Is Ramsey Dead In 'A Song Of Ice And Fire'?

I have never wanted a character on a television show to die more than I want Ramsay Bolton to die. Even with Joffrey, I couldn't help but think that he's still young, and maybe, if he gets sent to the Night's Watch, they'll make a man out of him. (Or he'll get eaten by a White Walker and, at least, he died serving his Seven Kingdoms.) But there should be no mercy for Ramsay. Not a wit. Which is why one has to wonder, does Ramsay die in the books?

Sure, Game of Thrones veers away from the A Song of Ice and Fire series on several characters — one such example being Ramsay's own wife, who, in the books, is Jeyne Poole posing as Arya Stark, and, in the show, is Sansa Stark — but seemingly not on super key points. So maybe he's alive for now in the show, but about to die in the books, or perhaps even already dead? Unfortunately, folks, the answer is most likely no. In the last-published book of the series, A Dance With Dragons, Ramsay is still alive and kicking it (or, more accurately, kicking babies and small animals). A Dance With Dragons ends up in a similar place as where we are after Season 6 Episode 4.

In the books, homeboy has just taken down Stannis' troops (allegedly), has Mance Rayder (allegedly), and wants his escaped bride back (allegedly). I say allegedly because the last mention of Ramsay is in a ransom letter/call to arms to Jon Snow, much like the one to Sansa and Jon in Season 6 Episode 4. At least in the book world, a letter is all well and good, but what if it's really from Ramsay? It could possibly be that Ramsay died in battle against Stannis' people and that someone else wrote the letter?

This theory would work, but another change from book to television is that Ramsay has not killed his father Roose and baby brother (yet). So maybe he'll stick around into The Winds of Winter territory to get that job done.

Regardless of Ramsay's life or death in the books, he's certainly still alive in the series and continuing to make all of our favorites' lives miserable. We can only hope the Snow-Starks take him down soon in a blazing fury on their Rickon-revenge mission. Fingers crossed Sansa gets the final stab.

Images: Helen Sloan/courtesy of HBO (2), Giphy