Death of Main Characters

[E U R Y D l C E]

I'm writing a story and I plan to have one of the main characters die half-way through the book. She'll return later, however.

If you read a book where the main character died, would you stop reading?

[The Sauce Boss]

If the death of a main character makes me drop a book, it probably wasn't holding my interest in the first place.

[Crystalbow]

No. As long as the character's death serves a legitimate purpose, you'll be fine. (You should read American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I'm avoiding spoilers, but it has some interesting approaches regarding a main character death.)

[E U R Y D l C E]

Crystalbow

No. As long as the character's death serves a legitimate purpose, you'll be fine. (You should read American Gods by Neil Gaiman. I'm avoiding spoilers, but it has some interesting approaches regarding a main character death.)

I like other work by Neil Gaiman, so I'll definitely have to do that.

[Moral Gutpunch]

I3 a r o q u e

If you read a book where the main character died, would you stop reading?

You mean like Game of Thrones? Or the new Godzilla movie? Or The Lion King?

[Kairi Nightingale]

If the main character is the only character I found the least bit likable in the story and there was absolutely nothing else that was interesting enough for me to keep reading, then yes. But that's a mark of a poor story. If someone quits reading because of a character dying, then there's a problem. It could be the lack of any other likable characters, it could be the lack of plot, it could be the death itself was poorly executed that completely turns them off.

But other people have successfully pulled this off before, using the main character's death as a twist or trigger for other plot points. (Look up Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho for a good example.) As long as there's still a reason to keep reading, you should be okay.

[SebastiansLittleDoll]

I would probably keep on reading. If said book happened to be horrible, I'd get a kick out of the character dying.

[The Sauce Boss]

Moral Gutpunch

I3 a r o q u e

If you read a book where the main character died, would you stop reading?

You mean like Game of Thrones? Or the new Godzilla movie? Or The Lion King?

Hodor.

[iLyka]

*ignores the Hodor comment, praying it doesn't mean what I think it means*

Baroque;- It depends how well it's done - if it's necessary and whether the story can continue.

I wrote an essay on this as I wrote a screen play of a film where the main protagonist is killed after the first act. It can work as long as it doesn't seem unessasary : 3

[Maltese_Falcon91]

I3 a r o q u e

If you read a book where the main character died, would you stop reading?

I've never stopped reading because a main character has died. I don't see that changing any time soon.

[Night Kunoichi]

Nope. If I did I wouldn't be pushing through Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire