Fannnish Friday 5
Name 5 character deaths that surprised or shocked you.
And be sheer coincidence I've started re-reading James Barclays' Raven series, which is responsible for massive number of deaths. Well, a bunch of mercenaries in war-torn world are gonna face character death. But the big two were Ilkar and Hirad.
Hirad Coldheart - Chronicles of the Raven
Big-mouthed, big-muscled and wearer of way too much leather; not my typical choice of character, but somehow he's so much more real than Ilkar or the Unknown. Hirad's quick temper and unshakable loyalty to The Raven forms the backbone of the merc. band after two of the seven orginal members are killed off within as many chapters. When the death toll rises even higher, Hirad becomes de facto leader in place of the Unknown.
He's used throughout as an explainatory tool for much of Balaia's history and magical ability, and as such becomes the reader's eyes & ears for much of the series.
Ilkar - Chronicles of the Raven
The quiet-spoken elf-mage that runs with The Raven. One of the orginial members and, during the Unknown's temporary death (!), the only one able to keep Hirad in check. Something of a comedy-double act, his death mid-way through the series leaves Hirad reelling. Ilkar's casting ability provides The Raven with much protection during the heat of battle and leaves the others free to fight.
Not one to normally worry overly about my characters, I actually had to put the book down and walk away for a bit when Ikes died and I was seriously thought about quitting the series. Had I known that Hirad would later die too, I would have. And that would have been a pity.
Lt. Col. Henry Blake - M*A*S*H
After being the gloriously inept commanding officer of the 4077th for three series, Henry finally gets sent home. He gets to phone home (Bloomington, Illinois...) and has the inevitable booze-up with Hawkeye & Trapper. Everything's going swimmingly, he even gets aboard the 'chopper to 'for he's a jolly good fellow.' Nothing could be better.
Until Radar staggers into the OR to announce that Henry's plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan. There were no survivors.
We never see Henry die, but it kicks in the teeth all the same. Perhaps more so and we only see the other characters grief-stricken, and forced to continue operating.
Olag Gan - Blake's 7
Big and clumsy, often just a spare part, something to fill the screen (something David Jackson did more than well), Gan often got a lot of slack for being a minor character who just happened to be in a lot of sceens. But I always had a soft spot for him. Unlike the rest of the original crew (and in many respects the seasons 3&4 crew), Gan wasn't a career crook or die-hard rebel leader. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. As was his 'woman.'
Gan's death was the first major distaster to happen to the Liberator's crew and shook the very foundations of Blake's dream. From then on, the whole B7verse got a whole lot darker (and when the leader of the good guys has been arrested for child molesting you know it's not a happy reality to start with).
Hoban Washbourne - Firefly & Serenity
Bit of a misleader this one. Wash didn't die. Yes I know a six-foot wooden pole drove through his chest, but that's besides the point. They patched up Simon & Zoe and got Simon back to Serenity in time to save Wash. He didn't die. And even if he did, this is a Joss Whedon-verse, more characters come back to life than die in the first place.
(Quote from the actor that played Jonathon in Buffy/Angel on being told his character was going to die "oh goody! That means I'm getting a bigger part!").
So, just to re-iterate, WASH DIDN'T DIE. Okay?
And be sheer coincidence I've started re-reading James Barclays' Raven series, which is responsible for massive number of deaths. Well, a bunch of mercenaries in war-torn world are gonna face character death. But the big two were Ilkar and Hirad.
Hirad Coldheart - Chronicles of the Raven
Big-mouthed, big-muscled and wearer of way too much leather; not my typical choice of character, but somehow he's so much more real than Ilkar or the Unknown. Hirad's quick temper and unshakable loyalty to The Raven forms the backbone of the merc. band after two of the seven orginal members are killed off within as many chapters. When the death toll rises even higher, Hirad becomes de facto leader in place of the Unknown.
He's used throughout as an explainatory tool for much of Balaia's history and magical ability, and as such becomes the reader's eyes & ears for much of the series.
Ilkar - Chronicles of the Raven
The quiet-spoken elf-mage that runs with The Raven. One of the orginial members and, during the Unknown's temporary death (!), the only one able to keep Hirad in check. Something of a comedy-double act, his death mid-way through the series leaves Hirad reelling. Ilkar's casting ability provides The Raven with much protection during the heat of battle and leaves the others free to fight.
Not one to normally worry overly about my characters, I actually had to put the book down and walk away for a bit when Ikes died and I was seriously thought about quitting the series. Had I known that Hirad would later die too, I would have. And that would have been a pity.
Lt. Col. Henry Blake - M*A*S*H
After being the gloriously inept commanding officer of the 4077th for three series, Henry finally gets sent home. He gets to phone home (Bloomington, Illinois...) and has the inevitable booze-up with Hawkeye & Trapper. Everything's going swimmingly, he even gets aboard the 'chopper to 'for he's a jolly good fellow.' Nothing could be better.
Until Radar staggers into the OR to announce that Henry's plane was shot down over the Sea of Japan. There were no survivors.
We never see Henry die, but it kicks in the teeth all the same. Perhaps more so and we only see the other characters grief-stricken, and forced to continue operating.
Olag Gan - Blake's 7
Big and clumsy, often just a spare part, something to fill the screen (something David Jackson did more than well), Gan often got a lot of slack for being a minor character who just happened to be in a lot of sceens. But I always had a soft spot for him. Unlike the rest of the original crew (and in many respects the seasons 3&4 crew), Gan wasn't a career crook or die-hard rebel leader. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time. As was his 'woman.'
Gan's death was the first major distaster to happen to the Liberator's crew and shook the very foundations of Blake's dream. From then on, the whole B7verse got a whole lot darker (and when the leader of the good guys has been arrested for child molesting you know it's not a happy reality to start with).
Hoban Washbourne - Firefly & Serenity
Bit of a misleader this one. Wash didn't die. Yes I know a six-foot wooden pole drove through his chest, but that's besides the point. They patched up Simon & Zoe and got Simon back to Serenity in time to save Wash. He didn't die. And even if he did, this is a Joss Whedon-verse, more characters come back to life than die in the first place.
(Quote from the actor that played Jonathon in Buffy/Angel on being told his character was going to die "oh goody! That means I'm getting a bigger part!").
So, just to re-iterate, WASH DIDN'T DIE. Okay?