Line #24 TakingTheBullet/Literature


1	TakingTheBullet in literature.
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3	* ''Literature/TheActionHerosHandbook'' has a ''chapter'' on how to properly take a bullet (so you can survive with minimal injuries to yourself).
4	* In Malinda Lo's ''Literature/{{Adaptation}}'' Amber takes a bullet for Reese. She gets better, thanks to her [[HealingFactor healing powers.]]
5	* Inverted in ''Literature/{{Airman}}'', by Eoin Colfer; Victor performs a dramatic leap in front of a bullet to save King Nicholas, but, because he's just that bit too old, the bullet hits the webbing between his outstretched fingers and hits its intended target anyway. And then Victor gets shot, too.
6	* In ''Literature/ArtemisFowl - The Eternity Code'', just as Butler realizes he left Artemis unattended he rushes back and sees Artemis about to get shot, jumping in and taking the hit. Butler [[spoiler:dies of his injuries]], but Artemis is quick enough to [[spoiler:rig up a makeshift cryogenic chamber and call in a fairy for some magical healing.]]
7	* In ''[[Literature/{{Newsflesh}} Blackout]]'', Shaun does this to protect [[spoiler:President Ryman]] from a dart loaded with live Kellis-Amberlee virus. [[spoiler: He's the only one in the room at the time who knows he's immune to [=KA=].]]
8	* Prince Almorante in ''Literature/ChroniclesOfMagravandias'' dies taking a sword for his enemy Valraven. People who hated him only minutes before were moved to tears by his sacrifice.
9	* ''Literature/CiaphasCain''
10	** A minor tech-priest does this to protect Ciaphas from a Necron shot. Unfortunately, given the power of Necron weapons, he is instantly torn apart and vaporized, but he manages to save Cain, even if Cain loses a couple fingers from the sheer ''proximity'' of the horrible weapon fire.
11	** A villainous version in "Cain's Last Stand", where the defenders nearly managed to take out a Chaos battleship with an explosive-filled shuttle. Unfortunately, one of the escorts got in the way before it hit, destroying itself.
12	* Subverted for the premise of David Allan Greer's short-lived sitcom, ''D.A.G.'': Greer's Secret Service agent dove to take a bullet aimed at the President, but dove the wrong way, leading everyone to assume he was diving out of the way and to his demotion to the First Lady's security detail.
13	* In ''[[Literature/{{Deryni}} Deryni Checkmate]]'', Duke Alaric Morgan is sailing to a meeting with the Hort of Orsal aboard his ship ''Rhafallia'' when the auxiliary helmsman, a partisan of rebel Warin de Grey, attacks him with a poisoned knife. A royal squire named Richard [=Fitzwilliam=] happens to turn at the right moment to see the helmsman leap at Morgan, and he throws himself between them while shouting a warning. Richard takes the dagger in his side, and he asks to be allowed to swear the oath of fealty so he can die as Morgan's liege man. Morgan grants his request, and Richard just manages to recite it before he dies. The assassin had taken poison himself before attacking, and [[DefiantToTheEnd he defiantly resists Morgan's questioning until he also dies]]. Morgan gives orders to have Richard's body buried with full honours at his capital Coroth, while the assassin's remains are dumped overboard.
14	* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' novel ''[[Recap/NewSeriesAdventuresEnginesofWar Engines of War]]'', Cinder jumps in between a shot fired by Karlax and the Doctor. "You said I'd only get in the way."
15	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
16	** In the novel ''Literature/MakingMoney'', Moist von Lipwig saves Lord Vetinari from public embarrassment by taking ''a PieInTheFace'' for him.
17	** Done with a crossbow bolt in ''Literature/FeetOfClay'', and several times with actual gun-fired bullets in ''Literature/MenAtArms'' as well. Detritus proudly says that there's five shots in his breastplate but not his backplate because his body got in the way. He oozed quite a bit though. Carrot takes a shot in the shoulder for the Patrician. Angua takes four shots to her body for Carrot and Vimes.
18	* ''Literature/TheDragonKnight'': In ''The Dragon on the Border'', James and his companions, specifically Brian and Giles, frequently shielded their archer friend Daffyd with their bodies, during an early fight with the Hollow Men. Justified in that the trio were wearing better armor, compared to the protection the archer used. As it is, Brian took an injury while doing this, which laid him up for most of the book.
19	* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'':
20	** ''Literature/WhiteNight'': Lash, [[spoiler:the shadow of Lasciel]], takes and is destroyed by a psychic attack to save Harry.
21	** ''Literature/PeaceTalks'': Austri, the friendly svartalf, dies offscreen protecting his king Etri from an assassin early on.
22	** ''Literature/BattleGround'': Hendricks leaps to intercept a blow meant to impale his long time friend and boss Marcone. As he is skewered on the weapon dying his final action is to spit contemptuously at Ethniu and Marcone is furious at the Titan for the death of the only person he's known to let close enough to be a friend.
23	* ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'':
24	** In ''Literature/HaloTheFallOfReach'', the orbital shipyard ''Cradle'' pulls an epic one, maneuvering into position between the UNSC and Covenant fleets and using its massive bulk to absorb the Covenant fire.
25	** In ''Literature/HaloGhostsOfOnyx'', [[spoiler:Holly]] saves Kelly from two Hunters by jumping in the way of their fire, getting completely vaporized in the process.
26	* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'': Fawkes (a phoenix) is able to swallow an Avada Kedavra curse, expire as a result, and then return to life.
27	* In the ''Literature/HonorHarrington'' novels, taking a shot for someone would probably be a bad idea given the speed and force an average pulser dart moves at -- you'd both just die. The beloved head of Grayson's church does take an old-style slug for Honor, which causes the assassin sent to kill her to [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone break down]].
28	** Even with an old-style slug, throwing himself in the path doesn't entirely stop the bullets. It just slows them down enough that Honor just ends up with bruised ribs instead of getting killed (her outer clothes are made of a lightly armored material to stop Nimitz from clawing through them).
29	* ''Literature/TheHungerGames'': During the Quarter Quell, [[spoiler: one of the morphlings is killed by an attack from a vicious monkey that was meant for Peeta]].
30	* In Creator/RobertAntonWilson's ''Literature/{{Illuminatus}}'' series novel, ''The Widow's Son'', the elderly schemer Pietro Maldonado intervenes in a duel where his nephew Sigismundo, a hothead who knows nothing about guns, has trapped himself into a duel with the best pistol-shooter in all of Napoli. Pietro, in his intervention, surprises the protagonists and takes the bullet meant for his nephew. Who, on his very first go with a firearm, has BeginnersLuck in that he shoots the best gun in town full in the groin.
31	* ''Literature/TheInfected'': By the same author as the above, has a number of bulletproof or armored characters doing this at various points. One standout is Marcia Turner, Quartz, sprinting at a rocket-propelled grenade, so none of her friends will be in the blast radius when it explodes.
32	* In ''Literature/TheLastEnglishKing'', a novel about 1066 and the Norman Conquest, Harold Godwinson's housecarl Walt puts out his arm to stop a sword slicing down at King Harold. The sword lops Walt's arm clean off and strikes Harold anyway. Walt later bitterly regrets not taking the sword strike with his whole body.
33	* In ''Literature/LastSacrifice'', Tasha Ozera fires bullets at Lissa. Both Rose and Dimitri throw themselves before her. Rose takes the bullet.
34	* In ''Literature/LesMiserables'', Eponine takes a bullet for her unrequited crush Marius. [[{{Irony}} Ironic]], because she [[LoveMakesYouEvil deliberately]] [[IfICantHaveYou led him to the barricades]] so that he would be killed and [[ClingyJealousGirl wouldn't be with his love Cosette.]]
35	** Slight inversion as she does it by [[{{Fingore}} putting her hand over the gun barrel]] rather than leaping into the path of the bullet. The shot is deflected into her stomach and kills her.
36	* In the Literature/ModestyBlaise novel ''The Night of Morningstar'', Modesty takes a chance to destroy the radio transmitter vital to the villains' plans even though it means letting her guard down against the one mook she hasn't already knocked out. The mook tries to shoot her in the back. Ben Christie, who was sitting out the fight and ignored by everyone due to his injuries from an earlier conflict, throws himself between Modesty and the bullet.
37	* In the ''Literature/{{Nightrunner}}'' novel ''Shadows Return'', [[spoiler: Alec takes the arrows meant for Seregil and dies. Fortunately, they were traveling with a magical creature that could bring the dead back to life at the time]].
38	* ''Literature/OfFireAndStars'': Alek protects Dennaleia to stop her being struck by lightning bolts which Zahri cast at her, dying by doing so.
39	* ''Literature/OldScores'': The vampire Simon puts himself between his girlfriend, Anita, and a curse from the vampire king, Shafax. Since Simon is already undead, the curse has no effect other than leaving him briefly disoriented; it is never made clear what it would have done to Anita.
40	* In ''Literature/PanTadeusz'', [[spoiler: father Robak]] who is TheAtoner, does it for a distant relative of the person he's atoning for murdering.
41	* Rockjaw Grang in the ''{{Literature/Redwall}}'' novel ''The Long Patrol'', right before his YouShallNotPass moment. Also, Veil took a spear to protect his adoptive mother. It's unclear if this was a HeelFaceTurn or not, because even as he's dying he bitches her out and won't accept comfort, and she decides that everyone who said he was bad to the bone during his life was right.
42	* ''Literature/RichAndJadeChanceSeries'': {{Invoked}} when [[EvilUncle Crown Prince Ali]] is thrown in front of his own assassin's bullet, so that they can make it look like he died saving his nephew who he [[TreacheryCoverUp tried to have killed in the first place]].
43	* In the climatic battle at the end of the first ''Literature/{{Safehold}}'' book ''Off Armageddon Reef'', a midshipman tries to Take The Crossbow Bolt for his king. King Haarahld instead grabs the midshipman to Take The Bullet for ''him'' instead. The king dies from bloodloss soon after, though his HeroicSacrifice makes him a martyr and hero to his people.
44	* In ''Literature/TheSilmarillion'': the elf lady Aredhel takes a javelin thrown by her husband and meant for their son. It's only a flesh wound, so she asks of the king her brother that her husband be spared... and then she dies in the night, because the weapon was poisoned.
45	* At the climax of ''[[Literature/TheShipWho PartnerShip]]'' Fassa completes her HeelFaceTurn by standing up to [[EvilerThanThou Polyon ]]and trying to keep Nancia's brawn Forister from being shot. Forister sees this coming and takes Fassa's shoulders, spinning her back out of the way - he'd rather be killed than allow Polyon's ComputerVirus to be taken back into normal space and spread. Fortunately for everyone, Nancia is able to take control of the situation after that. Forister makes a full recovery and Fassa's effort gets her a reduced prison sentence.
46	* Happens twice in ''Literature/SongOfTheLioness'' by Creator/TamoraPierce. In the second book, Alanna takes an arrow for Prince Jon, but it only results in a painful arm wound. In the fourth, [[spoiler:Liam Ironarm dies by taking ''several'' arrows for now-King Jon during the coronation coup]].
47	* Franchise/StarWarsLegends:
48	** In ''[[Literature/JediAcademyTrilogy I, Jedi]]'', Mara Jade and Corran Horn spend some time honing their Jedi laser-deflection skills on several remotes. If a remote's laser hits flesh, it really stings, but there's no permanent damage. At one point while the two are engaging in CasualDangerDialogue Mara is almost shot in the face, but Corran intercepts with his hand. Amused, Mara says she owes him one. She delivers in a BigDamnHeroes moment.
49	** In ''Literature/GalaxyOfFear: Ghost of the Jedi'', DV-9 takes a blaster bolt for Tash Arranda. He lives--er, "lives," being a droid--and just needs some new parts, later claiming that he will [[ScarsAreForever bear the scar forever]]. Even though as a droid he should be able to replace that battered outer shell.
50	** In ''[[Literature/StarWarsRazorsEdge Razor's Edge]]'', [[spoiler:Captain Metara]] shoves Leia out of the way of the SpacePirate Viest's sonic pulse weapon, and is killed by it.
51	* In ''Literature/ATaleWithNoNames'', a young man with no name shields the Prince from ten swords at the same time and gets killed almost instantly. [[spoiler:His sacrifice saves the kingdom, because the Prince and the rest of his troops get mad and drive the foes away before they can have another chance.]]
52	* In John French’s ''Literature/ThousandSons'' trilogy, Sanakht took a psychic attack from a rival sorcerer on behalf of his master Ahriman at some point in the backstory. Sanakht survived, but the attack burnt out much of his psychic potential, and now he struggles to perform the most basic psychic feats like {{Telepathy}}, though he remains a deadly MasterSwordsman.
53	* In ''Literature/{{Tigana}}'', Dianora combines this trope with HumanShield by jumping in front of a crossbow bolt.... but yanking a guy she doesn't like along with her. He winds up taking the shot in the shoulder.
54	* ''Literature/TogetherlyLong'': [[{{Sidekick}} Chiisai]] does this to save [[KidHero Oukii]] when the evil [[BigBad Emperor Von Mal]] is about to blast him with his RayGun in order to [[TakenForGranite turn him into a statue.]]
55	* In the ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' novel ''Literature/GreyKnights'', one of Ligeia's death cultists takes a plasma blast for the BigBad.
56	* In ''Literature/WarriorCats'', throughout the book ''[=SkyClan's=] Destiny'', [[KnightTemplarParent Stick]] believes that a cat named Harley "stole" his daughter when she really does love him. In the ending [[spoiler: Stick is about to kill Harley when his daughter Red leaps in front of him and dies because of it.]]
57	* In the first ''Literature/{{Xanth}}'' novel, ''A Spell for Chameleon'', Bink's to-that-point unknown talent was revealed when an increasingly implausible string of obstacles kept intercepting Trent's transformation spells. Turns out Bink can't be hurt by magic means. Which simply caused the ever-pragmatic Trent to draw his completely un-magical sword and try to run Bink through. Leading to ''a second'' bullet catch, as Chameleon (changed into a deer by Trent's spell) took the blade instead.
58	* [[Literature/YoungBond Young James Bond]]'s life is saved in ''Literature/ByRoyalCommand'' when the girl he loves pushes him aside when he is shot at. She is mortally wounded, and he accompanies her in her last moments.
59	* ''Literature/TheYoungAncients'': While lacking in actual bullets, Tor does often throw himself between others and various attacks. Justified, in that he is almost always wearing a personal forcefield of his own design and is much more likely to survive.
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Context TakingTheBullet / Literature