Revival of the Dead!!

A serum X can do the unexpected. It can change people's notions about death. Though not a reality yet, still a nightmare for some and daydream for others! The X is also a part of the name of a science horror fiction that has tried to rewrite the boundaries between Life and Death, using X. This fiction, evolved out of the mind of Dr. Sam Parnia, a medical professional was recently turned into a movie, known as the X effect.
What is this X?

Identify.

Q. These lines belong to a very famous novel. ID X, the title of the book and the author.


 "...at the precise moment when Aureliano Babilonia would finish deciphering the parchments,and that everything written on them was unrepeatable since time immemorial and forever more, because races condemned to X, did not have a second opportunity on Earth."

This one goes out for the myth lovers (and non-lovers alike) :D

X is a legendary reptile reputed to be king of serpents and said to have the power to cause death with a single glance.
A mythical account of the existence of X goes like this-
According to the Naturalis Historia of Pliny the Elder, the X of Cyrene is a small snake, "being not more than twelve fingers in length," that is so venomous, it leaves a wide trail of deadly venom in its wake, and its gaze is likewise lethal.

Its weakness is in the odor of the weasel, which, according to Pliny, was thrown into the X's hole, and the hole was recognizable because all the surrounding shrubs and grass had been scorched by its presence.

X is also the name of a famous manga and anime.

Can you guess the name of "the king of serpents" ?

A Bridge in Fiction

Connect the two images.

Answer: Oakenshield

              Pic 1: Oakenshield, an abandoned castle on the Wall in Game of Thrones

              Pic 2: Family Tree of Thorin Oakenshield from the Hobbit