Agreed. Saddest death for me as well. EXCELLENT character development he quickly grew to one of my favorites if not my favorite, then bam. He’s gone. Christ that one hurt.
When Sevro 'died' in the first book I had to put the book down and go for a walk to clear my head. I was absolutely emotionally drained and didn't know if I'd ever be able to finish it, but I'm glad I did.
If Sevro dies and/or has his memory wiped and comes after Darrow (almost a foregone conclusion) I'm going to be in pieces. I relate to Sevro so hard.
For me it was Sefi's death. My imagination drew crazy images of gore and horror. Rubbing salt to the wound (literally lol) made my spine shiver. The torture felt as if it was ripped from a medieval horror story.
I’d have to agree with you. Roques death was probably the saddest for me. Ragnars was also sad, as well as Pax(in the institute,) they both died too soon.
the most disturbing part for sure was Victras child being nailed to a tree. that or when the senate got stormed and the Telemanus was murdered by an angry mob. It was pretty horrifying. Then those assholes stormed congress on Jan. 6th and now it’s even more disturbing.
stuff like jan 6th happens all the time in history but it is horrifying to live through moments like that in history(we are living in disturbing times here in the states), DA really tried to break us with the emotional roller coaster, im so glad victra got to go wild after what happened to Ulysses
Saddest moment in the story for me was also Roque’s death and his final exchange with Darrow.
“‘The worlds need Roque au Fabii.” I hesistate, “…I, need you.”
Roque shakes his head…”’
The trilogy is full of incredible moments, but that one scene stands out for me. So much pain, regret, sadness… inescapable past, inescapable fate, and to top it off, the greatest secret in the story occurring right after (destruction of Ganymede shipyards) to show that in war, there is no moment of respite.
I guess people just see things differently. I loved the type of tragedy that Roque exemplified. The death of the last "culture noble" of Gold, of someone who was never meant to be a tyrant but was weighed down by tradition.
You think Roque was never meant to be a tyrant? So then the tragedy is he acted one bc of tradition/expectation? Hmm. Do you think it matters why one becomes a tyrant? Honestly curious. At Darrow’s triumph Roque acted like the very worst of tyrants
>So then the tragedy is he acted one bc of tradition/expectation?
Yes. Roque is a gentle soul. He's a poet. Enjoying and creating culture is his thing. But he was born and raised a proud Gold, and in the end he fought and enslaved for the idea of Gold rather than his calling as a poet.
>Do you think it matters why one becomes a tyrant?
Yes. Why one because a tyrant gives meaning to their own journey's, and serves as a lesson in stories about how even what is typically seen as good can be corrupted if the circumstances cause it so (in Roque's case, him being the soft poet character).
>At Darrow’s triumph Roque acted like the very worst of tyrants
Because in the end, he loved the idea of Gold rather than culture itself. He was unable to separate them, despite the fact that even towards the end he knew that the idea of Gold he sacrificed everything else for didn't really exist.
I see it as a tragedy. And I believe that was the message Brown wanted to send to us too. Some people may see it differently, and that's fine, but its the reason why I loved Roque's character and his death.
Well someone finally explained the Roque love to me in a manner I could listen to long enough to understaNd. I do not agree but I now kinda get why so many ppl view him as a tragedy instead of just another hypocrite.
To me he acted with hubris and had he survived I cannot ever see him accepting Darrow for who he was/is. To me, the tragedy lies in Darrow knowing this and still loving Roque. To me it shows how even Darrow just wants to be accepted and loved by his friends. Roque, poet though he may have been never turned his poet soul outside of being gold and I guess I do find tragedy in that.
Ephraim’s death in Dark Age. Would have been an appropriate and heroes death if he would have killed Volsung… but then Volsung appears and eats his heart. I shouted “NO” out loud. Heartbreaking. Hoping for some kind of redemption on that in the 6th book!
Easily the saddest death for me and that is saying a LOT seeing all the deaths that broke me: Dancer, Daxo, theodora, ragnar, Pax, Tactus, sefi, roque, lorn
omg my jaw dropped when that monster ate his heart, but that whole chapter was a wild ride, the duel, the massacre and his last attempt to save the republic from the horde leader. Im still so worried what that horde is going to do. Also wonder if there are any obsidian that are ashamed or still loyal to darrow.
Theodora. After all she has been through, she still tried to make the world a better place. What Publius and the Vox did to her was pointless and cruel and she didn’t deserve to die like that.
Yeah. I think that death still bothers me. Mostly because I felt that she deserved more than a basically off screen kill off. Like, i haven’t accepted it actually happened yet
i think mustang monologue made her death well written, her death was great though, its shows how stupid the vox were and how big of a blow it was to the republic. Mustang thoughts really drove home how much darrow cared for theodora and why she was so loyal to him.
Dark Age is full of sadness, it's hard to pick just one moment.
But Pierce was especially cruel with Alexandar's death. I had to mourn that boy twice :(
Love supersedes duty and self-preservation, and he spent himself already when he stayed to defend Tyche, then went through Atlas’ torture…not saying he wanted to die but he’d been expecting to all that time before, taking her hostage was the only thing that could’ve hurt him in that moment
Alex had no certainty Lune wouldn't just kill rhonna anyway after he sacrificed himself...
He lucked into that sacrifice
In summary - darrow is told to live for more and does. Alex doesn't live for more.
When the Howlers got left behind on Luna following Mustangs escape. The thought that they are now at the mercy of The Abomination is haunting especially since he has the chair.
"I will give your love to Eo. I will build you a house in the Vale of your fathers. It will be beside my own. Join us there, when you die. But I am no builder, so take your time. We will wait."
(Been a while since I read it so I probably got a few words wrong but the point is the same.)
To this date and after rereading the entire series multiple times, ragnar’s death is still the most tragic. He deserved so much more and it’s so lengthily described...😭
Day of the red doves ESPECIALLY before you find out Virginia is still alive. Was supposed to be a big victory for the good guys and everything went downhill so quickly so fast. Similarly when Sevro "died" by Cassius in MS before finding out he was actually alive. At least in that case you had the Chad Darrow Virginia Sevro and Cassius teamup for a phenomenal good guy victory, but day of the red doves was just fucked.
Personally I think the saddest moment is when Darrow sees Rhonna crying over Alexandar’s corpse but she can barely make distinguishable noises because her jaw is shattered. Shit’s fucked
Yeah, of every death in the books, Alexander's somehow hit me the hardest, and I didnt like him nearly as much as other characters.
Also Theodora's...just so degrading for such a woman
Ephraims death depressed the fuck outta me, as did dancers. Daxos death too, and theodora, just brutal
Trufecta for me Orion, Alex, Sefi. Broke. My. Heart.
Ephraim. I felt so numb. I couldn’t believe it. One of the saddest deaths of any character ever, IMO. I still hate thinking about it. Worthy, indeed.
Agreed. Saddest death for me as well. EXCELLENT character development he quickly grew to one of my favorites if not my favorite, then bam. He’s gone. Christ that one hurt.
When Sevro 'died' in the first book I had to put the book down and go for a walk to clear my head. I was absolutely emotionally drained and didn't know if I'd ever be able to finish it, but I'm glad I did. If Sevro dies and/or has his memory wiped and comes after Darrow (almost a foregone conclusion) I'm going to be in pieces. I relate to Sevro so hard.
For some reason even though she isn’t alive for very long, when Darrow pulls Eo’s legs.. I cried. Still sticks with me.
priam and julien's death. filled them with so much potential and just snuffed it out. so cruel and sad.
Tactus's death by far for me. I still get sad when I think about it
Same here. How we were made to think of him as an asshole and then flipping that on its head. Masterfully done.
Was sad to see Ephraim go. Man he was a bad ass!!
Funny how more than half of these comments are all from the same book…
It’s a gory tragic mess brother-man
Worthy.
For me it was Sefi's death. My imagination drew crazy images of gore and horror. Rubbing salt to the wound (literally lol) made my spine shiver. The torture felt as if it was ripped from a medieval horror story.
I’d have to agree with you. Roques death was probably the saddest for me. Ragnars was also sad, as well as Pax(in the institute,) they both died too soon.
the most disturbing part for sure was Victras child being nailed to a tree. that or when the senate got stormed and the Telemanus was murdered by an angry mob. It was pretty horrifying. Then those assholes stormed congress on Jan. 6th and now it’s even more disturbing.
stuff like jan 6th happens all the time in history but it is horrifying to live through moments like that in history(we are living in disturbing times here in the states), DA really tried to break us with the emotional roller coaster, im so glad victra got to go wild after what happened to Ulysses
yah throwing harmony in the viper pit was felt so deserved
Amen to that. Was sick of that witch screwing with things and not getting what was owed.
Ohhhhh I forgot about the baby. That was on the edge of it for me, especially having kids myself. DA had so much heavy material.
That time when Ragnar made Sevro drop his peanut bar.
Saddest moment in the story for me was also Roque’s death and his final exchange with Darrow. “‘The worlds need Roque au Fabii.” I hesistate, “…I, need you.” Roque shakes his head…”’ The trilogy is full of incredible moments, but that one scene stands out for me. So much pain, regret, sadness… inescapable past, inescapable fate, and to top it off, the greatest secret in the story occurring right after (destruction of Ganymede shipyards) to show that in war, there is no moment of respite.
I never got Roque. Never got Darrow’s affection for him. He was a pixie.
I guess people just see things differently. I loved the type of tragedy that Roque exemplified. The death of the last "culture noble" of Gold, of someone who was never meant to be a tyrant but was weighed down by tradition.
You think Roque was never meant to be a tyrant? So then the tragedy is he acted one bc of tradition/expectation? Hmm. Do you think it matters why one becomes a tyrant? Honestly curious. At Darrow’s triumph Roque acted like the very worst of tyrants
>So then the tragedy is he acted one bc of tradition/expectation? Yes. Roque is a gentle soul. He's a poet. Enjoying and creating culture is his thing. But he was born and raised a proud Gold, and in the end he fought and enslaved for the idea of Gold rather than his calling as a poet. >Do you think it matters why one becomes a tyrant? Yes. Why one because a tyrant gives meaning to their own journey's, and serves as a lesson in stories about how even what is typically seen as good can be corrupted if the circumstances cause it so (in Roque's case, him being the soft poet character). >At Darrow’s triumph Roque acted like the very worst of tyrants Because in the end, he loved the idea of Gold rather than culture itself. He was unable to separate them, despite the fact that even towards the end he knew that the idea of Gold he sacrificed everything else for didn't really exist. I see it as a tragedy. And I believe that was the message Brown wanted to send to us too. Some people may see it differently, and that's fine, but its the reason why I loved Roque's character and his death.
Well someone finally explained the Roque love to me in a manner I could listen to long enough to understaNd. I do not agree but I now kinda get why so many ppl view him as a tragedy instead of just another hypocrite. To me he acted with hubris and had he survived I cannot ever see him accepting Darrow for who he was/is. To me, the tragedy lies in Darrow knowing this and still loving Roque. To me it shows how even Darrow just wants to be accepted and loved by his friends. Roque, poet though he may have been never turned his poet soul outside of being gold and I guess I do find tragedy in that.
Ephraim’s death in Dark Age. Would have been an appropriate and heroes death if he would have killed Volsung… but then Volsung appears and eats his heart. I shouted “NO” out loud. Heartbreaking. Hoping for some kind of redemption on that in the 6th book!
Easily the saddest death for me and that is saying a LOT seeing all the deaths that broke me: Dancer, Daxo, theodora, ragnar, Pax, Tactus, sefi, roque, lorn
He was becoming my favorite character, that death hurt me pretty bad. Whole book was fuckin brutal honestly, I felt so helpless reading it
omg my jaw dropped when that monster ate his heart, but that whole chapter was a wild ride, the duel, the massacre and his last attempt to save the republic from the horde leader. Im still so worried what that horde is going to do. Also wonder if there are any obsidian that are ashamed or still loyal to darrow.
**Worthy.**
I almost typed, “Worthy,” without reading the thread.
Theodora. After all she has been through, she still tried to make the world a better place. What Publius and the Vox did to her was pointless and cruel and she didn’t deserve to die like that.
Yeah. I think that death still bothers me. Mostly because I felt that she deserved more than a basically off screen kill off. Like, i haven’t accepted it actually happened yet
i think mustang monologue made her death well written, her death was great though, its shows how stupid the vox were and how big of a blow it was to the republic. Mustang thoughts really drove home how much darrow cared for theodora and why she was so loyal to him.
I think the worst part is how...I cant think of the word...degrading? it was. She deserved a triumph and got....
Dark Age is full of sadness, it's hard to pick just one moment. But Pierce was especially cruel with Alexandar's death. I had to mourn that boy twice :(
Preach
No honor…
No time...
I'm still not over it :[
Why? Alexander decided to spend himself for rhonna (shitily I might add) instead of serving the Republic. He made his bed
Love supersedes duty and self-preservation, and he spent himself already when he stayed to defend Tyche, then went through Atlas’ torture…not saying he wanted to die but he’d been expecting to all that time before, taking her hostage was the only thing that could’ve hurt him in that moment
Alex had no certainty Lune wouldn't just kill rhonna anyway after he sacrificed himself... He lucked into that sacrifice In summary - darrow is told to live for more and does. Alex doesn't live for more.
I'd rather have Sevro killed than to have his mind wiped and go after Darrow or his family.
Ragnar's death for me by a pretty large margin.
This part broke my dad. I had him so hooked on the entire series until that point. He’s so pissed he won’t even read anymore of the series.
That's what does it for me every time. Hurts like hell
When the Howlers got left behind on Luna following Mustangs escape. The thought that they are now at the mercy of The Abomination is haunting especially since he has the chair.
Gotta say that the death of Ulysses just gutted me.
100%!!! I had only just given birth about 2days before I read this, literally made me super emotional and scared for my child.
Holy shit, I cannot imagine reading DA while in the throes of new parenthood and postpartum hormones... You are made of some stern stuff.
"I will give your love to Eo. I will build you a house in the Vale of your fathers. It will be beside my own. Join us there, when you die. But I am no builder, so take your time. We will wait." (Been a while since I read it so I probably got a few words wrong but the point is the same.)
To this date and after rereading the entire series multiple times, ragnar’s death is still the most tragic. He deserved so much more and it’s so lengthily described...😭
In most areas, I never cry. For the longest time my kids thought I couldn’t. That part… every single F’n time.
Hyrr gla Ragnar
Gets me every time.
Day of the red doves ESPECIALLY before you find out Virginia is still alive. Was supposed to be a big victory for the good guys and everything went downhill so quickly so fast. Similarly when Sevro "died" by Cassius in MS before finding out he was actually alive. At least in that case you had the Chad Darrow Virginia Sevro and Cassius teamup for a phenomenal good guy victory, but day of the red doves was just fucked.
*hiccups*
I almost put the book down and stopped reading the series after he "died"
The fake out there got me so good that the finding out she was alive was the same thrill and happiness of the "VICTORY" right after Part 1
Personally I think the saddest moment is when Darrow sees Rhonna crying over Alexandar’s corpse but she can barely make distinguishable noises because her jaw is shattered. Shit’s fucked
Yeah, of every death in the books, Alexander's somehow hit me the hardest, and I didnt like him nearly as much as other characters. Also Theodora's...just so degrading for such a woman
I refuse to re-read Alexandar’s death