Btw, chipping in to say, I'm not sure whether or not it's majorly tear-jerking, but it's kind of in some ways might not be considered an actual death. I don't know how to say this without being spoilery, but if you read #2 first, you'll probably be okay with it. (I like #2 by far the best anyway, and none of the trilogy are so connected you can't read them entirely separately; they're just set in the same universe. I loved the world-building of Long Way but was fed up with the leisurely lack of actual plot, whereas #2 is very self-contained and plays more to Chambers's strengths rather than weaknesses.)

(The one that does have an actual shocking death, though, is #3, so don't read that one instead!)

I'm so crpytic I don't know if this is helpful at all...