An End to not die for! discussion

The Shadow in the North Philip Pullman is by my view a very good writer, he captures your interest and sucks you in. Alls going so well, you're enjoying the ride then Bam, it all derails. (Spoiler: F dies). He dies! It seems that the culmination of all the hard work, the trails, the tribulations, the suffering and then emergence of love is defeated by death. Whatever happened to 'Love conquers all', and shouldn't it be 'not even death do us part' while we're on that subject?

Summary: A crucial likeable, human character who dies. Why? 'Because' it seems. We're mortal, yes, but no need to assasinate the characters to show this.

Hmm...interesting!!

Personally, I don't think The Shadow in the North had that bad of an ending. I find it somewhat tacky when there's a "and they all lived happily-ever after" conclusion (unless done extremely well), and while yes I was sad when F died, but I really don't see at it as bad to the overall plot. It made it interesting and more real and original. Plus, it set everything up for a wonderful and a nail-bitting sequel.

I understand why you don't like it, but please, I've read endings that were way worse. (ex: Peeps)

I suppose that much of the frustration is from reading the next book where F's presence would help a great deal. Yet by killing F, I somehow felt that Pullman was enforcing a change that would not comply to the reader's needs.

I accept that there are far worse endings, but this group is about endings of good or great books that lack something.

It was also that F tried to save someone yet died in the process. An ending with bunnies and ponies is one thing, an ending where a hero lives is another thing and rarer I find.

"Reader's needs," you say. Well, I don't mean to be rude, I find that you are really talking more about the reader's wants, not needs. There's a difference...

Yes, I'm sure that Pullman could've pulled off F's survival quite well, but I still don't believe that by killing F off was the worst thing he could've done, either.

To tell you the truth, I never had that big of a problem with F's death. It was a plot device that, while making me sad, didn't really bother that much. I absolutely love Philip Pullman and trust his artistic decisions.

I guess I did mean reader's needs and tried to hide it as something different. Philip Pullman is definitely a good writer. Yet F's death was a bit strange, what gets me is the circumstance. I almost F to be battered and broken but not dead after the fire.