View source for Sorting Algorithm of Deadness/Literature

{{trope}}
== [[Sorting Algorithm of Deadness]] ==

Using the scientifically '''''Infallible''''' power of the [[Sorting Algorithm of Deadness]], who do you think is the next in line for being brought back from the great Bus in the sky?

To use the Algorithm, simply add the Column's "Death Value", and divide by the number of applicable rows.


{| class="wikitable"

|-
| ''Relative deadness factor'' || '''[[Deader Than Dead]]''' || '''[[Put on a Bus|Maybe Back Later]]''' || '''[[Inferred Survival|Be Back Soon]]''' || '''[[Contractual Immortality|Death? What's That?]]'''
|-
| '''Death Value''' || '''''[[Four Is Death|4]]''''' || '''''3''''' || '''''2''''' || '''''1'''''
|-
| ''[[How to Kill a Character|Cause of death]]'' || [[Death by Irony|Irony]], [[Dropped a Bridge on Him|Bridge Drop]], [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill|Overkill]], [[Stuffed in The Fridge]], [[Ret-Gone]] || [[Redemption Equals Death|Redemption]], [[Heroic Sacrifice|Sacrifice]], [[Bus Crash]], [[Mortal Wound Reveal]] || [[No One Could Survive That]], just plain killed in battle || [[Suicidal Gotcha|Jumping]]
|-
| ''[[Like You Would Really Do It|Audience Expectation]]'' || [[Anyone Can Die]], [[Kill'Em All]] || [[Killed Off for Real]], [[Tonight Someone Dies]] || [[Disney Death]] || [[Back from the Dead]], [[Death Is Cheap]], [[Nobody Can Die]]
|-
| ''Body Found?'' || [[Deader Than Dead|Dead]] and [[Meaningful Funeral|Buried]]<br />[[Chunky Salsa Rule|Only Bits And Pieces]] || [[Waking Up At the Morgue|At The Morgue]] || [[Never Found the Body|Never Found]], [[Human Popsicle|Frozen]], [[Taken for Granite|Petrified]] || [[Left for Dead]]
|-
| ''Reaction'' || [[Really Dead Montage|Montage]], [[Bond One-Liner]] || [[He's Dead, Jim]] || [[It's Personal]] || [[Faux Death]]
|-
| ''Last Words'' || [[Oh Crap|Crap]], [[Killed Mid-Sentence]], [[Sedgwick Speech|Carry on men]], [[His Name Is--]] || [[Catch Phrase]], [[Famous Last Words]], [[Final Speech]], [[Obi-Wan Moment]] || [[You Shall Not Pass|"Fly, you fools!"]] [[Tempting Fate|"Piece of cake"]] || "[[My Death Is Just the Beginning]]"
|-
| ''[[Characters|Characterization]]'' || [[Red Shirt]], [[Death by Origin Story|Loved One]], [[Mauve Shirt]] || [[Recurring Character]], [[C-List Fodder]] || [[Regular]] || [[Contractual Immortality|Protagonist, Archvillain]]
|-
| ''[[Season Fluidity|When did they die?]]'' || 10+ years ago, [[Grand Finale|Series Finale]] || 5–10 years ago || Same year || [[Story Arc|Same arc]]
|-
| ''[[Back from the Dead|"Died" and come back?]]'' || [[Not Quite Dead|Not yet]] || Died once, but got better || [[Faking the Dead|Twice]] || [[Joker Immunity|I've]] [[Staying Alive|lost]] [[Death Is Cheap|count]]
|}

If the character hasn't died yet (but seems likely to), see [[Sorting Algorithm of Mortality]]. All of this is trumped by the [[First Law of Resurrection]].

Currently, {{spoiler|Shirley}} from ''[[Code Geass]]'' and {{spoiler|the real Caulder}} from ''[[Advance Wars]]: Days of Ruin'' have scored 4, the highest possible. The latter is more notable by having 4 in ''every'' category instead of getting the CLAMP bonus that the former got. No characters have got the lowest possible score of 1 yet, but [[Doctor Who|Davros and The Master]] are joint leaders in the death defying derby at 1.75, even beating [[South Park]]'s Kenny.

----

'''Baseline Example: The death of [[Superman]].'''
* Cause: [[Heroic Sacrifice]], so he's not coming back from that too quickly, or the sacrifice will be cheapened. 3.
* Genre: It's a comic book, so [[Death Is Cheap]]. 1.
* The Body: [[Deader Than Dead]], a [[Pietà Plagiarism]] too for supes sake! So no chance of [[Faking the Dead]]. 4.
* Reaction: [[Really Dead Montage]], uh-oh. 4.
* Characterization: Protagonist. 1.
* When did he die: Same year, so 2.
* Come Back?: This was a first, so 4.
* Average: So add it up... we get a pretty high score, 19! Since it's not a videogame, divide by 7, and we get... 19/7 = 2.7, meaning supes isn't coming back for at least a few months, maybe even years. In actuality the ''Death Of Superman'' happened in January 1993 and he came back some time before May 1994.

----

'''Now let's make a prediction with the recent death of [[Batman]] in [[Final Crisis]].'''
* Cause: [[Heroic Sacrifice]], give or take. 3.
* Genre: Comic book, so [[Death Is Cheap]]. 1.
* The Body: [[Deader Than Dead|Dead and buried]], but it's a little more complicated. Still, it's a 4.
* Reaction: [[He's Dead, Jim|He's Dead Clark]], plus "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?" probably counts as a [[Really Dead Montage]]. 3.5.
* Last Words: "[[Famous Last Words|Try Me]]." 3.
* Characterization: It's [[Memetic Mutation|The Goddamn Batman]], people. 1.
* When did he die: Same year, so 2.
* Come Back?: This would be the first time, so 4.
* Average: 21.5/8= 2.7. A semi-high score, and DC seems to be sticking to this one for a while. Still, he'll definitely be back, likely before the end of 2010 at the latest.{{supersecretspoiler| CORRECT!}}


'''Note: This sub-page is for [[Literature]] examples only. Please ensure that you put new examples in the correct [[Sorting Algorithm of Deadness/WMG|Sorting Algorithm of Deadness]] sub-page.'''
----

Commander Julius Root from [[Artemis Fowl]], offed in the fourth book.

* Cause of death: Disintegrated by a bomb courtesy of Opal Koboi, genuine [[Tear Jerker]] (and invariably saves Holly's life), so both [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill]] and [[Heroic Sacrifice]]. 3.5
* Genre: Initially, the only real death was Root ([[Killed Off for Real]]), but book 7 ups the stakes with tons more death. 3.5
* Body Found?: Literally vaporized. Symbolic funeral at the end of the book makes it 4.
* Reaction: Holly is seriously shocked. She would grieve, but Koboi had other targets to bomb, so she hightailed out to save their lives. 3.5
* Last words: To Holly, "Be well". 3
* Characterization: Not too big of a character, but gets enough moments and is loved by a lot in the fandom. 2
* When did they die?: About 5 years pass after his death as the series continues (to book 7). 3
* "Died and came back?": Nope. 4
* Average: 3.3125 - Root ain't coming back any time soon...or ever.

----

 {{spoiler|Cindy Martius}} of '''[[Stationery Voyagers]]''':
* Cause: A toss-up between a [[Heroic Sacrifice]] and [[No One Could Survive That]]. Becoming a [[Action Bomb|Glowmatti]] ''voluntarily'' is pretty much suicide. - 2.5
* Genre: [[Disney Death]]. - 2
* Body found: No. There was nothing left of her to be found. - 3
* Reaction: [[He's Dead, Jim]] - 3
* Last words: A [[Final Speech]]. - 3
* Characterization: [[Relationship Sue]], [[Strangled by the Red String]], [[Love Martyr]], but most of all, a recurring character. So about a 3.25.
* Died when: Near the beginning of [[Sudden Sequel Death Syndrome|Season Four]] - 2
* Came back: No. - 3
* Final average: 2.35. It'd take a miracle ([[Deus Ex Machina|quite literally]]!), but she could still come back if the plot ever needed her to.

Vaneesa Abiyoti from [[Stationery Voyagers]]: Final Hope...
* Cause: Dropped a <s> bridge</s> blade [[Off with His Head|on her neck]]. - 4
* Genre: [[Disney Death]]. - 2
* Body found: Yes, and her head became one of Astrabolo's souvenirs. Her body was merely dumped into a volcano and disposed of.- 4
* Reaction: [[He's Dead, Jim]] - 3
* Last words: She does warn that while she forfeited her Crimson Owl protection by [[Virgin Power|losing her virginity]], that [[My Death Is Just the Beginning|there'd always be a Crimson Owl somewhere]] to oppose Astrabolo. - 1
* Characterization: Don Throndo's girlfriend and the baby mama of his daughter Tina. - 4.
* Died when: Same year as when the Final Hope arc begins. - 2
* Came back: No. - 3
* For a total of 2.9. Made worse when the Crimson Owl is passed to Laura Herrante following Vaneesa's death. So she stays dead until after Minshus raises an army of resurrects elsewhere.

Other characters' scores in the [[Stationery Voyagers]] universe:
* Pextel: 2.125. When you're a [[Haunted Technology|possessed robot]] in a universe where the angels are all badasses, you probably don't have to wait too many years to get a biological body again, especially if your a central protagonist.
* Consto: 1.25. Being an ''evil'' possessed robot, however, makes it so that you pretty much ''can't'' come back to ''biological'' life before Crack of Doom, but also ensures that you can't stay deactivated unless placed in a [[Place Beyond Time]]. Pextel and Consto really blur the lines on [[The Undead]] and [[Sorting Algorithm of Mortality]], as do Ribando-Cybomec and all other Mechanical Pencils.
* Neone ''Washingtip'' and Susani Malone: 3.25 They're Dead Jim. Heck, prostitutes on Neothode are pretty much [[Red Shirt|RedShirts]].
* Huli Rubblindo: A solid 3. Pretty much all that can be said is that he [[You Have Outlived Your Usefulness|outlived his purpose]] for being in the story.

----

Jack West from ''[[Matthew Reilly|The Six Sacred Stones]]''
* Cause: Sacrifice: 3
* Genre: Killed off for Real: 3
* Body: Fell into a bottomless pit: 3
* Reaction: Reactions from entire cast: 4
* Last Words: [[Oh Crap|You're not...]]: 4
* Role: Protagonist: 1
* When: 2 years ago: 2
* Come back before: twice: 2
* Average: 2.75 Funny. His contractual immortality is the reason I don't have this series as [[Anyone Can Die]]...

----

Here's an attempt for the highest natural score, without arbitrarily adding constants. I'm looking at you {{spoiler|Shirley}}.

Elizabeth Gant from ''[[Matthew Reilly|Scarecrow]]''
* Cause: Guillotine in a [[Shark Pit]]: 4
* Genre: [[Anyone Can Die]]: 4
* Body: Head leaves body. Described in detail. 4
* Reaction: Montage. Protagonist tries to kill himself. 4
* Last Words: [[Famous Last Words]]: 3
* Role: Recently upgraded to loved one: 4
* When: 6 years ago: (A little confusing, but this seems to be a 4)
* Come back before: Never: 4
* Avg. 3.875. It's a shame the bad guys were nice enough to let her finish, or she would have reached a perfect 4.

----

Chewbacca in [[Star Wars]]
* Cause of Death: [[Heroic Sacrifice]] - 3
* Genre: [[Anyone Can Die]] - 4
* Body Found: No - 3
* Reaction: The literary equivalent of a montage - 4
* Characterization: Regular - 2
* When: Ten years ago, RL time
* "Died" and come back? No - 4
* Average: 23/7=3.285714. In pace requiescat.

Tenn Graneet
* Cause of Death: [[Redemption Equals Death]] - 3
* Genre: [[Anyone Can Die]] - 4
* [[Body Found]]: Not much left to find - 3
* Reaction: Effectively [[Left for Dead]] - 1
* Characterization: [[Mook]] [[Mauve Shirt]] - 3
* When: The original movie - 4
* "Died and come back? Never - 4
* Average: 22/7=3.124857.

----

Following the events of [[Dresden Files|Small Favor]], it looks like even [[Chessmaster]] Nicodemus can have a very, very bad day. Let's see if you can keep a good Fallen down:
* Cause of death: Choked out by an invulnerability noose? [[Death by Irony]] - 4
* Genre: So far, the dead stay dead, but the core cast has been relatively safe - 3
* Body found?: Dumped in a lake and immediately recovered by a subordinate? Uhoh - 1
* Reaction: Not really applicable, Harry had to worry more about immediate survival.
* Characterization: One of the few main villains to get more than one shot. However, only two real appearances. Somewhere between recurring character and archvillain, split the difference for - 2
* When did they die?: Until we know when the next story is set, this one is uncertain, but given the average let's say a year - 2
* Deaths so far: One, far more ambiguous death. - 3
* Average: 3.16. The Nicodemus we knew is probably dead, but his coin lives on. His next host will be different.
** Except, you know, [[Word of God|Word of Jim]] says he is still alive, and has been saying since the book came out.

Now let's check on Lash, Harry's imaginary friend:
* Cause of Death: [[Heroic Sacrifice]] ''and'' [[Redemption Equals Death|redemption]]. - 3
* Genre: Again, dead are dead. - 3
* Body found: This one is tricky. Nonphysical being, so there is no body to be found. Let's leave this one out.
* Reaction: Physical holes in his brain where she used to be, confirmed by an MRI qualify as a [[He's Dead, Jim]] - 3
* Characterization: Despite some gaps, definitely a [[Regular]]. - 2
* When: Over a year, but not quite ten years: - 2
* Died and come back: Not yet - 4
* 3.4. Actually worse than Nicodemus. If she's going to come back, it will be in Turn Coat. Otherwise, she's gone for good.
** ''Update:'' No appearance in Turn Coat, but [[Word of God]] says Lasciel's story isn't done yet...

----

Harry Potter:
* Cause: Sacrifice, definitely. '''3'''.
* Genre: [[Kill'Em All]]. '''4'''.
* Body Found: [[Left for Dead]], essentially. '''1'''.
* Reaction: [[Faux Death]]. '''1'''.
* Last Words: "Stay close to me." '''3'''. *sniff sniff
* Characterization: Kick-butt protagonist. '''1'''.
* When did they die? I'd say [[Series Finale]]. '''4'''.
* "Died" and come back? Well. . . .he survived the Killing Curse a few times. So I'm going with '''2'''.
* Average: 2.38 ''Be Back Soon!''

Dobby:
* Cause: Irony. He wouldn't be there if he wasn't trying to save Harry, contrasting the long line of Purebloods who had owned him. '''4'''.
* Genre: [[Anyone Can Die|Everyone Will Die]]. '''4'''.
* Body Found: Dead and Buried. *sob* '''4'''.
* Reaction: [[Really Dead Montage]]. '''4'''.
* Last Words: "Harry. . . Potter. . ." '''3'''.
* Characterization: [[Recurring Character]] '''3'''.
* When did they die? Well, DH is the last book so - Series Finale '''4'''.
* "Died" and come back? '''4'''.
* Average? 3.75. [[Deader Than Disco|Deader than Dobby]].

* Remus Lupin:
* Cause of Death: I have no idea. Probably ''Avada Kedavra''. ''2''.
* Audience Expectation: [[Kill'Em All]]. '''4'''.
* Body Found? Dead and Buried. '''4'''.
* Reaction: Its Personal ''2''.
* Last Words: Not sure. ''2.5''.
* Characterization: Regular. ''2''.
* When did they die? Series Finale. '''4'''.
* "Died" and come back? '''4'''.
* Average is 3.0625. [[Maybe Back Later]].

* Fred Weasley:
* Cause of Death: Technically, [[Dropped a Bridge on Him|Exploded A Wall On Him]]. '''4'''.
* Audience Expectation: [[Kill'Em All]]. '''4'''.
* Body Found?: Dead and Buried. '''4'''.
* Reaction? [[He's Dead, Jim]] '''4'''.
* Last Words: [[Killed Mid-Sentence]]. Aw, Perce. '''4'''.
* Characterization: Regular. '''2'''.
* When did they die? Final battle. '''4'''.
* "Died" and come back yet? I wish. '''4'''.
* Average: 3.75 We'll miss you, Fred!

Sirius Black from ''[[Harry Potter]]'':
* Cause: Kind of a bizarre one, but we're told [[No One Could Survive That]], so '''2'''.(Since very little is known about it, fans have been exploiting it.)
* Genre: [[Anyone Can Die]]. '''4'''.
* Body found: Never Found, but since it's an unusual case of it, '''2.5'''. (And this bit)
* Reaction: [[It's Personal]]. '''2'''.
* Last Words: [[Killed Mid-Sentence]] (or mid-spell, rather), so '''4'''.
* Characterization: Regular. '''2'''.
* When: 5 years ago (2003). '''3'''.
* Died and Came Back: No. '''4'''.
* Average: 2.93. Maybe Back Later...but probably not.

Albus Dumbledore:
* Cause: Again, [[No One Could Survive That]]. '''2'''.
* Genre: [[Anyone Can Die]]. '''4'''.
* Body found: Buried. '''4'''.
* Reaction: '''3'''.
* Characterization: Regular. '''2'''.
* When: Not too long ago. '''2.5'''.
* Died and Came Back: No. '''4'''.
* Average: 3.58. Not too likely to come back.

Severus Snape:
* Cause: [[Redemption Equals Death]] / [[Heroic Sacrifice]]: '''3'''.
* Genre: [[Anyone Can Die]]: '''4'''.
* Body found: [[Left for Dead]]: '''1'''. (Don't think the fans haven't been exploiting this loophole.)
* Reaction: '''4'''. (A [[Really Dead Montage|montage]] composed by the Prince, no less.)
* Characterization: Snape had been a complicated presence/antagonist throughout Harry's life (and Lily's before that): '''1'''.
* When: In the final book: '''4'''.
* Died and Came Back: No. '''4'''. (''The Tales of Beedle the Bard'' underscores the Potterverse principle that Dead is DEAD.)
* Average: 3.00 ([[Put on a Bus]]). Snape could come back ("He had a [[Eye of Newt|bezoar]] up his sleeve!" "He had been [[Acquired Poison Immunity|dosing himself with snake venom]] in case something like this happened!" "Fawkes the Phoenix appeared just in time to [[Healing Hands|shed his tears]] on the bite!"), but it would completely devalue the sacrifices he made throughout the series.

Voldemort:
* Cause: His own rebounding curse. '''4'''.
* Genre: [[Anyone Can Die]]. '''4'''.
* Body found: Buried. '''4'''.
* Last words: None, but his face is frozen in an [[Oh Crap]] expression. '''4'''.
* Reaction: '''3'''.
* Characterization: [[Big Bad|And how]]. '''1'''.
* When: '''4''' for the in-universe timeline.
* Died and Came Back: Sort of. '''3'''.
* Average: 3.85. Very dead.

James Potter:
* Cause: I'd say sacrifice. '''3'''.
* Genre: Anyone can/Everyone will die. '''4'''.
* Body Found: Only bits and pieces. '''4'''.
* Reaction: [[It's Personal]]. '''2'''
* Last Words: "I'll hold him off!" '''3'''.
* Characterization: Loved One. '''4'''.
* When did they die? Actually, 11 years ago. . . '''4'''.
* "Died" and come back? Nope. '''4'''.
* Average: 3.5. [[Deader Than Disco]].

Cedric Diggory:
* Cause: Avada Kedavra curse, so [[No One Could Survive That]]: '''2'''.
* Genre: [[Anyone Can Die]] / [[Kill'Em All]]: '''4'''.
* Body Found: Yes, and it was mourned, so '''4'''.
* Reaction: Sort of a combo of [[It's Personal]] and [[Really Dead Montage]], so averages to '''3'''.
* Famous Last Words: None, although when the wand-welding revived him he said "Take my body back", so probably a '''3'''.
* Characterization: [[Recurring Character]], as he wasn't a part of the main cast but was important enough to affect the storyline from time to time, so '''3'''.
* When did he die? In the middle of the series, so '''3'''.
* "Died" and come back? No. '''4'''.
* Average: 3.25. ''Probably'' not coming back.

We're not leaving so many of the villains out, are we?
Bellatrix Lestrange:
* Cause: [[Death by Irony]] or Overkill: 4.
* Expectation: [[Anyone Can Die]]: 4
* [[Body Found]]: Yes: 4
* Reaction: [[He's Dead, Jim|She's Dead, Jim]]: 3
* [[Last Words]]: [[Tempting Fate]]: 2
* Character: Regular by this point: 2
* Time: The final book: 4
* "Died" and come back? Nope: 4
Average: 3.38 - Ding dong the witch is [[Deader Than Disco]]!

Peter Pettigrew:
* Cause: [[Death by Irony]]: 4
* Expectation: [[Anyone Can Die]]: 4
* Body Found: Yes: 4
* Reaction: [[Oh Crap]]: 4
* Characterization: [[Regular]]: 2
* Time: Final book: 4
* "Died" and come back? Yes - he was presumed to be dead and it turned out he faked his death to frame Sirius, so: 3
Average: 3.13 - Maybe back later, most likely not.
----

Bianca di Angelo from ''[[Percy Jackson & the Olympians|Percy Jackson and The Olympians]]''

* Cause of death: Death by giant robot commandeering = bridge drop. 4
* Genre: [[Killed Off for Real]]. 3
* Body found?: Not technically, but there were a few encounters with her ghost. 4
* Reaction?: [[It's Personal]] fits best. Nico was ''not'' happy. 2
* Characterization?: [[Mauve Shirt]], because she didn't live long enough to become a reg, but lived long enough to not be a [[Red Shirt]]. 3
* When did she die?: Same arc (it's a book series, so this is a guess). 1
* Died and come back?: Nope. 4
* '''Grand total:''' 21/7 = 3. Might make a surprise comeback in Book 5, but she's most likely day-ud.

----

Sherlock Holmes.
* Heroic Sacrifice = 3
* Killed off for real = 3
* Never found = 3
* The collection of Strand short stories is stated in the last story to have been the Montage = 4
* Protagonist = 1
* 10 year gap = 4
* Never come back = 4
* 24/7 = 3.42. The return was unexpected, but the algorithm fails to take [[Real Life]] pressure into consideration.

----

''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'':

Sandor Clegane, AKA the Hound.
* Left to die of his wounds (2).
* ASOIAF is notorious for its [[Anyone Can Die]] premise (4).
* [[Left for Dead]], but severely wounded (1).
* One character in the next book claims to have buried him without witnesses, so there's a chance of [[Bedouin Rescue Service]] (1).
* Not a POV character, but one of the most popular and complex ones (1.5).
* He "died" in the third book, almost '''8''' years ago (4).
* 13.5/6 = 2.25. [[He's Just Hiding]].

For contrast, Robb Stark.
* Death by Bridge Drop (4).
* Again, [[Anyone Can Die]] (4).
* Body was mutilated (4).
* Pretty obviously dead (3).
* Not a POV character (2).
* Died 8 years ago (4).
* 21/6 equals... '''3.5'''. Fandom has moved on.

And one of the first POV characters to die, Ned Stark:

* Cause of death: Sacrifice (3)
* And yet again, [[Anyone Can Die]] (4)
* Decapitated in front of a crowd, head left to rot on a spike (4)
* Skeleton sent back to Winterfell (4)
* Last words: kind of a final speech (3)
* [[Decoy Protagonist]] (2)
* Died in the first book (4)
* And hasn't died and came back before that (4)
* That's 28/8 = '''3.5'''. RIP, Ned.

And the last to "die", Jon Snow:

* Stabbed 4 times, [[No One Could Survive That]] (2)
* Still ASOIAF, 4
* Last seen falling down (3)
* Reaction: "He didn't feel the fourth stab. Only cold." - [[Faux Death]], (1)
* Last words: "Ghost..." (2.5)
* The closest the series has to a protagonist (1)
* We haven't visited the Wall since his death (1)
* Has yet to come back (4)
* 18.5/8 = '''2.3125''', he'll be back in TWoW.

For the record, the books can surprise us a lot with resurrections. Let's see Cat:

* The same wedding as Robb, (4)
* 4
* Last seen: rotting dead at the bank of the river, three-days dead (3.5)
* Reaction, by Arya: acceptance of her death (3)
* Last words: [[Oh Crap]] (4)
* Regular, POV (1.5)
* Died in the same book as she was resurrected (2)
* Hasn't come back before that (4)
* 26/8 = '''3.25''', it would be pretty high, except that she [[Came Back Wrong|came back]].

{{reflist}}
[[Category:Sorting Algorithm of Deadness/WMG]]
[[Category:Sorting Algorithm of Deadness]]