Worst Kick in the Gut Moments in the Series

[jeditigger]

the worst kick in the gut moment that sticks out for me isn't when they find Ivy in the cage it's not even when Michael gets shot. It is when Harry goes up to the waiting room and sees Charity and Molly in their and he apologizes to Molly for not protecting her father

But I love when Charity tells Harry fiercely, "Families stay, Harry. He would stay for you."

Makes me cry, like, every time.

[93]

When Harry breaks down and begs the archangel for help during Changes.

Harry talking to Bob about Lash disappearing at the end of White Night.

Murphy at the end of Aftermath regarding how much pain she's in.

Aurora's last words in Summer Knight.

Harry kicking Ebenezar out after finding out he's the Blackstaff.


Now that I think about it there are a lot. The archangel one hits me the most though; a proud man, broken, begging God to save his child.

[Stormraven]

You know, the bit with the knife doesn't gut punch me. The way I read it, he made it clear to Susan what he was planning, and she helped him. For me, that was the last act of Free Will she had, she knew it, and she spent it saving her daughter's life.

[Camdin]

There have been alot of greak kick in the gut moments in the series for me but by far the biggest had to be when he found the dead/dying brother and sister twins at Camp Kaboom.  That was just gut wrenching especially when read by James Marsters.

[Quantus]

Not gut wrenching for me the reader so much as the character, but it was a kick in marcone's gut when Harry appealed to his humanity in the Deeps in WN and it worked

[Paladino]

I find the suicides on Love Hurts really repulsive, especially the brother and sister one..

I mean, to have their mind/feeling tampered to belive something is good, to feel really good doing it, but on unaware level to know that is fundamentally wrong. I can't not imagine how low they would probally think of themselves for doing what they were forced to do, and even lower because they liked doing it. And not being aware that it is not their fault they are acting like that? That they aren't a terrible person.. 

And than the conflict inside their minds push them to suicide, and if they were christian, they would have died thinkign they were condemning their souls..

I don't think you can torture someone much more than that. Or of an act of evil much worse than that.

[robertltux]

it shows how HardCore Marcone was when he told Harry that he had to Discourage some Vamps from recruiting during the Evac. He shot them just enough to make His Point Understood (wanna bet he snagged any thralls that were underage??).

[Imnothere]

But I love when Charity tells Harry fiercely, "Families stay, Harry. He would stay for you."

Makes me cry, like, every time.

Thats what makes it such a gut puncher for me all the grief he is feeling for his friend, for letting down his friends daughter/his apprentance, for helping that whole situation to come about. Yet the person that has been antagonistic and unwelcoming of him for most of the years they have known each other won't let him slink off to grieve alone. great great scene

[KnightShade]

For me, the one moment in the series that I had to flip back and read four times to make sure I hadn't read it wrong was where Jim killed Butters off in the morgue in Dead Beat and then revealed he was wearing a bulletproof vest.

I hated him for 10 minutes, thinking he'd killed off one of my favorite characters in two nonchalant paragraphs, and couldn't continue reading right away.

[Quantus]

For me, the one moment in the series that I had to flip back and read four times to make sure I hadn't read it wrong was where Jim killed Butters off in the morgue in Dead Beat and then revealed he was wearing a bulletproof vest.

I hated him for 10 minutes, thinking he'd killed off one of my favorite characters in two nonchalant paragraphs, and couldn't continue reading right away.

Im pretty sure that was in the church in Changes

[KnightShade]

Im pretty sure that was in the church in Changes

I could be confusing books. Regardless of when it happened, I hated Jim until I read far enough into the next chapter to realize it was a fakeout Butters had been prepared for.

[Ziggelly]

I didn't believe it for a moment.
Jim may be cruel to his characters, but he doesn't kill them without a heck of a lot of thought. The Susan and Morgan deaths practically had the entire books leading directly up them. He's not going to blindside you.
Unlike some authors I know... *Points at avatar.*

[LogicMouseLives]

The very first kick in the gut moment I thought of when I started reading this thread still hasn't been mentioned: The last page of Changes.

Unlike a lot of the others mentioned, it loses a lot of its impact on rereading, because you know it's coming, and even more-so, you know it can't be permanent (one way or another). But thinking back to the very first time I read it, the day after it came out in hardcover, no spoilers on line, no hints from friends who'd read it before me. Completely out of left field. I was on a break at work at the time, and I literally sat there staring at the page with my mouth hanging open for more than a minute. And then I cussed a blue streak at the evil bastard who'd end a book like that for five. And then, of course, I went home and read the whole book all over again. 

Other big ones for me:
* The other scene KnightShade was confabulating from in Dead Beat, when Butters gets dragged out the window of Harry's apartment by Grevane's zombies. That damn near stopped my heart the first time!
* The hospital scene at the end of SmF that several people have already mentioned. I weep every time. (Dangerous while driving!)
* The farewell scene with Luccio at the end of TC. Another total tear-jerker.

Yeah, there are a lot of them...I just hope Jim stays satisfied with continually, nearly killing Butters and doesn't actually make it stick one of these books, because I might just have to throttle him. (Not to death or anything of course, he's got more books to write, after all.    )

LML

[Sir Huron Stone]

For me, one that always hit hard was Shiro's death scene. For some reason, I always think of Doc Holliday's death in Tombstone.

[Kwazy Klown]

  One thing that has been gut wrenching not mentioned happens in CHANGES is when Martin is telling Harry how they found the Mendoza family literally torn to pieces when they went to retrieve Maggie. Can you imagine that? Your family....torn to pieces..alive..small children. I don't mind saying that was a disturbing and disgusting picture in my mind. There was alot of other moments in CHANGES that was just as blood curdling, but there was some very moving and heart-warming moments. I cried like a baby in GHOST STORY when Harry's spirit/soul visited Maggie and Mouse to say goodbye. Uriel looking down on them and smiled. There are so many moments, but those stand out. What do you think?