Need certain spoilers, please...

[PennySludt she/her]

I absolutely need to know of all (or at least major) character deaths in the Cosmere books. I asked some friends about Mistborn and they wouldn't tell me and I got my heart broken and hated the book for over a year. (Still heartbroken over Vin, but if we get to see her again somewhere else then I'll be good)

 

I know most people feel like they wish they hadn't asked, but I can't cope with deaths like that. Other things, yes I'll read and find out, but character deaths I need to be prepared for. So PLEASE, I need a list for the Cosmere books. I don't have to know the when or how, just who.

[Quiver he/him]

37 minutes ago, PennySludt said:

I absolutely need to know of all (or at least major) character deaths in the Cosmere books. I asked some friends about Mistborn and they wouldn't tell me and I got my heart broken and hated the book for over a year. (Still heartbroken over Vin, but if we get to see her again somewhere else then I'll be good)

I know most people feel like they wish they hadn't asked, but I can't cope with deaths like that. Other things, yes I'll read and find out, but character deaths I need to be prepared for. So PLEASE, I need a list for the Cosmere books. I don't have to know the when or how, just who.

The impact of death kind of comes from not knowing it's gonna happen. That being said, if you really want to know...

Elantris
Hrathen

Warbreaker
Blushweaver
Lightsong
Denth

Stormlight Archive
Tien
Jasnah 
Szeth
A cavalcade of side and minor characters

Those arer... all the major ones that spring to mind at least at the moment? It's been a while since I read the Cosmere books though, so, apologies if I missed one. 

[Mati]

On 4.03.2017 at 3:00 PM, Quiver said:

The impact of death kind of comes from not knowing it's gonna happen. That being said, if you really want to know...

 

  Reveal hidden contents

Actually some of them aren't really dead.

[PennySludt she/her]

12 minutes ago, Quiver said:

The impact of death kind of comes from not knowing it's gonna happen. That being said, if you really want to know...

 

  Hide contents

 

 

I absolutely do want to know. Thank you. I can't handle said impact. It's far too hard on my delicate skin

[Vissy]

You will enjoy the books much more if you don't know what is going to happen! And remember - if you know beforehand who dies and who doesn't, how will you be able to feel that incredible elation when you find out that a character in fact survives a near-death experience?

[Jondesu he/him]

1 hour ago, Rob Lucci said:

You will enjoy the books much more if you don't know what is going to happen! And remember - if you know beforehand who dies and who doesn't, how will you be able to feel that incredible elation when you find out that a character in fact survives a near-death experience?

I will say, while that's true for me and many readers, if Penny feels strongly that she needs to know and be prepared, and has experienced it before, that may simply be her personality.  After all, some of the movies and books I've enjoyed the most (outside of Brandon's works) have been one in which I already knew the story from the other medium, like Lord of the Rings and The Hunger Games, where I read the books first.  I didn't need the stories to be unspoiled; I needed the stories to be engaging and compelling.  

[PennySludt she/her]

2 hours ago, Rob Lucci said:

You will enjoy the books much more if you don't know what is going to happen! And remember - if you know beforehand who dies and who doesn't, how will you be able to feel that incredible elation when you find out that a character in fact survives a near-death experience?

Honestly, the second time I read the Mistborn books, knowing who was going to live or not, it was WAY more enjoyable. I could relax and just enjoy the story. I got way more enjoyment out if it than I did the first time because I was prepared for it. I still sobbed my heart out over the last part and probably always will, but I enjoyed the story way more than I did the first time. But, I'll admit, I'm far from normal in any sense of the word, so for most people this WOULD ruin the story. So, I'm fairly sure this list has basically saved the books for me. Other things I don't like to know, but deaths are different. It basically rips out a piece of my soul, so I need to be ready for it

[Quiver he/him]

4 hours ago, PennySludt said:

Honestly, the second time I read the Mistborn books, knowing who was going to live or not, it was WAY more enjoyable. I could relax and just enjoy the story. I got way more enjoyment out if it than I did the first time because I was prepared for it. I still sobbed my heart out over the last part and probably always will, but I enjoyed the story way more than I did the first time. But, I'll admit, I'm far from normal in any sense of the word, so for most people this WOULD ruin the story. So, I'm fairly sure this list has basically saved the books for me. Other things I don't like to know, but deaths are different. It basically rips out a piece of my soul, so I need to be ready for it

Congratulations! I think this make you to first person to survive hemalurgy!

... Snark aside, I'll add that there are probably a character or two I've missed from the above list. BUT, I think most of those characters end up as antagonists, or dying as a telegraphed arc; I can't really think of anyone else who dies an unexpected, traumatic death. But like I said, I might/probably am forgetting someone.

[PennySludt she/her]

2 minutes ago, Quiver said:

Congratulations! I think this make you to first person to survive hemalurgy!

... Snark aside, I'll add that there are probably a character or two I've missed from the above list. BUT, I think most of those characters end up as antagonists, or dying as a telegraphed arc; I can't really think of anyone else who dies an unexpected, traumatic death. But like I said, I might/probably am forgetting someone.

HAHAHA! Nice! It was a painful experience! Lol!

 

Also, (gonna sound dumb here, or perhaps more dumb) do all the stories in Arcanum Unbounded relate to books, or are some just stand alone?

 

I read The Emperor's Soul, which I understand goes with Elantris (which is on its way to me right now), and I'll wait on The Hope.

 

I read all the Mistborn ones cuz that's the only series I've read the main books for.

 

I read White Sand, but is that all on its own?

 

Do the others relate to other books too? (Dumb blond moment)

[PennySludt she/her]

19 minutes ago, Quiver said:

Congratulations! I think this make you to first person to survive hemalurgy!

... Snark aside, I'll add that there are probably a character or two I've missed from the above list. BUT, I think most of those characters end up as antagonists, or dying as a telegraphed arc; I can't really think of anyone else who dies an unexpected, traumatic death. But like I said, I might/probably am forgetting someone.

HAHAHA! Nice! It was a painful experience! Lol!

 

Also, (gonna sound dumb here, or perhaps more dumb) do all the stories in Arcanum Unbounded relate to books, or are some just stand alone?

 

I read The Emperor's Soul, which I understand goes with Elantris (which is on its way to me right now), and I'll wait on The Hope.

 

I read all the Mistborn ones cuz that's the only series I've read the main books for.

 

I read White Sand, but is that all on its own?

 

Do the others relate to other books too? (Dumb blond moment)

[PennySludt she/her]

5 hours ago, Jondesu said:

I will say, while that's true for me and many readers, if Penny feels strongly that she needs to know and be prepared, and has experienced it before, that may simply be her personality.  After all, some of the movies and books I've enjoyed the most (outside of Brandon's works) have been one in which I already knew the story from the other medium, like Lord of the Rings and The Hunger Games, where I read the books first.  I didn't need the stories to be unspoiled; I needed the stories to be engaging and compelling.  

I love riding along on surprises and twists and stuff, so spoilers like what's going to happen or endings and stuff actually do spoil the story for me a little, but deaths are very different. And like you said, even if you do already know the outcome, half (or even most) of the fun is in the experience anyway, not just the surprise.

 

I also can't do things with a lot of death anyway. I've been known to walk in on a movie I haven't seen or been watching and start crying at a death scene even when I'm not emotionally attached to the victim or story! (I'm messed up)

[Quiver he/him]

12 minutes ago, PennySludt said:

HAHAHA! Nice! It was a painful experience! Lol!

 

Also, (gonna sound dumb here, or perhaps more dumb) do all the stories in Arcanum Unbounded relate to books, or are some just stand alone?

 

I read The Emperor's Soul, which I understand goes with Elantris (which is on its way to me right now), and I'll wait on The Hope.

 

I read all the Mistborn ones cuz that's the only series I've read the main books for.

 

I read White Sand, but is that all on its own?

 

Do the others relate to other books too? (Dumb blond moment)

'kay so.

First off: White Sand and Arcanum Unbound all relate to the Cosmere, rather than being parts of Brandon's other works.

White Sand is set on Taldain, which hasn't been featured in any of the other novels yet. Actually, White Sand was intended to be a stand alone novel, but when Brandon was asked by Dynamite for any manuscripts they could turn into a graphic novel, he suggested that book. As a result, graphic novel!White Sand is -right now- the official version of that story, though you can receive an early draft of the original White Sand if you email Brandon's team and request it.

Arcanum Unbound is a collection of his short stories and essays relating to the Shardworlds, and is a general mix of worlds which we've already seen, and stories which are set on all-new worlds.

Each novel is preceeded by an essay from the in-universe author, Khriss, commenting on the world in question. Brandon also gives a foreword for each which, I think, mentions if it's set on a world we have or haven't seen yet. 

As a caveat: I would recommend reading the Wax/Wayne Mistborn series before starting on the Mistborn stories in the collection.
On the same point, you should read the Stormlight Archive before reading Edgedancer.

[PennySludt she/her]

12 minutes ago, Quiver said:

'kay so.

First off: White Sand and Arcanum Unbound all relate to the Cosmere, rather than being parts of Brandon's other works.

White Sand is set on Taldain, which hasn't been featured in any of the other novels yet. Actually, White Sand was intended to be a stand alone novel, but when Brandon was asked by Dynamite for any manuscripts they could turn into a graphic novel, he suggested that book. As a result, graphic novel!White Sand is -right now- the official version of that story, though you can receive an early draft of the original White Sand if you email Brandon's team and request it.

Arcanum Unbound is a collection of his short stories and essays relating to the Shardworlds, and is a general mix of worlds which we've already seen, and stories which are set on all-new worlds.

Each novel is preceeded by an essay from the in-universe author, Khriss, commenting on the world in question. Brandon also gives a foreword for each which, I think, mentions if it's set on a world we have or haven't seen yet. 

As a caveat: I would recommend reading the Wax/Wayne Mistborn series before starting on the Mistborn stories in the collection.
On the same point, you should read the Stormlight Archive before reading Edgedancer.

Oh, I've read the second Mistborn trilogy for sure, and all the Scadrial stories in Arcanum Unbounded already. That was why I got the book. But now I've started venturing into the other stories and I'm trying to figure out which big books to read with each. 

 

Like, which books do 'Shadows for Silence' and 'Sixth of the Dusk' go with?

[Quiver he/him]

Just now, PennySludt said:

Oh, I've read the second Mistborn trilogy for sure, and all the Scadrial stories in Arcanum Unbounded already. That was why I got the book. But now I've started venturing into the other stories and I'm trying to figure out which big books to read with each. 

Like, which books do 'Shadows for Silence' and 'Sixth of the Dusk' go with?

The only other story I think you NEED to read something first is Edgedancer. It takes place at a specific moment of the Stormlight Archive books, and could contain major spoilers. So definitely read Way of Kings and Words of Radiance before that one.

(I'd actually go further and suggest reading Warbreaker before you read Way of Kings.. but that's because Warbreaker is best Cosmere)

Shadows for Silence and Sixth of the Dusk don't go with any books; they are stand alone stories set on their own worlds.

[PennySludt she/her]

Just now, Quiver said:

The only other story I think you NEED to read something first is Edgedancer. It takes place at a specific moment of the Stormlight Archive books, and could contain major spoilers. So definitely read Way of Kings and Words of Radiance before that one.

(I'd actually go further and suggest reading Warbreaker before you read Way of Kings.. but that's because Warbreaker is best Cosmere)

Shadows for Silence and Sixth of the Dusk don't go with any books; they are stand alone stories set on their own worlds.

Oh! Awesome! Then I had a better grasp on it than I thought! Alright, then I'll skip Edgedancer and Hope of Elantris for now and read those free standing ones. Yay! Thank you

[karsen]

 

Stormlight Archives:

I'd mention that Gawx and Sadeas are both emotional deaths, at least for me, at least, even though they are side characters.

I also had a write-up for Mistborn Era 2 and Secret Histories because I didn't see anything about it, but reread the thread before I posted and saw you in fact DID read them... so I had to remove a horribly clever pun from my post :'(

Edit: I grammar good, I swear

Edited March 5, 2017 by karsen

[skaa he/him]

Hi @PennySludt! Aside from the characters mentioned by @Quiver (most of whom are main characters), there are several other less important characters who die in Brandon's books. For example, try not to feel attached to any side character in the Stormlight Archives, as a sizable chunk of them don't even survive the book they're introduced in. There are also some rather gruesome side character deaths in Elantris. Tell me if you want specific names or if you're only interested in the knowing which main characters die.

Like you, I also prefer knowing who will die in a story beforehand. But then, I like spoilers in general. The more spoilers, the better. I agree that re-reads are more enjoyable in general than first reads, which is why I try to "cheat" a little and spoil myself so that I can be in semi-"re-read mode" before I even start a book. Also, I like being in the mind of the author, understanding the intention behind as many scenes as possible, rather than letting myself be blindly lead somewhere I might not even want to go. I guess I just don't like surprises.

Edited March 5, 2017 by skaa

[PennySludt she/her]

7 hours ago, karsen said:

  Reveal hidden contents

Stormlight Archives:

I'd mention that Gawx and Sadeas are both emotional deaths, at least for me, at least, even though they are side characters.

I also had a write-up for Mistborn Era 2 and Secret Histories because I didn't see anything about it, but reread the thread before I posted and saw you in fact DID read them... so I had to remove a horribly clever pun from my post :'(

Edit: I grammar good, I swear

I must hear this pun!

[PennySludt she/her]

1 hour ago, skaa said:

Hi @PennySludt! Aside from the characters mentioned by @Quiver (most of whom are main characters), there are several other less important characters who die in Brandon's books. For example, try not to feel attached to any side character in the Stormlight Archives, as a sizable chunk of them don't even survive the book they're introduced in. There are also some rather gruesome side character deaths in Elantris. Tell me if you want specific names or if you're only interested in the knowing which main characters die.

Like you, I also prefer knowing who will die in a story beforehand. But then, I like spoilers in general. The more spoilers, the better. I agree that re-reads are more enjoyable in general than first reads, which is why I try to "cheat" a little and spoil myself so that I can be in semi-"re-read mode" before I even start a book. Also, I like being in the mind of the author, understanding the intention behind as many scenes as possible, rather than letting myself be blindly lead somewhere I might not even want to go. I guess I just don't like surprises.

Lol! I'm not quite THAT bad, in that I do like some surprises, but character deaths are not on that list! Like, even some of the Secret History boards I'm trying to steer clear of until I read the rest of the Cosmere books and try to find the answers to my questions myself. But yes, secondary character deaths might be good to know too

[skaa he/him]

Alright. The Coppermind has an incomplete but very long list of dead characters, but that includes characters from Brandon's non-Cosmere books. I'll try to list some notable non-Scadrian Cosmere deaths here, but I'll leave out any name already mentioned by Quiver (a couple of those weren't really dead, by the way ), as well as any villain, and any who died natural deaths; the people below were all killed:

Spoiler

 

Elantris:

• Karata
• Eondel
• Roial
• Eshen
   

Way of Kings:

• Cenn and the rest of Kaladin's squad (Kaladin is the only survivor)
• Dunny and a lot of other Bridge Four members (though many survive)

Words of Radiance:

• Bluth
• Malise
• Ym
• Pai
• Beld
• Roion
• Sureblood
   

Warbreaker:

• Parlin

 

 

Edited March 5, 2017 by skaa

[Quiver he/him]

Aww! You guys spoiled the surprise

I figured if Penny wanted deaths as spoilers, at least she could have the fake outs as a cathartic twist

(Also because it seemed mean to say someone didn't die, in case she got to that point where they APPEARED to have done, and wondered why she wasn't warned. So... yeah.)

Edited March 5, 2017 by Quiver

[skaa he/him]

6 hours ago, Quiver said:

Aww! You guys spoiled the surprise

I figured if Penny wanted deaths as spoilers, at least she could have the fake outs as a cathartic twist

(Also because it seemed mean to say someone didn't die, in case she got to that point where they APPEARED to have done, and wondered why she wasn't warned. So... yeah.)

Ah, good point. Because she doesn't know who will get a fake death, there'd be a risk of her hoping that a beloved character would be revived, only for her hopes to be dashed in the end. I'm sorry I didn't think of that.

The only way to fix this is... to give more spoilers! ("Spoilers: the cause of and solution to all of life's problems!" -Homer Simpson. Oh wait that's alcohol.)

Specifically, here are the characters who appear to die but are alive in the end:

Spoiler

Jasnah and Szeth, both in Words of Radiance.

 

Edited March 6, 2017 by skaa

[PennySludt she/her]

Hahaha! You guys are awesomeness! To be honest, I really wasn't expecting people to actually answer me because EVERYONE seems to think I'm nuts and should just read them. So I truly, truly appreciate the answers and the thoughtfulness in them <3

[karsen]

12 hours ago, PennySludt said:

I must hear this pun!

My apologies but I forgot what it was already That joke's been Ruined.

[PennySludt she/her]

7 hours ago, karsen said:

My apologies but I forgot what it was already That joke's been Ruined.

Lol! Well you got another one in!

[PennySludt she/her]

I cannot even tell you how much that list saved Elantris for me! I could read the book and not cringe in terror every time something happened to someone. It made it possible for me to enjoy the book without the horror that I know I would have felt if I hadn't known. Thank you so much for giving me what I needed. You guys are the best. <3