Your 'Most perfect scene' from a book you've read

[Shardlet he/him]

So, I thought this might be a nice variation on the "Your biggest 'WHAT THE ---?!' " thread. 

 

What is the most perfect scene or event from any book that you have read?  And why?

 

For me, it is in the Way of Kings when Dalinar summons Oathbringer in Sadeas's warcamp and drives it into the rock in front of him and offers it to Sadeas in exchange for his entire complement of bridgemen. 

 

All through the book you hear about Dalinar's honor; From lighteyes, from darkeyes, even from slaves.  The perception of Dalinar's honor is highlighted repeatedly throughout the entire book.  We see hints of it in his behavior and in the things he says and the ideals he aspires to.  But, we never see it truly in action.  Until...

 

After he is betrayed by one he trusted implicitly, his life, the life of his son, and the lives of thousands of his men are saved by the lowest of the low...a team of Sadeas's bridgemen.  At the lead of these bridgemen is a slave who personally saves Dalinar from death at the last moment.  In return, Dalinar commits to freeing the bridgemen from Sadeas.

 

After returning to the warcamps, Dalinar finds an intransigent Sadeas who refuses to sell the bridgemen to Dalinar for any price.  What does he do?  Does he hedge? Does he beg?  Does he renege on his promise to Kaladin?  No, he summons Oathbringer.  Sadeas practically pees his pants.  Everyone present (including Sadeas) knows that Dalinar would be well within his rights to strike Sadeas down where he stands.  Instead Dalinar thrusts his blade into the ground and offers that which no Alethi would ever offer willingly in exchange for the lives of these wretches.

 

In one dramatic moment, everything we have been told about Dalinar is validated and affirmed in astounding volume and clarity.  This scene was right.  This scene was perfect.

 

Now, your turn.

Edited June 16, 2014 by Shardlet

[TwistedMisting she/her]

Honestly, there are too many of those moments for me to choose one as the most perfect. Dalinar giving away oathbringer is one of them, as is Navani painting her justice glyph when she believes Dalinar to be dead. And of course Kaladin saying the words of the second ideal just gave me the chills.

 

From non-Sanderson works I would say the moment that really sticks out for me is in Reaper's Gale by Steven Erikson, when the virulent sorcery is heading for the Bonehunters, and the strange little mage, Beak, shields his friends from a messy death. It's a beautiful scene, with how it highlights this fairly minor character's simple dedication and purity of spirit.

[Aethling he/him]

For Sanderson:

The scene from Warbreaker where the God King awakens the entire palace is probably number one.

Vin going nuclear during the final battle is second.

The entire Parsh line opening up on Kaladin and missing is distant third.

 

Non-Sanderson

The final Percy and Annabeth scene from Mark of Athena.  Is probably by far number one. (Yes, I know it is YA)

The scene where Polgara takes the elderly surviving son from the assassination back to her hidden Villa is probably the most emotional.

The very last scene from the Song of Albion trilogy where he realizes what he has lost and the epiphany he has.

 

Honorable mention has to go to the scene from the Belgariad where Garion first holds the orb and Ce'Nedra's reaction.

[Shardlet he/him]

The very last scene from the Song of Albion trilogy where he realizes what he has lost and the epiphany he has.

 

This was a very good scene in a very good trilogy.  I really felt Lewis/Llew's emptiness here.  For any of you who may be wondering, this is Stephen Lawhead's Song of Albion trilogy comprising The Paradise War, The Silver Hand, and The Endless Knot.

[Iredomi]

The scene in Harsh Cry of the Heron where Shirakawa Kaede asks her husband Takeo to commit seppuku, one of the most gut wrenching scenes I've ever read. But perfect in all its tragedy.

Perfect scene for Sanderson, hmm between the ending of Well of Ascension and Kaladin turning away from the chasm due to Syl's arrival with the poison leaf. What can I say I like tragic and dramatic scenes =)

[ADIMORTIS he/him]

I love the prologue of WoK. The Heralds abandoning the oath pact, my favorite part of the book, just gives me the chills...

As for a non-Sanderson book, the duel in Storm Of Swords between the mountain and Oberyn Martell is awesome,This is the magnum opus of battle scenes  .Another one of my favorite scenes is the battle of Dumai Wells in Lord of Chaos,The Asha'man's violence was shocking and unimaginable, but it is written so brilliantly that I love it... 

[Trizee II he/him]

Spoilers, obviously:

 

Sanderson: When Kelsier and the Inquisitor are fighting towards the end of Mistborn, the tension is super- high and then it says : "And ash fell from the sky"- for some reason I thought this was so awesome I remember jumping up and down with excitement. Other great scenes are when Sazed figures out he's the Hero (it just makes so much sense) and basically the whole climax of The Well of Ascension.

 

Guy Gavriel Kay: In Sailing to Sarantium - the chariot race was just amazing. In The Lions of al- Rassan, the duel at the end between Belmonte and Ibn Khairan was just so beautifully written. I love the way you never new who was who, which showed just how close they really were.

 

Wheel of Time: I'll agree on Dumai's Wells, especially Taim yelling "Asha'man kill!" Also, the fight between Rand and Lanfear in Fires of Heaven was superb, and I loved the first scene in Lord of Chaos where Demandred goes to see Shai'tan. Its the first time we meet the Dark One in person and it is just as chilling as one could have hoped.

 

Stephen R. Donaldson: The twist endings of both Runes of the Earth and Fatal Revenant just blew my mind.

 

Martin: I agree about Martell's duel (You killed her, you raped her, you murdered her children!"). Also, Robb's coronation ("The King in the North!") and Daenerys freeing Astapor ("Dracarys! Dracarys")

 

 

 

That's just what I can think of right now, there are probably lots more...

Edited August 5, 2013 by Trizee II

[TwistedMisting she/her]

ooh yeah Oberyn Martell and the Mountain. That gave me chills reading it.

[GreyPilgrim he/him]

Sanderson: Ruin's I AM FREE at the end of WoA, also Sazed's scene in the epilogue of that book. The Final Ascension, too. Kaladin before his punishment for the side carry catastrophe.

Wheel of Time: Dumai's Wells, love the imagery. Egwene's and Perrin's final scenes in AMoL (I cried so much!).

Lord of the Rings: Gollum falling into Mount Doom. Hands down.

[aeromancer he/him]

The climax of book three of Morpheus Roads (D.J. MacHale). This may sound juvenile, but the scene that happens is amazing. 

 

In Sanderson: Dalinar giving up the Shardblade. It's just perfect.

Edited August 13, 2013 by aeromancer

[Gaelan he/him]

The best scene I have ever read is at the final of "The last arguments of kings", when Jezal is in his throne crowned as king, and Bayaz comes and confirms what we have seen along the books, humiliating the king and making a puppet of him. That scene was so perfect. I really think that Abercrombie did an extremelly good job with the First Law, the end is Sublime. (With Bayaz, happens more or less what Shardlet said about Dalinar. We see some hints of what he really is, even everyone tells about not trusting a mage, because they only want their own benefit. But I have to admit that he seemed a nice guy at the beggining). 

Edited August 13, 2013 by Gaelan

[Aradel he/him]

Alloy of Law: Where Wax spys a tassel hanging out of a chest. "You're Welcome."

[nightwatcher he/him]

Kaladin jumping the chasm, Dalinar giving up his blade, the HoA scene where Elend gets his head chopped off & the subsequent final battle. Oh, and pretty much anything with Hoid in it.

 

Non-Sanderson? I don't know for sure, but Dumai's wells definitely comes close.

[Cartith he/him]

The end of Ted Dekker's Circle series. The end of Green I mean, not the original trilogy. That has been the only time I've wanted to go to an author's house and personally strangle him to death for writing such and awesome and sad ending to a series. 

Edited August 18, 2013 by Cartith

[Straff Venture he/him]

Way of Kings: Kaladin single-handedly taking down a Shardbearer and when he leaps the chasm.  

Mistborn: When Kelsier beheads the inquisitor (and says something cool at the same time )

 

Other stuff: Typically, Dumai's Wells.  Also from WoT, Rand on Dragonmount and when Rand balefires that whole castle.  There's lots of others in WoT.  

[Claincy he/him]

Mistborn: When Kelsier beheads the inquisitor (and says something cool at the same time )

Ah yes, "I'm glad you talked me into this." very epic XD

Seriously though, that entire sequence was truly fantastic.

[Miyabi he/him]

I don't have overall favourites, but I have favourites for certain reasons.

 

Sanderson:

Vin realizing how to defeat TLR.  It's about a person realizing she is more than she is that God isn't God.

"For the bridgemen."  The purest, most honorable, and most honest moment I have ever seen.

The moment in The Rithmatist when Joel and Melody use two different colors of chalk, because it was, though modified, my idea. <3  I will appreciate that more than anything most anyone has ever given me.  For that moment to appear in a book just .... It made me so happy you don't even know.

 

 

Non-Sanderson:

The moment in Brent Weeks Night Angel Trilogy when they look for the "mark" to make sure the sword is real. lol

When in the Eye of the World when Perrin gives in and accepts his connection with the wolves.

In The Prisoner of Azkhaban when Harry realizes he has family in Sirius.

[Argent he/him]

How powerful book scenes affect me has almost always been a direct result of how cinematic they are. If I can easily see it in my head, and if it feels like it's going to look badass on the big screen, there is a good chance I'll get the goosebumps. The only other (significant) requirement is that the scene has to include display of power, very preferably personal. This being said...

 

• Mistborn: Kelsier vs. Inquisitor. I think the description of the battle includes the phrase "whirlwind of steel" and that's something that has stayed with me.
• Elantris: The moment when Raoden completes the chasm line in Elantris and finishes his (and everyone else's) transformation. 
• Warbreaker: Susebron awakening the palace. In terms of raw display of personal power, few scenes rival this one. That's a scene that puts God back into "God King."
• The Way of Kings: Kaladin jumping over the chasm, but more specifically the moments when he draws the stormlight from the Parshendi's jewels and then lands in a small explosion of stormlight. While not as spectacular or rich with raw power as Susebron's, I find it much easier to recall this scene and get the chills. Dalinar summoning Oathbringer and offering it to Sadeas was also a nice one, though I wouldn't have thought of it without help - I experienced a "hoooboy, the brownie is about to hit the fan..." for a moment when I was reading it; was close to Soulcasting the nearest object into popcorn.
• The Gathering Storm: Rand's scene on top of the Dragonmount, just before he goes all zen. I have never been as concerned for a living human being as I was worried that Rand might go bad. And then when 

Outside of Brandon's worlds, there is only one that comes to mind. In Raymond Feist's Magician: Master, Pug/Milamber essentially obliterates a coliseum full of people while channeling the prime elements and declaring "Tremble and despair, for I am power!"

Edited October 7, 2013 by Argent

[Galladon he/him]

It's a hard choice but I tend to like the classical emotional peaks:

 

Mistborn: first sentence third book (part1) - got me on every reread, I just allways hear sazed's voice proclaiming himself the hero of ages with a profound sadness. I know it's not a scene but anyway.

 

WoK: Dialog between Syl and Kal before the last charge to save Dalinar and his men.

 

WoT/Eye of the world: Moraine giving the speech reminding the edmonds field folk of their legacy.

 

Tigana: The scene right after the climax where so much was in the balance and so much was lost.

 

And credit where credit is due: "you are a wizzard Harry" which lead me into this genre and made me feel in awe (ok I was 8 but still).

[Ryan he/him]

I love the big cinematic action sequences, but the scenes that wind up staying with me, and come out as my favorite, are the ones with emotional punch.

 

Wheel of Time: There are so many great, amazing scenes in this series, but there is one that rises to the top, and it's one that I imagine few others would pick. Remember that chapter towards the end of Knife of Dreams, when Furyk Karede marches into the camp of the Band with a head full of misconceptions? Mat is in rare form in this chapter, and Jordan plays off the misconceptions perfectly to create maximum amusement.

 

But then Tuon says, "You kept my doll," and you see that this man's almost fatherly affection for Tuon is not unrequited...I tell you, reading that chapter, I was laughing and crying and my heart was melting. It's a chapter with a depth that only a series like the Wheel of Time could bring off. It's triumphant and perfect, and I think it's my favorite in the whole series.

 

Harry Potter: My favorite scene in the series happens to come in my least favorite book, the Order of the Phoenix. It's the chapter called, "The Woes of Mrs. Weasly". Leading up to this, you want to side with the kids; those silly overprotective adults, why won't they just tell the kids all the things? Then Moody pulls out the photo of the original Order and points out for Harry all the ones that were killed, and how, and it's most of them, and you're thinking, "Oh crap, this really is pretty dangerous, isn't it?" Then Harry goes upstairs and stumbles across Mrs. Weasly, unable to exorcise a boggart, because her biggest fear is that her loved ones are going to wind up dead and she just can't face their corpses...

 

And with a punch to the gut, Rowling turns our sympathies inside out, while creating a very real sense of ominous foreboding. I tear up a little every time I read it.

 

Warbreaker: No question about it. It's Lightsong's character climax. You realize what he's going to do a heartbeat before he does, and it's a stunning and delightful revelation.

 

Discworld: It's really, really hard to pick a single moment in Discworld as my favorite, but if you pressed me to it, it would have to be the end of Thud, with Vimes running through a cave in the Dark desperately shouting "Where's my cow?" at the top of his lungs.

 

Monster Hunter International: Mordecai throwing himself at Machado to give Owen time to escape. Second place: "How many guns do you have?"

[Shardlet he/him]

Discworld: It's really, really hard to pick a single moment in Discworld as my favorite, but if you pressed me to it, it would have to be the end of Thud, with Vimes running through a cave in the Dark desperately shouting "Where's my cow?" at the top of his lungs.

 

Thud is the best Discworld book if for no other reason than Sam Vimes is my favorite and Thud is the pinnacle of the Sam Vimes books.  And that scene is awesome!

[Araris Valerian he/him]

The best scene I have ever read is at the final of "The last arguments of kings", when Jezal is in his throne crowned as king, and Bayaz comes and confirms what we have seen along the books, humiliating the king and making a puppet of him. That scene was so perfect. I really think that Abercrombie did an extremelly good job with the First Law, the end is Sublime. (With Bayaz, happens more or less what Shardlet said about Dalinar. We see some hints of what he really is, even everyone tells about not trusting a mage, because they only want their own benefit. But I have to admit that he seemed a nice guy at the beggining). 

I read this series and really really wanted Bayaz to die (for those who haven't read this series Bayaz is like Gandalf but he kills good guys and tries to rule the world). No favorite moments in there.

 

Number 1: Furies of Calderon where Tavi brings in Duroga and saves Garrison.

Number 2: First Lord's Fury where Octavian ends the Vord War

[Gamma Fiend he/him]

Any scene with the Bloody Nine. Or Whirrun the Bligh from Heroes. He was fantastic. (The Blade Itself series and other similar books by Joe Abercrombie.

The scene in Dark Tower 7 when Roland had to bury Jake. Just the perfect imagery in the woods, in the field of gold and green. and Oy's last words for Jake, "I, Ake". Tear jerking.

Um, pretty much the entire Last Battle in Wheel of Time. Just reading Mat's military genius unfold, and the powerful battle scenes and the emotions running through all the characters. Lan vs. Demandred was pretty brutal. Or when Perrin forged his hammer, that was a very powerful scene.

The Way of Kings, when Dalinar saves Elokhar, holding back the Chasmfiend by the claws, just beautiful. Or when Kaladin goes back to save the Kholin army.

Edit: And what Kadrok said, below me. Can't believe I forgot all the awesome scenes from ASoIaF.

pretty much the entire time Jon Snow was leading the Night's Watch against the Wildling army. Epic battle for sure

Edited November 5, 2013 by Gamma Fiend

[Kadrok she/her]

Massive Song of Ice and Fire Spoiler.

 

When Tyrion Lannister killed Tywin Lannister, his father. It was such an epic scene.

[Ete'ni]

.

Edited June 10, 2014 by Ete'ni