Best Sanderson Deaths?

[asterion137]

One of my favorite things about Brandon is how well he does his character deaths. He always leads up to them so well! I was even kind of mad that Kelsier survived cause I felt like Brandon does death sequences and aftermaths so well and other authors like to make their characters survive everything. Anyway, after reading the two cheat-death instances in Words of Radiance I was kind of pissed and decided to make this thread. What is your favorite Sanderson-written death, and why?

[Blightsong]

I really like how Brandon did the Lord Ruler's death. Right before he dies and tasks about how they are all screwed it created a very ominous and dreary feel and I think it fit the books very well.

[Rasarr]

I admit I find Sadeas' death to be my favourite. For one, I find Sadeas to be really despicable, probably one of the most "love to hate" characters I've ever read, so I was all "go Adolin!" and happy that finally someone decides to deal with the man in the most appropriate manner. For other, it's bound to have impact. There are deaths that everyone reacts to in "yup, he's dead. Now, who's up for shwarma?" kind of manner, which is annoying, but Sadeas is going to haunt the Kholins from beyond the grave. And the whole scene's greatly written, too. I find it really intense, because the first time I read it, I honestly didn't expect Adolin to finally snap and just-flat out murder the guy, and so brutally at that. A close-quarters struggle with a knife really stands out compared to Goldilocks' ballets at the duelling field.

[asterion137]

Not sure i should be talking since i was the thread creator, but my favorite is Raidriar from Infinity Blade: Redemption since Brandon seemed to be building up to it for the whole book and it was so packed with emotion.

[natc]

Hrathen had a good one. He came to the city with the intent of saving Arelon. Circumstances took a turn for the strange, sure, but when it came time to choose sides he decides to give up his allegiances and . . . save Arelon.

Lightsong is up there too. He certainly kept his flare for the dramatic.

[Pinnacle-Ferring]

I admit I find Sadeas' death to be my favourite. For one, I find Sadeas to be really despicable, probably one of the most "love to hate" characters I've ever read, so I was all "go Adolin!" and happy that finally someone decides to deal with the man in the most appropriate manner. For other, it's bound to have impact. There are deaths that everyone reacts to in "yup, he's dead. Now, who's up for shwarma?" kind of manner, which is annoying, but Sadeas is going to haunt the Kholins from beyond the grave. And the whole scene's greatly written, too. I find it really intense, because the first time I read it, I honestly didn't expect Adolin to finally snap and just-flat out murder the guy, and so brutally at that. A close-quarters struggle with a knife really stands out compared to Goldilocks' ballets at the duelling field.

I think what makes Sadeas's death so powerful is that almost everyone that read it was cheering on Adolin all the way.

However, afterwards, you take step back and are horrified. It really was a gruesome death and it was a giant shift in tone for Adolin's character.

I wonder what kind of consequences this will have for Adolin psychologically, not to mention politically, in Oathbringer.

[taveren]

kelsier just stands there looking death in the eye and says hope

[ParadoxicalZen]

Elend and Sadeas, + the female Elantrian tribe leader that supported Raoden mainly because I wasn't expecting them, especially when you're caught up in the flow of the story and you just read those lines. You're just snapped out of the reverie-trance like....'Wait, what just happened...?'

[Argel]

Lightsong from Warbreaker. His character really helped carry that novel for me, and I loved the flashback to what his previous job really was, and it was still a fitting end to him Sadeas for the reasons others have stated. Kelsier partly because Mistborn was one of the first I read by Brandon after Wheel of Time. Oh, and the ending to Firstborn -- I used to think it was cheesy, but I recently re-read it and the setup for it is better than I thought, making it believable.

 

Edit: It's interesting that after WoT, I read several of Brandon's books, and when that well dried up, I read Malazan Book of the Fallen, likely forever changing my view on character deaths.... Not that I want Brandon to do Fantasy Military, though I do think Malazan still holds "the Epic with a capital E" crown.

Edited May 8, 2016 by Argel

[Dracnor]

Tindwyl death. Because it was not shown, all we could do was following Sazed and his hopes - hopes we were sure were false. Sazed, after killing hundreds of koloss, after saving the city, after having seen Vin come back, and finally knowing that Tindwyl loved him, all that Sazed could do was to deliberatly believe in a false hope, wich was to be crushed very soon.

[Vissy]

Kelsier's death had the most impact on me. I honestly believed the Eleventh Metal was a way for him to kill the Lord Ruler.

Edited May 8, 2016 by Varangian

[Stormgate]

Vin's death. It just shows how much she's grown. She used to be a scared little girl, who got a bad feeling and tried to help a boy who turned and betrayed her, confirming her view of the world that nobody will help her, they all leave, in the end. Then there's the one who left, and then came back. The only one to do so, who won her loyalty for life. So much so, that she treasured what he gave her and killed herself rather than be without it. She had a higher purpose of course, but Vin's death was mainly motivated by Elend dying.

[The Sovereign]

Hrathen had a good one. He came to the city with the intent of saving Arelon. Circumstances took a turn for the strange, sure, but when it came time to choose sides he decides to give up his allegiances and . . . save Arelon.

 

I agree completely, his death my have actually been my favorite death in all of literature. I get shivers ever time I read this passage:

 

 

"I will not speak long," she said, "for though I had more contact with the man Hrathen than most of you, I did not know him. I always assumed that I could come to understand a man through being his enemy and I thought that I understood Hrathen—his sense of duty, his powerful will, and his determination to save us from ourselves.

"I did not see his internal conflict. I could not know the man whose heart drove him, eventually, to reject all that he had once believed in the name of what he knew was right. I never knew the Hrathen who placed the lives of others ahead of his own ambition. These things were hidden, but in the end they are what proved most important to him.

"When you remember this man, think not of an enemy. Think of a man who longed to protect Arelon and its people. Think of the man he became, the hero who saved your king. My husband and I would have been killed by the monster of Dakhor, had Hrathen not arrived to protect us.

"Most important, remember Hrathen as the one who gave that vital warning that saved Teod's fleets. If the armada had fallen, then be assured that Teod wouldn't have been the only country to suffer. Wyrn's armies would have fallen on

Arelon, Elantris or no Elantris, and you all would be fighting for survival at this moment—if, that is, you were even still alive."

Sarene paused. letting her eyes linger on the grave. At its head stood a carefully arranged stack of bloodred armor. Hrathen's cloak hung on the end of a sword, its point driven into the soft earth. The crimson cape flapped in the wind.

"No." Sarene said. "When you speak of this man. let it be known that he died in our defense. Let it be said that after all else. Hrathen, gyorn of Shu-Dereth, was not our enemy. He was our savior."

[StormyQueen]

I found that Kelsier's death was definatly had the biggest impact for me, and really drew together his character arc in all epic majesty. Even though he did really 'not die' technically, I still found that his surviving made sense from what we know of his character and his intentions, as well as how much he believed in his cause (although whether he did it because of self preservation or because of wanting to help is his cause is a debate for another time perhaps)

[Paladin Brewer]

I'm not sure what my favorite death would be, but I also did not particularly care for Kelsier coming back.  With death meant something, and him coming back really changes that, to an extent, at least.  I wonder now where that is going to go.

[Glamdring804]

Not sure i should be talking since i was the thread creator, but my favorite is Raidriar from Infinity Blade: Redemption since Brandon seemed to be building up to it for the whole book and it was so packed with emotion.

I can get behind this. His Infinity Blade novelettes are some of my favorites. I really love the world he created, and I would love to see so much more of it. (At the same time, I wish he would spend less time doing non-cosmere stuff)  Raidriar's sacrifice was truly a fitting end to his arc, and I would love to see how Brandon could right out some of the other scenes in the story.

[thegatorgirl00]

Denth. It shows just how incredibly awesome and clever Vasher really is.

[Eccentric Hero]

Finding out about Reen's death was sad and it revealed that he did care for Vin.

[KnightGradient]

Elends death has psychologically scarred me. Every time I reread the trilogy, I manage to convince myself that "This time he'll make it through. Something will be different." And I'm wrong every time. So yah, Elend.

[Eki]

Among the ones no one has mentioned yet (I think?), I think Bleeder's death affected me the most. It's just such a sad story, in almost every way.

[natalie.perkins]

I'm not sure what my favorite death would be, but I also did not particularly care for Kelsier coming back.  With death meant something, and him coming back really changes that, to an extent, at least.  I wonder now where that is going to go.

I personally didn't have an issue with him coming back, in fact, I love it and not just because Secret Histories was basically all 16-year old me ever wanted.

 

I think it's because his survival really plays into the dichotomy of his character of the Survivor. Honestly, it puts even MORE meaning into it. There's an entire religion based on Kelsier now because he survived - even though the survival they are basing it on was a trick with a Kandra. The religion is actually more accurate BECAUSE Kelsier continued to survive.

 

Before he "came back" we knew of Kelsier the Survivor of Hathsin and didn't put much thought into it, I mean I didn't. But, seriously, has the survivor moniker ever been better bestowed on anyone but Kelsier?

 

Now that I've used the phrase survive more frequently than I ever planned to: favorite death has gotta be Lightsong, as well.

[natc]

Well, IIRC, Spook was Survivor of the Flames for a bit. It was just one town though.

The Words of Founding made by Harmony actually very clearly state that Kelsier has literally survived death itself, so while the origin of the church may be a bit of a lie they now know that they are technically still right.

I think it still meant something that even a man like him was willing to die for this cause. Right after saving a noble too. He's still around now, but he's playing a different enough role that it's almost like something in him did die that day. Once you don't even have a life to risk for people anymore it's hard to be heroic . . .

[asterion137]

Brandon hasn't killed anyone of importance in the current Stormlight timeline except Sadeas. My only issue with Words of Radiance was how Brandon pretended to kill Jasnah and deus-ex-machina'd his way out of Szeth's death. He'll probably make up for it by having a suitable number of beloved main characters (I guarantee Kaladangst will be dead by stormlight 5) die off in heartbreaking ways.

[Paladin Brewer]

Brandon hasn't killed anyone of importance in the current Stormlight timeline except Sadeas. My only issue with Words of Radiance was how Brandon pretended to kill Jasnah and deus-ex-machina'd his way out of Szeth's death. He'll probably make up for it by having a suitable number of beloved main characters (I guarantee Kaladangst will be dead by stormlight 5) die off in heartbreaking ways.

 

I wouldn't have wanted Szeth to die yet, he has to have a larger role in this story, I find him as important as Kaladin.  I didn't like Jasnah's return though either, but I'll go with it. :/

[Blightsong]

Brandon hasn't killed anyone of importance in the current Stormlight timeline except Sadeas. My only issue with Words of Radiance was how Brandon pretended to kill Jasnah and deus-ex-machina'd his way out of Szeth's death. He'll probably make up for it by having a suitable number of beloved main characters (I guarantee Kaladangst will be dead by stormlight 5) die off in heartbreaking ways.

A deus ex machina is when something happens and there is no explanation, correct? No explanation. We already knew that how he was revived was possible within the magic system, and that there are fabrials that can mimic the surges, so I wouldn't quite call it a deus ex. It was a little bit of a cop out, though, I understand why people don't like that death.

Especially after the end of Mistborn, I would definitely not put it past Brandon to kill off every main character.