I spent much of the last week skimming and rereading sections of the first four books in the series, looking for loose ends and tie-ins to be addressed in Book 5.  As I continue to write the series finale, I was curious as to just how many characters of note have been killed, so I made a list. Depending on how you define “characters of note” (I define it as someone we got to know, at least for a little while, which is admittedly a pretty loose definition), roughly 30% have been killed (one was merely imprisoned). Of the original cast introduced in Book 1, about 40% have been killed in action.

No Way to Start a War was especially hard on the cast but then again, that was a brutal book depicting the unforgiving nature of the Brevic-Hollaran conflict.  At the end of this post are two lines and/or a tag/link that will reveal my KIA list.  Click if you’d like to fondly remember those we’ve lost, but don’t click if you aren’t caught up with the series and don’t want spoilers!

Since the series finale, Last Measure of Devotion, has been outlined, I have a good idea of the remaining toll to be paid but even I am surprised sometimes by what direction the writing takes me. If a character dies that wasn’t supposed to (or survives when he/she was supposed to die), it won’t be the first time. At any rate, I’m doing my best to keep the book exciting and the reader in doubt as to who will survive.

Killed in Action: Riedel (TCOTU), Jackamore (TWSOS), Durmont (NWTSAW), Kelly (NWTSAW), Moore (NWTSAW), Grey (NWTSAW), Rhodes (NWTSAW), Spencer (TWSOS, and merely interned), Christova (TWSOS), Valokov (TWSOS), Cooke (LTTC)