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There are many books and series that address good vs. evil. Typically, we want the "good" to win out over the evil. However, Roan seems to bring the good vs. evil to a much more elemental level - as in, there is "evil" in the very foundation of the earth (Piassa). As I'm not all the way done reading yet, I'm still not sure if Madoc/Willie Archer is fundamentally "good" or not. Conor appears to be a "good" character.

What are your thoughts on good" and "evil" forces that interact with humanity for their own purposes—an unseen world that manipulates and uses humans?

Well I must say what you said up above that for the most part all of us want the good to win out over the evil. While reading this I was thinking of the movie Malifiscent where there were a few parts that I saw some good side to her. It almost wanted me to root for her to change to see the good come out of her. So I look at it both ways. At the same time when I read books I hope there is some good in the evil person to come out.

I don't believe in an unseen world that manipulates or interacts with humans for their own agenda. I believe that each one of us has a choice and is responsible for his own acts. I can accept it in books though, and of course root for the good guys.

gali wrote:I don't believe in an unseen world that manipulates or interacts with humans for their own agenda. I believe that each one of us has a choice and is responsible for his own acts. I can accept it in books though, and of course root for the good guys.

I agree with gali - there is no unseen world. I do believe there is a God that is always around, but I don't believe He has an agenda that would manipulate humans. He may already know the outcomes of situations, but ultimately we all have free will to make our own decisions and are responsible for them.

Like gali said, though, I can easily accept this concept in books and am also always rooting for the good guys!

I personally LOVE evil, the villains are my heroes and vis versa. I thoroughly enjoy flipping readers expectations on their heads and, particularly for my own amusement whilst writing, I find the villains tend to have more substance and depth.

earthheart wrote:I personally LOVE evil, the villains are my heroes and vis versa. I thoroughly enjoy flipping readers expectations on their heads and, particularly for my own amusement whilst writing, I find the villains tend to have more substance and depth.

Yikes!

I would love to be able to say that I believe there is good in everyone, no matter how bad they seem on the outside. But I also believe that some people are irredeemably evil. I think there are some who have gone so far away from good, that they have no hope of ever returning. I'm not sure if I believe that there are actual forces that drive a person to do good or to do evil though. I don't think there is a force of good in the world that influences us to do good things. I think that a person can be shaped by their environment, but even the most loving environment for some people may seem like an evil thing and could lead them to do evil.

There is always the question of what actually makes "good" good and "evil" evil. Is it "good" for a god to manipulate his/her subjects in order to obtain the best possible outcome? According to Christian beliefs, God is bound to not interfere with free will, whereas Satan can willfully manipulate those who afford him the chance. So is God not "good" because He doesn't intervene, or is He the ultimate "good" because He can allow His people to make their own choices?

There are many similarities, but also a great many differences, in man's law, nature's law, and God's law. The only way to reconcile "good" and "evil" is to discern the intention of the heart; even then, there is that old adage about the road to hell...

I believe that it is God's will that the His laws and the laws of man and nature would be in complete harmony; this would be considered "good." Every discrepancy between His law and man's law is a result of, and allows opportunity for, "evil."

I've always had a soft spot for evil.. cartoons with Skeletor and the Decepticons may have been toy adverts, but the villains still kept me entertained a lot.

Nowadays I am a lot more 'shades of grey'..

It's easier to fall in love with the bad guys; danger, the unknown, the mysterious reasonings. It is obviously easier when they are of an unnatural genre, I rarely write anything without a tweak of fantasy. I like my characters to be ruthless but humorous.

Plus I think it's fun to see the good within begin to blossom as they are thrown into a new experience. I suppose it's just as tantalising to have a hero relinquishing morals in favour of something seedier... or perhaps I am fairly evil myself to enjoy it so much haha!

I think that good and evil are just concepts that humans have come up with to justify their own behavior and discredit other's. Placing yourself on either side is going to color your actions and therefor make you act outside of what you might naturally do.

earthheart wrote:I personally LOVE evil, the villains are my heroes and vis versa. I thoroughly enjoy flipping readers expectations on their heads and, particularly for my own amusement whilst writing, I find the villains tend to have more substance and depth.

I agree... In books. Quite often the characters who are supposedly 'bad' are more realistic than the 'good' and have a bit more depth to them.

In reality however, I'm generally against the type of person who tortures animals, beats children or rapes women for fun.

First off, I think everyone has "evil" in them. Although, I wouldn't necessary go as far as calling them evil. Many people are motivated by "good" and strive to accomplish things that are for the benefit of people. It is so easy to fall into evil that we really have to be careful.

As for those that we would call evil, that seem to have totally lost all sense of morality, I think they had to have some "good" in them at some point. That doesn't necessary mean they are liking to return to it, however, and therefore need to be stopped.

Books are so thrilling in the way they can let you balance both good and evil even in the same character. Which is so accurate because it really is a daily struggle.

earthheart wrote:I personally LOVE evil, the villains are my heroes and vis versa. I thoroughly enjoy flipping readers expectations on their heads and, particularly for my own amusement whilst writing, I find the villains tend to have more substance and depth.

I am the same way! For some reason, evil is always more entertaining! I think it's because evil is also less predictable

I believe that there is good in everyone. I also believe that there is evil in everyone too. You have to choose which side you're willing to act on. Sometimes novels and movies get boring if the good people are always winning. Also, sometimes villains are more entertaining and easier to relate to.