Most upsetting character death? *spoilers*

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Tahkisis! That's like killing off Lolth! I was also a little dissappointed to see Shandril die.

 

It wasn't so much upsetting as unsettling...But Moraine's "death" in the "Wheel of Time" kind of blew me away! Although you don't know if she's truly dead or not, her end came as a bit of a shock!

 

The dogs in "Where the Red Fern Grows" was the first time I ever cried reading a book.

Cotton's death in "Bless the Beasts and the Children" was tragic.

The noble death of Boromir after giving in to the temptation of the ring.

The heroism of Robert Jordan at the end of "For Whom the Bell Tolls."

The most tragic: After spending 100+ pages getting to know and like the main character's two son's in "Islands in the Stream" they go back home at the end of the summer. A week or two later the main character gets a telegram and makes arrangements for the six week journey to England. He defines hell as spending six weeks confined on a ship, going to England to bury his sons.

 

The end of "Mostly Harmless" (the last of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series of books) really annoyed the crap out of me. I expected it, because that just seems like it's the thing Douglas Adams would do, but it still frustrated me rather horridly.

 

I'm adding Eddark Stark to the list also. I finished the book a few days ago. I can't believe they killed such a main character off. I'm sure that's against the rules in Epic Fantasy writing. It's makes me begin to fear the mortality of the other characters I like now If Jon Snow dies I refuse to read on!

 

Jake in Gunslinger by Stephen King. The first time he dies, there's a nice graphic description of what happens to an eleven-year-old's internal organs when he's run over by a truck, and the second time when Roland betrays him - ignores him when he's about to fall to his death.

 

Stormy Lewellyn in Odd Thomas, the main characters girlfriend. I mean who kills her off, especially at the end of the book.

Damn you Dean Koontz, Damn you to hell.

It was still an awesome book.

 

The most upsetting deaths in books were for me:

The death of Master Harper Robinton in Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonriders of Pern" series.

The death of Artax, the horse of Atréju in "The Neverending Story" by Michael Ende.

The death of Alanna's brother in the fourth book of the "Song of the Lioness" quartet by Tamora Pierce.

The death of Magwitch in "Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens.

Not really a death, but the fact that Susan in "The Chronicles of Narnia", is denying the existence of Narnia. It makes me sad.

The Death of Clarisse McClellan in "Fahrenhei 451" by Ray Bradbury. You think she will be important to the whole book, but then she is just dead. But then you suddenly realize, that she is important indeed, because her death causes an important transformation in mortags view of the world. Still, it was really upsetting.

 

Charlotte in Charlotte's Web. So sad when you're a little kid reading a book.

 

Gamelan from The Wizard's Tale

the book was kinda crappy but he was a likeable guy

 

I knew I shouldn't have read this thread

Anyway I have to second Elbryen Wyndon in the demonwars trilogy. I didn't see that one coming (as it is written by Salvatore) and it was a good death too.

Catelyn's death in A song of ice and fire blew me away. I expected robb to die (he hadn't even a POV) but Cat. And now she's a zombie like character. Martin better not kill off either Jaime or Tyrion otherwise I'm gonna flip out.

 

Why was browsing to some old threads and i bumped with this one.

Tanis' death in Dragons of the Summerflame by Weis & Hickman. I was shocked by the way Tanis died. He was in a battle (in Palanthas (sp??) i believe) and he dies by the hand of a common soldier. Just like that! That was like 3-4 lines of text. It was one of the few times i became sad reading the death of a character, Tanis was a favorite of mine.

Another disturbing death i read was in a book of high fantasy written by a portuguese. Since the book was only written portuguese, i doubt that any of you know it. But for respect of the author i leave his name: Filipe Faria, and the book is Crónicas de Allaryia vol. 2 - Filhos do Flagelo. And by the way the character is Babaki.

 

Ned Stark in a Song of Fire and Ice

 

Bodhi in Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn by Phillip Athans.

Imoen in Baldur's Gate 2: Throne of Bhaal by Drew Karpyshyn. (Truly upsetting after playing the whole game with her at your main's side and reading the novels, you really grow attatched to her)

Waylander in Hero in the Shadows by David Gemmell
(I loved the Waylander trilogy)

Bison and Nogusta in Winter Warriors by David Gemmell (True heroes, Plain and simple, Very upsetting)

 

The only time so far (and unless Oy dies on the way to the Dark Tower or Roland dies before reaching the top, likely the only time) I have ever absolutely bawled was when I found out in James Patterson's "Suzanne's Diary For Nicholas" that Nick's son had been killed.

The death that hit me hardest though - I had tears treaming from my eyes for many pages afterwards - was Jake's second death, the one in The Dark Tower Volume 7 when he died saving Stephen King. That was harsh.

 

Robb Stark in a Storm of Swords. it was so friggin unexpected. You figure that he'd avenge his father, he had a whole plan already and suddenly he's killed. That betrayal of the Freys really pissed me off

 

Late Lord Frey, always ends up on top. Even if you dislike him you have to respect him.

 

The death of Chewbacca and Anakin solo, the deaths of every one of Sven Hasell's comrades(in Sven Hasell's books), the death of Lorenzo de'Medici(in The Agony and the Ecstasy) and I could probably find some more. Like John Sheridan at the end of the Babylon5 series.

 

@joacquin

respect isn't the right word :/

right now though, it's Diekenes, Polykines, Alexandros, Suicide, Xeones and Leonidas from Steven Pressfield's Gates of Fire. Awesome book, but it nearly had me in tears . Kinda shows how good the characterization was, considering that I knew from the very start of the book that all of them were going to die.

 

Elbryan's death was sad. Old Dan and Little Ann dying made me bawl like a baby.

And when Chewie died?

I was a broken man for about a week.