Which characters did we lose to soon? End of third book

[TinHouse]

Robb.

I'd trade any of the other characters to get Robb back, without that pitiful wife of his.

[mycah from dorne]

Oberyn Martell:

i really liked his character and was looking forward to getting to know his character more, i was 100% sure that he would win the fight against the mountain... until he died. even then i clung to some hope that somehow i read it wrong or maybe he would come back somehow but no.

Lady the direwolf:

she didn't deserve to die, she did nothing wrong. this death saddened me more than Ned's. it was uncomfortable for me to read the chapter where she died and even more uncomfortable to watch it in the show. i did however have a theory based on the direwolf's and stark children's connection, i though the death of lady meant that Sansa was no longer a stark at heart.

Tywin Lannister:

every story needs a good villain and in this series there seems to be no lack of villains, however he was my favourite. i thought his harsh ways and cold nature had a lot more to offer to the series plus with Tyrion gone and him dead i don't see how kings landing can keep it together.

[Mother of Mini Dragons]

I know Ned had to die to move the story along and his situation was just so bad, but it still breaks my heart that he is gone. Robb doesn't bother me as much, maybe I was more prepared for it b/c as soon as he married that girl - I knew he was in trouble.

Oberyn Martell is probably one of the more frustrating deaths just because he was such an interesting character and I would have loved to learn more about him. However, like Ned, his death seems to be important in pushing the story forward.

Y'Gritte - I just really liked her and loved the tension/conflict that was created for Jon with having a relationship with her. Also, because so much of this series is about how women struggle to maneuver themselves within this society, I thought she added such a nice contrast by being a woman who so clearly thought of herself as free and not bound to the rules that the majority of the society places on the women in this series.

[Ser Mag the Mighty]

Mag Mar Tun Doh Weg

Rest in peace, sweet prince!

[Jonlion]

For me it was the Red Viper. I was really starting to like him, because of his sense of justice, his wit and his open way of speaking. He was one of the best warriors in the Seven Kingdoms and I really thought he would put and end to the life of the scumbag Gregor Clegane. He could have just killed him, but he waited too long and then the Mountain killed him in a brutal and craven way. He could have set Tyrion free and everything would be better, but that's the way Martin writes... Just so frustrating, yeah he died way too soon...

I still am confused by exactly what happened here. It felt like the Red Viper had the battle sewn up, the mountain impaled, then the next thing I know Gregor has hold of him and is pummeling him to death? How did that happen?

I was staying up late reading at a rate of knots but was confused by that.

[Optimus Brian]

My three are

Ygritte - a refreshing character that really upped the pace and intrigue with Jon's chapters. Great way to die but I was personally a bit disappointed.

Viserys - he had such potential to be a great villain in the whole story. Though arguably he is far better in the TV series as Harry Lloydd really dug his nails into the character and produced a really good performance. I bet GRRM was regretting killing off Viserys after seeing Harry play him so well.

Red Viper - He was mysterious and very intriguing. An anti-hero almost.

I still am confused by exactly what happened here. It felt like the Red Viper had the battle sewn up, the mountain impaled, then the next thing I know Gregor has hold of him and is pummeling him to death? How did that happen?

I was staying up late reading at a rate of knots but was confused by that.

He basically wanted to get a confession from Gregor on Elia's death, and for a split second took his eye off the mountain who in turn took the viper by the ankles and proceeding to turn his head into butter nut squash soup.

[Brienne Of Bombay]

Robb And Catelyn

[GillyTarly]

Mines are:

1. Ygritte: She had a great way to go. She died in Jon's arms. Ygritte kept Jon sane when he was with the wildlings before going back to the Wall.
   
2. Robb: It gave us a great way of saying the good die young. He was trying to live up to his family's name.
   
3. Renly: I love him so much in the second book. He made me smile and gave his people hope. If he would have lived, I can see him and Stannis try to work out their differences and kick some Lannister butt.
   

[Mardochaios]

For me it was Ned, Robb, and Oberyn. Ned and Robb were two men of honor and I loved their characters. When Ned died I was so surprised and but that was what made me want to get into the series. I think GRRM has got it perfect and if any of it was different it just wouldn't be as good or the same.

[Angmar]

Oberyn and Ygritte. I felt like it was a cheap trick, Martin introduced us to the Red Viper with so many interesting details about his life, his history, his agenda etc. And then plaf! he drops dead.

At least keep him up for one more book.

And Ygritte was the only thing I enjoyed from Jon's chapters. After her death I got bored...Until Stannis arrived. :D

[janedl]

Catelyn. It was so wonderful to see a fully developed grown woman and mother, with all her faults and virtues, in a fantasy series. Lady Stoneheart is not Catelyn.

[Nathan the Calm]

For me it was Ned, Robb and Tywin. Ned was my favorite along the first book and I really liked his character for being so loyal and also trying to be a good father for all his children. Robb was the only hope I had against all this Lannister-Tyrell pact. And Tywin in my opinion was the perfect counterpart to Robb. Even if I did not like Tywin as person I respect him as well as a Lord as well as Hand of the King.

[~Shiera Seastar~]

Robb and Greywind :crying: .

[Loslathdos]

I personally disliked Ygritte purely because she kept saying "You know nothing Jon Snow" which annoyed the heck out of me =P

[The Killer Snark]

Ygritte, Oberyn, and all involved at the Red Wedding, though I understand that the event, however unwanted, turned out to be necessary to GRRM's plot.

Oberyn's death comes across as a case of jumping the gun with a somewhat brutal deus ex machina. If it was necessary to kill the most interesting non-POV non-villain character in the series from Book 3 on, he could have appeared far earlier and had more than the five appearances he'd been given in the lead up to his death.

[Loslathdos]

Ygritte, Oberyn, and all involved at the Red Wedding, though I understand that the event, however unwanted, turned out to be necessary to GRRM's plot.

Oberyn's death comes across as a case of jumping the gun with a somewhat brutal deus ex machina. If it was necessary to kill the most interesting non-POV non-villain character in the series from Book 3 on, he could have appeared far earlier and had more than the five appearances he'd been given in the lead up to his death.

Martin needed away to kill Ser Sandor Clegane as well as have the trail of arms to spice it up most likely, but of course Tyroin couldn't go free, and killing Bronn is not what he wanted I guess

[Not_All_Ravens_Are_Grim]

I also will miss Ygritte. I really enjoyed the chapters with her in them and not because of all the fun times. She was so feisty and showed a different side of Jon. I knew she was probably doomed from the start but it didn't keep me from hoping that she might just survive. Her death was, for me, almost sadder than the Red Wedding.

I totally agree. I guess it's the whole "One death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic" factor, but I just felt like Ygritte was a Manic Pixie Dream Girl not only for Jon, but for the reader. She sort of showed that it was possible to believe in something in Westeros- something worthwhile, but not so clean-cut and unmoving as Honor. She died fighting for what she believed in, so in a way she's one of the only main characters to actually achieve their life's goal...but at the same time, she really loved Jon. I think that one moment in the cave was the only book moment that struck me as true, pure, unencumbered happiness. So maybe Ygritte proved that happiness could be found in Westoros, meaning that her death was like happiness dying...

I dunno, I'm rambling. Hopefully somebody understands what I'm trying to say.

[The Killer Snark]

Catelyn's death seems woefully premature on account of the fact she's been sidelined so long at Riverrun because Hoster Tully is taking 900 pages to die, and when he finally kicks the bucket her chapters get very interesting again: and then you have the Red Wedding chapters, which are her best in the books, but which end with her getting killed.

[StannisandDaeny]

Cley Cerwyn, the only person in Westeros with the ability of inception. He was 14, man.