Your favorite book scenes (and why)

I loved in The Gunslinger...when Roland had the gunfight in Tull and ended up killing the entire town.

 

I love the part Holden Claufield sees "****" written on the school walls in "The Catcher in the Rye."

 

My other favorite is from Nemesis, by Isaac Asimov, when Marlene first steps out onto the harsh world of Erythro, because the whole time, you're terrified that she's going to catch the plague, and then at the end, she thinks she has it, and that doesn't get resolved for a few chapters. It's amazingly thrilling.

That was indeed a good scene. But by far my favorite scene from an Asimov book is from Foundation and Empire, the end of the chapter "Death of a Psychologist". I won't say more, since there are major spoilers involved.

My favorite scene from The Lord of the Rings is Gandalf facing the Witch-king at the gate of Minas Tirith, with the cock crow and the arrival of the rohirrim. Completely ruined in the movie, of course.

 

I'm a big fan of the very last moment in THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND CLAY by Michael Chabon.

I won't spoil it for you what exactly happens, but it's one of the best endings of a book I've ever read. Wonderfully concise and perfect.

 

One of my big favs comes from an Allan Poe´s story, Morella (1850)


"It is a day of days," she said, as I approached; "a day of all days either to live or die. It is a fair day for the sons of earth and life?ah, more fair for the daughters of heaven and death!"

I kissed her forehead, and she continued:

"I am dying, yet shall I live."

"Morella!"

"The days have never been when thou couldst love me?but her whom in life thou didst abhor, in death thou shalt adore."

"Morella!"

 

I recently read a few Asimov stories, and the very end of "Robot Dreams" made me do that thing where you suck in a breath, but you don't quite make a sound. You know. It was so sad that it really made me not like Susan Calvin. But I heard that overall, she really loves her robots.

Anyway, one of my favorite books is The Legend of Bagger Vance - so much better than the film! There are two scenes that really get me. The first is when Junuh refuses to fight any kind of war, even with golf clubs as his weapons, and Vance simply tells him that he has to stand up, and he has to fight. The second is the very end, when the narrator's protege is getting into his swing and is about to hit the ball over the ruins of the 18th hole. It's hard to describe without talking about the whole book, but just the mood and setting, and the words that Vance says to everyone present. Gives me chills.

There's a scene in Carl Hiaason's Basket Case that just cracks me up. Jack is trying to write an obituary for the former owner of the newspaper (who isn't even dead yet), and he's in such a bad mood that the obit trails off with him talking about how much the paper sucked after it was sold. And then an intern sees what he wrote and says, "You're allowed to say '[bad word]'?"

Oh, and in Casina, a play by ancient Roman comedic writer Plautus, a son wants to marry the family servant girl, but the father wants to bed her as well, so the mother and a couple of faithful servants cook up a plot to dress up a guy as the girl and have the father meet him in the "wedding chamber." I guess what's really funny is that parts of the text are asterisked out, most likely by monks who thoughts the content was too scandalous.

 

If you like Bagger Vance, try Pressfield's Gates of Fire. Same author, VERY different genre. Story of Thermopylae.

 

Some of my favorites?


The Wheel of Time: ?Asha?man, kill!?
I think that most people would agree that the Wheel of Time went downhill from that moment onwards, but that moment was definitely cool. For over three thousand years, magic had been for women only. Men who could use magic were hunted down and stripped of their ability. But at the end of book six of the Wheel of Time, a force of one hundred men who can use magic step onto a battlefield, outnumbered over a hundred to one by some of the best infantry in the world and facing over twice their number in female magic users. They promptly destroy everything hostile in sight.

Dragonlance Legends: ?Look, Raist, bunnies??
Caramon enters the Abyss to kill his twin brother. They meet inside the Abyss, at the portal, and Raistlin sees the future that Caramon has seen: Raistlin will defeat all his enemies, become a God, but he?ll be the only thing remaining. He?ll rule over a dead earth and dead sky, and will in the end consume himself. So Raistlin makes his choice, and forgoes godhood to stay behind. Caramon goes through the portal, leaving Raistlin behind to the not-so-tender mercies of the Dark Queen. But as the Goddess catches up with Raistlin, Raistlin is granted peace and the goddess is left frustrated and furious.

The Lord of the Rings: ?I will not say: do not weep; for not all tears are an evil.?
The parting at the Grey Havens was perhaps the best moment in the story. Good wins, but must pay the price. Frodo and Gandalf and the others may not be dead, but it?s easy to see how their situation parallels that of those that do lose their lives fighting for what they believe in. They might not be dead, but they?ll never again see what they fought so long and hard to preserve. And they know that what they wanted to preserve has yet changed somewhat despite their efforts.

The Sandman: ?Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!?
At the end of the first story arc, Dream finds himself depressed. He?s escaped the prison that held him for decades, he?s recovered his realm, and he?s more powerful than he?s been in literally eons. But he finds himself depressed, and so we catch up with him sitting by a fountain in Central Park and feeding pidgins. A girl as pale as he is walks and dressed like a Goth up and sits down not to far away. She asks him what he?s doing, then starts telling jokes and quoting from Mary Poppins and saying things like ?peachy keen.? You get the distinct impression that she?s a very nice, very sunny, very happy person who is in touch with her inner child. As the story goes on, you quickly realize that she?s his sister. And before too long, you realize that this wonderfully funny and gentle and caring person is Death.

A Song of Ice and Fire: ?You shot me!? ?You always were quick to grasp a situation, my Lord.?
Of all the great moments of A Song of Ice and Fire (and there are many), I think that that scene has to be right up there. The first attack of an Other at the very beginning of the series, the death of a major character in the first book, the taking of the Unsullied, the duel between the Hound and the Lightning Lord, the duel between Gregor and Oberyn, the return of Lady Catelyn, ?The Wall is yours, Jon Snow,? and others, I think that the one that I have the quote from up there is probably the one that made me grin the most. Don?t get me wrong; Jon taking command made me smile, the duels had me on the edge of my seat, the death in the first book shocked me, the Others are just plain scary, and the return of Catelyn sent chills down my spine. It?s hard to judge what scene in that series is best ? how about I just say that every scene in A Song of Ice and Fire is my favorite, especially the scenes towards the end of A Storm of Swords.

 

I like Walter's speech at the end of The Gunslinger. Oh and someone else said this I think, but I also loved when Roland was forced to kill everyone in the town of Tull.

 

If you like Bagger Vance, try Pressfield's Gates of Fire. Same author, VERY different genre. Story of Thermopylae.

LOVED it! Also one of my favorites. I started it after I finished a class on ancient Greek history (so I was really excited when I remembered reading about some characters in class). One part that really sticks out for me is when one of the boys keeps getting lashed but won't cry out and ends up dying from his wounds. And, of course, the end - made me want to go to Thermopylae and see the battlefield.

There's a Girl in My Hammerlock - Jerry Spinelli
The Coach comes to Mazie's house with the banner that has the wrestling team's motto on it. Instead of just "It takes a little more to be a champion," it now says, "It takes a little more Mazie to be a champion." I loved that she didn't get the guy she had a crush on (well, he wasn't really that great ), and that she lost her best friend (but got a new one), but she also earned the respect of all the guys on the team. That was cool.