Discussion What is your most memorable moment in novels?

LOTM - When the three of them were knocking on a certain friend's door in Volume 1. It was so heartbreaking for me. You know what had happened but at the same time, you don't want it to be real.

 

Ah damn it why make me remember that moment man the feels

 

These moments are the reason why I'm so enthusiastic about reading fiction. I live for them and I have lots of examples. Here's some especially memorable ones:

Return of Condor Heroes - When Xiaolongnu first shows up at the Quanzhen temple. It comes off especially well in the 1983 TV adaptation because it's the first time the audience gets to see her and it's one of the most memorable entrances by a female character I've ever seen.

Demigods and Semi-Devils - The meeting on the bridge between Qiao Feng and Duan Zhengchun on the bridge. Anybody who reads this book will remember this scene and its consequences. It also served as the inspiration for possibly the greatest wuxia theme song.

Song in the Clouds - The dinner sequence where Liu Fuling eats unusual dishes made by "Ye Gongzi" and has to guess the meaning of all the dishes. The way he figures it out and his reasoning is a great demonstration of how well he resonates with the protagonist.

步步生莲 - The concert duel. It manages to generate vivid imagery that lets the reader imagine exactly what it feels like to be a witness to this event and how it affects all of the participants. The poem chosen is just so perfect for the moment. I actually go back and listen to Teresa Teng's version of this poem/song on a regular basis purely because of this scene.

For a Prosperous World - The scene where Guo Jia confronts the protagonist. They play a fascinating game of move and counter move as he picks apart her story and her defenses. All up until Gu Nan is forced to let down her mask and reveal the truth. It's a very cathartic moment rapt up in a huge amount of emotional relief. Gu Nan's student's plea at the very end of the sequence adds a poignant cap to the whole thing. This is probably the passage I reread the most.

 

Lotm- end of the first volume when

Spoiler

klein and dunn smith die and everything is revealed to be a big plot by the guy with the quill who was mentioned as wanted and dangerous right near the beginning.

I remember being so amazed by how good it was that I went around explaining the whole plot of the first volume to my family members just so I could tell them the plot twist and how amazing it was.


Also, not as memorial as lotm, but in Kumo desu ga, nani ka? When it's revealed that

Spoiler

the mc was actually just a spider in the classroom, and the girl who she thought she was was actually the super powerful goddess behind everything.

It was pretty cool and explained a lot of mundane things I hadn't thought about from the very start of the novel.