Thrones

I was spoiled for this death. Martin taking out who was seemingly the main character of his epic. Not only does Ned give up his honor in an attempt to save his daughters he still loses. The thing that always struck me about this death was as far as Cersei and Varys were concerned they did have a deal.

It was just Joffrey further announcing himself as a little bastard and all the adults on the platform knew what Ned’s death would mean. But Joffrey was just having fun and likely Littlefinger was just getting started.

Primrose Mockingjay

Much like Matthias it was almost like snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. They had almost made it. Katniss had almost cleared it when she lost the very person that she started the whole thing to protect. I go back and forth on this one because was it necessary?

Let’s just break Katniss to the point of no return.

But then at the same time it was a revolution. It seems rather naive to think she would escape.

Cat Stark A Storm of Swords

Hey, let’s take your favorite character the long-suffering, flawed but still human and decent (and much maligned) Cat Stark and make sure you are in her head as she loses her last child, her grip on reality and is brutally murdered.

I was furious back in season three over a lot of the changes the writers made to the character and this particular storyline so while for me it did ruin some of the effectiveness of the Red Wedding thanks to the actress and that source material monologue I wound up gutted anyway.

And now as in all things Cat Stark I’m going to end this before it turns into a rant 🙂

Again, thanks a lot Martin.