One thing I like about certain authors are the connections that they cause the reader to make with the character; connections that go beyond just being able to relate with the character. The connection I am talking about is when the essence of that character makes a deeper connection of some sort. And to tie this in with the current books I am reading, this connection makes it evident upon the death of a character. There is no sugar coating it, there are plenty of extremely heroic people who die on this series; the people that Erikson chooses to die makes George R. R. Martin seem 'nice' with who he picks in general to see the chopping block.
Throughout this series there are four different occasions where I am trying to read the book to teary eyes. The death that was probably in my opinion the most tragic...and yet most necessary death in the book was Anomander Rake. I already highlighted in a previous post about him being one of my most favorite characters, so of course it was an extreme blow during his death scene putting him in Dragnipur and then through his complete and utter sacrifice. It is in that moment where you truly realize how selfless of a character he is. He did stuff that would be considered bad in a sense, but he knew that it was necessary and he chose to take the burden of doing so entirely on his shoulders alone. He also chose to step up on Mother Dark's stead when she turned away so that the Tiste Andii would continue to have someone to look to. To me, Rake really is the definition of being a true hero.
Whiskeyjack was another character I was extremely sad to see leave, and another one that I was reading the book through teary eyes. You don't really learn much about him except through his perspective; the few times that it happens, and not much about his past. However, it is the indirect knowledge you have of him that makes it almost impossible to not absolutely love his character. Essentially the reader (or at least me) falls under the same spell that literally almost every soldier of his (i.e. the Bridgeburners specifically) has fallen under. To know the kind of loyalty and camaraderie that he inspired in those serving under him (even though yes, learning from Hedge there were some bad eggs in the basket) speaks volumes about a character. He is essentially made up of the same stuff that Rake is, just in human form. This really hits home when he chose to take the burden of killing the Mothers of the Dead Seed before they had a chance to recover from Rake. He chose to take on the burden of those all around him seeing him summarily execute every one of them. He was able to do for Rake, what Rake has been doing for almost everyone for his whole life. Whiskeyjack went above and beyond being a decent human being, and so it was extremely happy to see him show up in Hood's army for one last hurrah. It was SO frustrating to see him die when he chose to try and defend the last bonecaster from Kallor, and having his knee give out (the one that he kept putting of being healed essentially throughout all the books up till then).
Trull Sengar...his death had upset me so much when I first read it that I just was angry for the rest of the day. He died after all he has been through and finally finding the love of his life, by being stabbed in the back by some stupid person who decided he wanted to kill one last Tiste Edur before leaving or dying. His character was interesting in that he consciously was realizing how his people were changing after Rhulad took over, and during the conquering of Letheras that he allowed himself to be Shorn from his people. He truly pitied his brother the pain that he was feeling from the constant revivals via the sword and the strain it was putting on his psyche. When he went back to his brother instead of escaping with Fear, he knew in a way that he probably would not be able to ask for forgiveness after walking away from Rhulad as he lay on the floor slowly dying. So essentially, it was so sad to see the character change that he underwent through his journeys so eventually die when he has what he wanted from life.
The last and final death that spoke to me in the sadness that it caused was Itkovian's death. He chose to give his life in order to redeem the T'lan Imass when the last and only blood bonecaster refused to set them free. He was a man who felt that all purpose was gone from his life, when he realized that he had one last act to perform and strode towards it without hesitation. He is essentially of the same caliber of being as Rake and Whiskeyjack (at least in my eyes). The amount of self sacrifice that was involved in this act is one that most definitely makes it one of the most touching deaths.
Essentially I felt the need to write this after I finished the Toll of Hounds, because of the emotions I was feeling at the end. And that is one thing that can definitely be said for Erikson, and why he is definitely one of my favorite authors, is the way he is able to make the endings extremely epic in one way or another.
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