Memorable Scenes

[Brian G Turner]

A place to mention particularly memorable scenes from books...

I'll definitely have to mention O'Brien's confrontation of Winston in the third section - before Room 101. To me the main horror wasn't Room 101 itself, but the fact that O' Brien had so easily and carefully cultivated a relationship with a lowly figure like Winston, just to expose him. That in itself, coupled with the explosion of truth - the revealment of what the real status quo was...that everything lived had been a lie - that was all very very inspiring stuff.

 

[Jimmy]

For me, one of the most memorable is the epilogue of the "For I have touch the Sky" from Mike Resnick's "Kirinyga" - when we know that little commited a suicide and why she did it. It's Koriba's biggest failure, although it's only the beggining of Kikuyu's life on Kirinyaga, and even though other stories touch upon other important topics, problems and are also controversial... this is the moment when we see that utopia of "new Kenya" won't come true...

 

[YOSSARIAN]

I definitely was rocked by the same scene in 1984. I actually walked around in a daze after finishing that scene. The "Red Wedding" in G.R.R. Martin's A Storm of Swords was pretty chilling also, but more emotionally than intellectually.

 

[GOLLUM]

I'll nominate Chain Of Dogs in Steven Erikson's Malazan series. Now I'm referring here to the events in Book 2 Deadhouse Gates particularly the final battle. I won't mention anything further but I found it one of the most moving events I've read and I'm not a person that is easily moved generally speaking.

EDIT: Oh yes JP, the Weaver I concur, must've slipped my mind somehow and whilst I'm at it I'll add parts of Peake's Gormenghast series.

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

Every time the Weaver put in an appearance in Perdido Street Station. Nearly all of Burroughs' Martian Princess. The first approaches to the sun's 'surface' in David Brin's Sundiver. The blast on the ice bridge on Jupiter in James Blish's Cities In Flight.

 

[Jay]

Every time the Weaver put in an appearance in Perdido Street Station.

Hell yes!

-I also really enjoyed the moment of Isaac's realization that Lin would not be able to not look at the slake moth - it was who she was. (also in Perdido Street Station)

-The Red Wedding in Martin's A Storm of Swords - 'nuff said. From the music playing in the background to the deed itself - incredible

-Was I the only young buck taken back when young Ender found out he just wiped out an entire civilization?

-Muad Dibb walking away in Hebert's Dune: Messiah

- I'm starting to become enamoured with everything Catherynne M. Valetne writes, her latest, Yume Me Hon: Book of Dreams starts of like this:

"Put a truce to any thougths of departure. I am she who glides through the sky when the snow is falling fast, the lady of frost and darkness. I am a ghost, which is not to say I ever lived. I am a memory, which is not to say I ever died. I begin at the moment the ice on the river begins to crack like bones of glass. I am a silence written on pulp mash paper, in ink drawn from village wells"

 

[GOLLUM]

That's impressive Jay, can you give us anymore information about that author, I'm not aware of them myself....

 

[Jay]

That's impressive Jay, can you give us anymore information about that author, I'm not aware of them myself

Well I was truned on to Catherynne's work via another author whose work I loved K.J. Bishop, who directed me to her The Labyrinth. Two things immiediately struck me after reading it. One, there may not be a superior stylist, in terms of beautiful prose in fiction at the moment, and second, this is an author who has individual vision, as she takles you on a journey through well ..a Labyrinth

After reading that I recently read her Yume Me Hon: Book of Dreams (which was published by Prime, who is for my money one of the real outstanding publishers out there in terms of signing writers that have talent). It's more the same beauty, with a setting in medievil Japan, it is an incredibley introspective novel about a woman coming to grip with her life, the meaning of which, trying to define things of importance and everything else she has experienced from her children to the teas she likes to drink. It's a book that I have been in the middle of writing a review of for a month now, but I simply don't think I can do it justice. It doesn't reach 200 pages, but it's perhaps the most beautiful constant 150 pages I have ever read.

Highly recommended author. I have never read anything like her work before.

 

[nixie]

I'd also say Chain of Dogs....Also a death of a major character in Memories of Ice.
Feist's Darkness at Sethanon when Murmandamus riding through the flames of Armengar on his demon steed is easy to call to mind.

 

[fungi from Yuggoth]

The plane flight over the mountain range and the discovery of The City in 'At the Mountains of Madness.' Though really, the whole Antarctic wilderness stuck with me. It was the crossing of a physical, temporal and mental boundary into a forgotten and antediluvian world. Totally immersive and resonates with me, even today. Also, the nameless flight from the whistling wind in 'Shadow Out of Time' and the terrifying revelation which Peaslee finds in the subterranean city.The stuff of nightmare.

Muad'dib walking out into the desert in 'Dune:Messiah', the meeting of father and son in 'Children of Dune', and the 'bridge scene' at the end of God Emperor of Dune, all powerful and moving. It was at times like these that I really felt something of the deeper connection to the race-consciousness in Herbert's epic.

The twist at the end of Iain M Banks 'Use of Weapons,' though that book is full of memorable scenes. Let's say that the ending made everything come into context.

The ending to 'Ender's Game' was very moving; not so much the moment of realization but what came after, with the Bugger Queen and the flight into space and oblivion. It's a shame that Card took the easy way out later on with his FTL. I love the notion of relativity and the issues it raises. Clarke is another fine writer that can similarly move me with his interstellar tales.

When I was younger I found the endings to 'Foundation and Empire' and 'Second Foundation' pretty heady stuff. They still move me today, though I'm not sure if it's not just a nostalgia thing.

Also, I'm not sure if this is allowed, but I found the ending to Otomo's 'Akira' to be extremely powerful. Mind-altering in fact.

 

[Culhwch]

Neil Gaiman, Stardust, when Tristran and Yvaine arrive back at the Wall. 'Whither thou goest...'

Not fantasy, but I love the scene in To Kill A Mockingbird where Atticus explains to Jem why he made Jem read to Mrs Dubose: '...I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do.'

 

[GOLLUM]

Two things immiediately struck me after reading it. One, there may not be a superior stylist, in terms of beautiful prose in fiction at the moment, and second, this is an author who has individual vision, as she takles you on a journey through well ..a Labyrinth

After reading that I recently read her Yume Me Hon: Book of Dreams.....It's a book that I have been in the middle of writing a review of for a month now, but I simply don't think I can do it justice. It doesn't reach 200 pages, but it's perhaps the most beautiful constant 150 pages I have ever read. Highly recommended author. I have never read anything like her work before.

High praise indeed Jay. I plan to investigate this author's works now and although they don't sound like SFF I can still very much enjoy a book if the prose is of a high quality. Thanks for the pointer.

 

[Jay]

I plan to investigate this author's works now and although they don't sound like SFF

It's defintely SFF, check out a wonderful article by her on the matter here

 

[GOLLUM]

It's defintely SFF, check out a wonderful article by her on the matter here

OOPS..thanks for the entertaining update mate....

 

[BAYLOR]

Bloodstone By Karl Edward Wagner . Kane is in the central chamber in the ruined city of Arellarti and before him is the the gigantic Bloodstone of which the ring on hs finger is the matching half which, will enable him to bring the Stone and under his command. Surrounding him are the Rillyte toad men who, are the degenerated remnants of the Krellran who, brought the Bloodstone to Earth age ago. He activates the stone, The toad men begin to chant, The Bloodstone blazes to life and Kane' mind is suddenly walking though the Bloodstone it history and the bits fit war its kind waged and it downfall at the hands of a combined alliance of elder earth races and the betrayal of the Bloodstones previous ring guardian.

 

[paranoid marvin]

The passage in Moria, from when the drums start to the bridge scene vs the Balrog. Nothing ever topped that for me.

 

[Rodders]

Like it or loathe it, (and most of us loathe it), everyone remembers The Eaters from Consider Phlebas. I think Banks wrote quite a few memorable scenes, but that one remains so vivid.

The destruction of the Earth at the end of Greg Bear’s The Forge of God is especially memorable to me. Just brilliant.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Another from LOTR is the Scourging of the Shire. A totally unexpected event in the part of the book which is usually the 'happily every after' bit.

 

[Danny McG]

Bloodstone By Karl Edward Wagner . Kane is in the central chamber in the ruined city of Arellarti and before him is the the gigantic Bloodstone of which the ring on hs finger is the matching half which, will enable him to bring the Stone and under his command. Surrounding him are the Rillyte toad men who, are the degenerated remnants of the Krellran who, brought the Bloodstone to Earth age ago. He activates the stone, The toad men begin to chant, The Bloodstone blazes to life and Kane' mind is suddenly walking though the Bloodstone it history and the bits fit war its kind waged and it downfall at the hands of a combined alliance of elder earth races and the betrayal of the Bloodstones previous ring guardian.

Well done @BAYLOR
I spotted this thread last summer but I couldn't think of a written passage to revive it.

Respect!

 

[BAYLOR]

Well done @BAYLOR
I spotted this thread last summer but I couldn't think of a written passage to revive it.

Respect!

Thanks Danny.


I read Bloodstone 37 years ago, it's one of my favorite fantasy books of all-time and , the first Kane novel I ever read. It hooked me on the series and the character . Wagner was such a great writer , he died way to soon .