Not to die or to die?

[John]

One man fighting another man, knowing that the outcome is death for one or the other, is far from dramatic or film worthy. It's brutal, hard, full of emotion and not an easy ride. He wants to stay alive just as much as you and will bite and kick and tear at anything that gives a foothold. Even when the battle is won, he will still fight hard to stay alive. It's never like in the movies and it's never simple. That's the kind of intensity that should be detailed in a book. Not so much, To die or not to die, more a case of To live or not to live...

[[deleted user]]

I always expect at least one character in the book I am reading to die. Death is an everyday occurrence in real life, and to have no one or nothing die makes it very UNrealistic in my eyes. Especially for an Action/Adventure book. The good guys are supposed to beat the bad guys out of the water!

[Arie]

I have no problem with characters in books dying. In fact, in certain books, yes, I'd say that if you're going to write about a world that is THAT incredibly violent and out-of-control, you'd better not have invincible protagonists or else I'll be bored pretty quick. But on the other hand, I will be just as bored (not to mention irritated), if you have the book version of those movies where the good guy is either chasing someone or fleeing from someone in a big car chase where several dozen cars are sent into clearly lethal accidents, bullets fly all over the place, killing dozens of bystanders, and I'm supposed to be happy that the protagonist survived but wasn't scarred for life psychologically by the cost of his/her survival (in terms of the lives of bystanders). I will A. know your character is a fake and B. dislike him/her and by extension the writer. Just my personal take as a reader but it's a strongly held opinion.