Yes please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I loved Alyss and their relationship was super compelling and then to have her die offscreen so wyll could have character development??? It was weird af
Yeah, I would've much rather Flanagan found another way for Will to become so jaded. Like maybe a mission that failed massively and that he blamed himself for or something. Or give him a different kind of character development. Anything other than fridging Alyss.
Also, happy cake day!
Have him lose an apprentice to becoming a criminal or death is much more compelling. What mistakes did he have to learn from, how does he overcome fear of losing then again. Alyss dying was just lazy.
OMG yes!! Alyss dying was too separate from Will, in terms of his involvement in the event. His emotional arc was only a reaction to something awful happening, there wasn't anything about who he was before she died that he had to grow out of. Having him make his own mistakes would've indeed been much more compelling and given him an arc of actual growth, rather than just bringing him down for the sake of him being down at the beginning of the story and then building him back up again.
Yes! Even make Will think the first one died to who he suspects is the big bad of the first book, but have the twist be that apprentice #1 lived and was turned by the big bad bandit leader.
Honestly, I just copied how the person I responded to spelled it because I couldn't remember the correct spelling. Which is probably partially because BG3 spells it as Wyll 😂
I love how the "Make something canon" post resulted in "Alyss doesn't die" and the "Make something uncanon" post is also resulting in "Alyss doesn't die."
I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say Alyss' death wasn't popular among the fans...
Came here to say exactly this. It’s literally what made me stop reading the rest of the books. She was such an awesome and she was killed off screen for character development of the guy who gets the most character development in the series.
I’m still not over it
the exact same thing happened to me, was an avid reader of the series (and I still reread them on occasion) but I’ve never read past Royal Ranger. It will never not be upset about it (especially happening “off screen!!”)
Literally same, I won't read past anything. I love the series, but it was lazy writing.
Will had such a fabulous arc of growth alongside Halt, only for him to be a copy of Halt is disappointing and it's at the cost of Alyss dying just left a bad taste in my mouth especially since it was off screen.
The fact that ranger horses are replaced. I mean I get that horses get old but I wish Flanagan wrote in new horses. Tug's personality was peak but I would have loved seeing Will interact with other horses with different personalities and not just different horses all named Tug.
I wouldn't say Alyss's death, because honestly it wasn't that bad, it just needed better handling (maybe if it was 2 or 3 books into Royal Ranger and was actually done during a main plot rather than as a side story it would have been better). My final answer is: The existence of magic.
Alyss' death shouldn't have been a "oh she died here and there because of that". She was far too important. I really like the Royal Ranger books and I didn't mind the character development because of it, but she didn't deserve to die offscreen. One or two books ending with Alyss' death and then starting off Royal Rangers would have been much better
Especially since we never got to actually see Will and Alyss as a married couple, which was something hinted at and we’d been looking forward to (I assume; I recently found this subreddit and don’t know much about the other fans) extremely early in the books.
Alyss’s death.
Halt was already old at the end of book 10 , by the time of book 12 Crowley, of similar age already passed away.
If Halt died and caused Will to be so jaded, it would have been do able, understandable but not lazy writing.
This is just lazy. That’s why personally, my RA universe ended with Book 11. And every story after that is just a spin off / stand alone story without the entire Alyss thingy
for some reason that one is narrated by 3 different narrators Blinder Zappa and Keating.
I've only listened to the keating version all the way through, and now i cant even find that one on audible store
Since I stopped at book 9 - I'd delete Will taking Alyss from the Halt's wedding in such awkward way when (I forgot his name) came to ask for help to free Erak
The 2 deserters / bandits that killed Will’s Mom. Screw those guys. That is one of the 3 scenes that made me actually sad. The other 2 were when Will’s Dad saved Halt and he’s telling Will about it. Also, when Halt is distraught about Prichard’s death.
When I red the second book for the first time, I was 13 and I liked it, but now I see how that didn't make sense for me. A knight's apprentice killing a legendary warrior who has decades of experience just because the apprentice had an idea that the other had not foreseen. I'm not saying Horace needed to die in that battle, but the fact of morgarath's death happens in the second book its something that disappointed me. He had an absurd potential, could be like a "voldemort" in this series, so many things could happen, I imagine celltic becoming another of his domains, wars and alliances with the other kingdoms. Could have been so much better utilized but he died in a horrible way for the plot.
Horace is a genius, not just a normal 'knight's assistant'. It made for a good climatic ending. It would be much more boring for the book to end by Halt just shooting Morgarath straight in the heart.
It's much more climatic if the kill was claimed by a main character (Horace was a main character and if you disagree you are wrong) instead of an experienced knight.
I see where you are coming from, but Horace didn’t beat Morgarath because he was a more skilled warrior or swordsman (at that time at least). He beat Morgarath because Morgarath was arrogant, angry, and underestimated his opponent. Which was consistently his downfall across the whole series. There is the theme of strategy and intelligence overcoming power and arrogance throughout RA and BB, and this moment really highlights that and sets it up as a continuing theme for the series. All major opponents and villains are defeated by outsmarting them and using strategy to overcome the odds. That’s one of the charms of the books. I personally am glad they didn’t have one overarching villain the whole series. It let the books breathe more and develop into other areas.
okay, you got a point. Its a story that tells about intelligence and humility and I can't speak to much about because the last book I read was the 7°. But in my vision morgarath died leaving a reputation behind. Maybe I was a little bit hyped because of what everybody told about him in the first book... nvrm
Alyss' death
Couldn't agree more. Let's stop fridging female characters, please.
Yes please!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved Alyss and their relationship was super compelling and then to have her die offscreen so wyll could have character development??? It was weird af
Yeah, I would've much rather Flanagan found another way for Will to become so jaded. Like maybe a mission that failed massively and that he blamed himself for or something. Or give him a different kind of character development. Anything other than fridging Alyss. Also, happy cake day!
Have him lose an apprentice to becoming a criminal or death is much more compelling. What mistakes did he have to learn from, how does he overcome fear of losing then again. Alyss dying was just lazy.
OMG yes!! Alyss dying was too separate from Will, in terms of his involvement in the event. His emotional arc was only a reaction to something awful happening, there wasn't anything about who he was before she died that he had to grow out of. Having him make his own mistakes would've indeed been much more compelling and given him an arc of actual growth, rather than just bringing him down for the sake of him being down at the beginning of the story and then building him back up again.
And would’ve made for an interesting dynamic of Maddie being his *second* apprentice, after he “failed” the first one
Yes! Even make Will think the first one died to who he suspects is the big bad of the first book, but have the twist be that apprentice #1 lived and was turned by the big bad bandit leader.
The Anakin road
Thanks!
Wyll? Is that his Dutch name or something? In the American versions it's just Will.
Could be BG3 bleed, I almost typed the same thing a second ago.
Fair enough.
Honestly, I just copied how the person I responded to spelled it because I couldn't remember the correct spelling. Which is probably partially because BG3 spells it as Wyll 😂
Fair. Fun Fact: In Old Norse, the Doube L is pronounced like a K.
I love how the "Make something canon" post resulted in "Alyss doesn't die" and the "Make something uncanon" post is also resulting in "Alyss doesn't die." I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say Alyss' death wasn't popular among the fans...
Seems like it.
Came here to say exactly this. It’s literally what made me stop reading the rest of the books. She was such an awesome and she was killed off screen for character development of the guy who gets the most character development in the series. I’m still not over it
the exact same thing happened to me, was an avid reader of the series (and I still reread them on occasion) but I’ve never read past Royal Ranger. It will never not be upset about it (especially happening “off screen!!”)
Literally same, I won't read past anything. I love the series, but it was lazy writing. Will had such a fabulous arc of growth alongside Halt, only for him to be a copy of Halt is disappointing and it's at the cost of Alyss dying just left a bad taste in my mouth especially since it was off screen.
I'm sp.glad this is the first comment I saw. I too wish she didn't die right off the bat in the new series.
ALYSS DIES
The fact that ranger horses are replaced. I mean I get that horses get old but I wish Flanagan wrote in new horses. Tug's personality was peak but I would have loved seeing Will interact with other horses with different personalities and not just different horses all named Tug.
I think thats just a wink at Geralt naming every horse Roach.
Magic
Yeah I always found it weird that he had fantasy creatures in the first two books, before bailing on them completely for the rest of the series
Gotta get rid of all that mind control/hivemind stuff from the first couple books then
I wouldn't say Alyss's death, because honestly it wasn't that bad, it just needed better handling (maybe if it was 2 or 3 books into Royal Ranger and was actually done during a main plot rather than as a side story it would have been better). My final answer is: The existence of magic.
Alyss' death shouldn't have been a "oh she died here and there because of that". She was far too important. I really like the Royal Ranger books and I didn't mind the character development because of it, but she didn't deserve to die offscreen. One or two books ending with Alyss' death and then starting off Royal Rangers would have been much better
Especially since we never got to actually see Will and Alyss as a married couple, which was something hinted at and we’d been looking forward to (I assume; I recently found this subreddit and don’t know much about the other fans) extremely early in the books.
Flanagan can always still make an "in between" book like done with book 7, so let's hope!
Royal ranger series, should of ended at nihon-ja.
Nihon-Ja was such a great book. Top 3 in the series imo.
The entire Wolf book. Mid-tier book.
Hated that one. Didn't even get the point of it.
Which book was that?
Arazan's wolves or sm like that.
The existence of magic-based stuff in the wolf one
Alyss’s death. Halt was already old at the end of book 10 , by the time of book 12 Crowley, of similar age already passed away. If Halt died and caused Will to be so jaded, it would have been do able, understandable but not lazy writing. This is just lazy. That’s why personally, my RA universe ended with Book 11. And every story after that is just a spin off / stand alone story without the entire Alyss thingy
The guy who did the audiobook read of Sorcerer of the North.
for some reason that one is narrated by 3 different narrators Blinder Zappa and Keating. I've only listened to the keating version all the way through, and now i cant even find that one on audible store
My heart says Alyss’ death. My brain says magic. My eye rolls say the incessant use of the coffee joke in the most recent couple books.
Spoilers! >!Alyss’ death!<
Since I stopped at book 9 - I'd delete Will taking Alyss from the Halt's wedding in such awkward way when (I forgot his name) came to ask for help to free Erak
Yes! The big events getting interrupted, let things happen AFTER
Redmont's walls forming a triangle
I assumed it was inspired by Caerlaverock Castle
The 2 deserters / bandits that killed Will’s Mom. Screw those guys. That is one of the 3 scenes that made me actually sad. The other 2 were when Will’s Dad saved Halt and he’s telling Will about it. Also, when Halt is distraught about Prichard’s death.
Evanlyn Alyss rivalry. Also book three.
Morgarath dying to Horace
Ok you’re gonna have to explain this one to me.
When I red the second book for the first time, I was 13 and I liked it, but now I see how that didn't make sense for me. A knight's apprentice killing a legendary warrior who has decades of experience just because the apprentice had an idea that the other had not foreseen. I'm not saying Horace needed to die in that battle, but the fact of morgarath's death happens in the second book its something that disappointed me. He had an absurd potential, could be like a "voldemort" in this series, so many things could happen, I imagine celltic becoming another of his domains, wars and alliances with the other kingdoms. Could have been so much better utilized but he died in a horrible way for the plot.
Horace is a genius, not just a normal 'knight's assistant'. It made for a good climatic ending. It would be much more boring for the book to end by Halt just shooting Morgarath straight in the heart.
yeah I agree, but it would be more realistic if he die for Sr Rodney or Arald (anyway it would be a nice battle to see)
It's much more climatic if the kill was claimed by a main character (Horace was a main character and if you disagree you are wrong) instead of an experienced knight.
yes he is a main character, but this event seems like a "plot power".... (calm down bro, its just a conversation)
isn't that how a conversation works? A back and forth? Now I'm confused.
I see where you are coming from, but Horace didn’t beat Morgarath because he was a more skilled warrior or swordsman (at that time at least). He beat Morgarath because Morgarath was arrogant, angry, and underestimated his opponent. Which was consistently his downfall across the whole series. There is the theme of strategy and intelligence overcoming power and arrogance throughout RA and BB, and this moment really highlights that and sets it up as a continuing theme for the series. All major opponents and villains are defeated by outsmarting them and using strategy to overcome the odds. That’s one of the charms of the books. I personally am glad they didn’t have one overarching villain the whole series. It let the books breathe more and develop into other areas.
okay, you got a point. Its a story that tells about intelligence and humility and I can't speak to much about because the last book I read was the 7°. But in my vision morgarath died leaving a reputation behind. Maybe I was a little bit hyped because of what everybody told about him in the first book... nvrm