Saddest moments in the book

[Morsker]

Bela! :(

For Egwene, If I'd known ahead of time that Vora's sa'angreal had no buffer, I might've had less of a "wtf?" reaction to her death and actually thought it sad. But mostly I just wtf'd at it. The anti-balefire was already a lot of wtf. The missing buffer added more wtf and pushed it over a threshold. Actually I was expecting Egwene to pull iron out of the ground and make it into cuendillar to block balefire, since she'd already pulled iron out to block lightning. Then that didn't happen, and instead so much weirdness happened that her death was the least of it.

[stgermaine]

Yeah, they told him he more than deserved it, which is obviously true. Dude pretty much saved the world, a few times.

[Rufae]

In a sad pitiful sort of way, Moggy's death. She survived the LB and was left as the final evil big bad guy, feeling like she was on top of the world, then BOOM! Instant hamburger. 

[John Everyman]

While it wasn't "sad" so much as "uplifting", I came closest to tears during one of Rand's inner monologues when facing the Dark One.  When he realized that the fight was about more than him, and when he went on to describe all of his friends.

 

Mat's was great.  "The hero, with every last breath, denied being a hero".  Or something like that.

[TheAngryDruid]

1. Lan's sheathing the sword on Demandred

2. Egwene

3. Dragon's Farce

4. Mat/Tuon reunion scene

5. Rand scene with Tuon and Mat and he joking the whole time

6. Bela's death

7. Siuan

[dogf00d]

Gareth and Suian was a big one, it wasn't glorious at all. It was abrupt and quick and I feel as though they deserved something a little more. When Rand is witnessing everyone dying, Bashere and his wife and oddling enough for me, Tenobia. When Tam burned the pyre was pretty sad too I reckon. I just finished the book about 40 mins ago, so I'm still digesting lol.

 

Most definitely the lines when he's describing everyone. As much of a tribute it was, it held such a massive undercurrent of sadness for me, knowing some were dead etc etc.

[John Everyman]

 

Birgitte. Period. Very brutal an unexpected.

 

Although I think Mat being told he wasn't worthy to be a hero of the horn was vary sad to me. Seven out of ten main characters should hear that but not mat Perrin or rand.

 

That's not what he was told. He was told he had done more than enough to be among their number and they couldn't tell him why he wasn't.

If you really think about it, the answer is pretty clear.

It's his, the Gambler's choice to not be one. He'll do what's right but he's no bloody Lord and he's certainly no bloody Hero. Just ask him

 

I'm personally split on whether it's the personal choice, or if it has something to do with whatever the Aelfinn did to him.  I prefer the latter, since the moral of the story, as delivered by Rand, is that a man should be free to choose, but I don't know.

[Duskfire]

Well, Mat wasnt told he wasnt worthy, just that he had done enough but he hadnt been chosen for some reason. I am not sure why. It is kind of sad, since presumably out of anyone, its him and Perrin who should be there.

 

That, and I like the idea of Mat being bound like that to the Pattern, since it would absolutely piss him off.

[Rhienne]

A couple that made me feel quite sad (although they were relatively low key) were:

 

1. Right at the beginning when Lan and the Malkieri prepare there final charge, certain that no help is on the way and they are going to die.

2. When Rand spends time with Elayne in her tent and he thinks about how he won't be able to be a father to his children.

3. A lot of the moments when Rand is brave enough to walk towards what he really believes is his inevitable death.

4. I also found the struggle of the Great Captains to understand what was happening to them quite moving, particularly Ituralde's pride that he had managed to stop himself ordering a disastrous retreat.

[Milind Ravindranath]

This whole book focuses on humiliating Gawyn as much as possible. No matter how idiotic he is, at least he's not bossing over anyone and everyone. And he fixes it all right back up. I was afraid we'd have a Gawyn killing Rand thing...

 

Egwene, well I knew she had to go. There was too much of arrogance in everything she did. She would have been an insane tyrant in the world that came. Yes it was very sad, and she went out with a bang. She was the personification of righteous indignation and fury, and she accomplished what only she could have done.

 

I still don't see any good reason explained about why Gawyn was not equal to Demandred even with wearing THREE bloodknife ter'angreal. He was certainly not so bad as less than 1/3 the skill of Galad. The whole Sleete thing was just luck? Right. Why not just name him loser and stop pretending?

 

Judging by the reactions of people on this thread, he should have slunk like a mouse around Egwene all through. Maybe she deserves the pain, for mercilessly humiliating him. Even Elayne did. Poor fellow he had to go. Better than living like a slave.

[filk]

Definitely Rand walking away and leaving everyone behind. It's a bittersweet happiness, seeing him finally be the young Rand again that we haven't seen since tDR, happy and exploratory and so very alive, but also leaving everyone who loves him behind. That just hurts me, it felt like a parallel to the books: they are finished, and it is best that they be gone so that we can let them go. The world and story lives on without us seeing it. It hurts to say goodbye.

[cherbear002]

Moments that made me cry in the novel:

Egwenes death, no doubt, was the worst for me. I had to actually walk away for a minute.

When I thought Lan died while killing Demandred, I cried hard. I'm not usually someone who actually has physical reactions while reading, but I also mumbled "oh no!" when I read that. So relieved when he was actually alive, cause that was heartbreaking.

When Olver blew the horn and Noal came and helped him, I cried hard. No idea why, I wasn't particularly invested in those characters.

Also, when Birgitte saved Elayne by coming back through the horn.

[Duskfire]

It was Perrin looking for faile that was my thing. I am not a huge fan of Faile, but Perrin is such a good buy that he deserves a happy ending. And him bursting out the wolf dream after seeing the falcon and just howling loudly was heart wrenching. If Faile had died, Perrin would simply not have gotten over it.

[TNine]

Why are people so pissed at Gawyn's death? He was using a tactic that he didn't think was known, in order to take a chance at decapitating the leader of the enemy in a quick strike. And he almost succeeded. After he was found out, he did the only thing that made sense at the time.

 

Gawyn's plan was far better than Galad's or Lan's (by the time Lan decided to do the same thing, i was pretty much laughing--if at first you don't succeed...) It was stupid to risk the warder bond like that, but if Gawyn succeeded it would have completely turned the tide of the battle.

[Daefaroth]

Birgette's death - because it wasn't heroic and kick-ass; though her coming back with the other Heroes of the Horn was awesome!

for me that was one of the yeeeeahh!! moments :)

[Ryrin]

I think way too many characters were killed off. Siaun, Gareth for two. Why? Their deaths weren't integral to the story. They deserved better. Bela as well.

[hjustinpace]

Saddest moments for me were having Cadsuane and Faile live.    Snarky but true.   They were easily my two least favorite characters in the series and while I never really had any hope for Faile dying, I thought Cadsuane might go.  

 

After that it was Bela because of how much the horse had been through only to get cut down at the end.   I wanted to see Rand riding Bela into the sunset at the end.  

 

Egwene was surprising but her death was epic so it wasn't sad.  Like Lan taught, don't weep for the dead, instead rejoice in their exploits. 

Yes, but now Cadsuane has to face the living hell of being (a very competent) Amyrlin.

[hjustinpace]

I think way too many characters were killed off. Siaun, Gareth for two. Why? Their deaths weren't integral to the story. They deserved better. Bela as well.

How can you have hundreds of thousands die in battle and not lose a few named characters?

[rabbittmaster]

Egwene's death was the sad'est

 i dont think robert jordan wanted

Egwene to die i think harriet told brandon to kill her in the last book

and i am still crying becouse of her death

[metalisticpain]

Bela & Egwene

Elayne almost being gutted

 

I too was glad Gawyn died. It fit his character TBH. All Passion, no brains. He died in the right way for his character.

[Rand alSaurus]

In a sad pitiful sort of way, Moggy's death. She survived the LB and was left as the final evil big bad guy, feeling like she was on top of the world, then BOOM! Instant hamburger. 

You know she lived, right?

 

She was hiding among corpses, and after the last battle was captured by Seanchan and put on a damane leash...

 

I think that's a more fitting ending for her anyway.

[sandfand]

I was floored when Birgitte was killed. More than anybody else, even more than Egwene, I did not expect it to happen when it did and how it did. Floored. I was floored.

[Ryrin]

 

 

I think way too many characters were killed off. Siaun, Gareth for two. Why? Their deaths weren't integral to the story. They deserved better. Bela as well.

How can you have hundreds of thousands die in battle and not lose a few named characters?

 

 

 

 

Plenty of named characters died.

 

Both Siaun and Gareth's deaths were not necessary for the story. In fact they weren't even there for much of the book.

[rabbittmaster]

Ewgene was needed not right to kill her

[suplanter]

After that it was Bela because of how much the horse had been through only to get cut down at the end.   I wanted to see Rand riding Bela into the sunset at the end.  

 Even though it isn't true, this is how I'm choosing to remember the end of this book. 

 

I had read the spoilers before reading the book and so i knew Egwene was going to die making me hesitant to even read the book. She had not always been a favorite of mine but after KoD and her rise she grew on me and then during my reread i was able to really enjoy and appreciate her. It was kind of nerve racking expecting her death and destruction around every curve but i was pleasantly surprised with how her death was handled. i think the parallels that someone had mentioned before between her and Eldrene were very fitting. So it was sad but not as devastating as i expected it to be.

 

I think Olver's reaction to Bela's death was really the more heart breaking. Earlier he had begrudged her even having value and she had saved his life to the best of her abilities. Also him sounding the horn and being saved by Noal was pretty great. 

 

I would be lying if i didnt say that all the deaths touched me in one form or another, but the survival of some of the characters was unnecessary. I enjoy Talmanes Falie and Lan but come on, in all reality they should all be dead. Galad as well for that matter. 

 

No one has mentioned it but the realization by the tinker man that violence may in only the extremist of cases be right for other people kind of got me misty eyed.