Carmichael dying was what sold me on the series, fwiw. My willingness to engage with a long series in which people have dangerous adventures is largely based on being able to believe in the danger, at levels of there being permanent, no take-back, consequences. I was unsure about whether JB was not pulling his punches too much around the time of PG and WN, am somewhat more convinced since, though not entirely; nothing bores me more than plot armour.
