Are the "Bad Guys" Actually Bad?

[Mason Garrod]

Very good questions. It seemed like from Orlin's diary and from the fact that no children seemed to remember him, that Meldorath perhaps did some kind of trickery and framed Orlin so that he could remove him and take over his place as lord of Hilltop. As for Meldorath himself, in his conversation with Beth, he certainly didn't seem overly malicious, but I don't think there's enough information in this first book alone to really know what his motivations might be. All we have is hearsay though so I wouldn't be surprised if certain things got twisted along the way through rumours

[Akshi Porwal]

That is one very interesting topic. Lord Meldorath till the end of the book has only taken revenge on the people who were the perceived reasons for his capture but Riva rohavi do not have such a reasoning. They could have very well decided to integrate with Voulhire instead of continuing this terrorism for decades on decades.

[Snigdha Pandey]

Yes, it is ambiguous whether Lord Orlin and Meldorath are the actual bad guys here. We don't know enough about them. But the Riva Rohavi? They are definitely the bad guys here. Their righteous anger at Saint Idus is absolutely justified. But their method of revenge? Killing innocent people everywhere just to terrorize people? That is not justified at all. If they were only targeting the rulers, I would have still sympathised with them. I loved the character of Lord Eldus, but if they had only killed Eldus to stop the progress of Hillport, and hence achieve their target of hindering the growth of Voulhire, I would have thought of them as people seeking revenge. But killing 20% population of Hillport, and then there are ambiguous mentions of looting and rape, that just makes them bloodthirsty criminials and terrorists.

[Janet Kimetto]

I believe Lord Eldus was innocent. He was just in the way of Lord Meldorath's plans, and he had to go. It's sad what happened to him. I agree that Lord Meldorath is not outright bloodthirsty, but he's a bad guy any way I see it. He uses people, manipulates, and has no qualms about killing, all as a means to an end of whatever it is he wants. The end doesn't always justify the means. Same thing applies to the Riva Rohavi.

[Josephe-Anne]

I wouldn't necessarily say that the antagonists were more honorable than the protagonists. But it gives the villains a good backstory and ample motivations to seek vengeance.

[Abi McCoy]

I think that's one of the good things this book had going for it - no one was a villain because they were just plain evil. They each had positive character traits but were villainized in one way or the other, making them relatable antagonists.

[Akshobhya B]

Yes, you're right. The writer has very cleverly given both the sides a distinct point of view. Both believe that what they are doing is necessary for their survival and the betterment of society, and therefore there isn't a good or a bad side.

[Aashu Chaudhary]

Meldorath doesn't get a trial. He killed the lord of the castle and many other innocent soldiers. What do you accept the king of voulhire? Even after all this, he did not decide to kill meldorath. I think he even sends lord eldus to hillport to investigate the matter. And if I talk about Riva, they kill innocent fishermen and their children too. I definitely think here bad is bad.

[Gabriella H]

This is a nice perspective. I feel we need more information, and we also need to see what unfolds in later books to really know who's pretending to be good and who is actually good but appears to be one of the bad guys. It definitely seems like there is more to the story concerning these supposed villains. And I don't trust king Wilhelm. I don't think chancellor Maido is a good guy.

[Asja Šabani]

I don't know if the 'bad' guys are really as bad as they are presented at first, but I have my suspicions about King Wilhelm. I think he is not as perfect as he appears and that he has some hidden agenda.

[Mayang Bature]

I also felt this whole reading. I think the "bad guys" here have more to their story. That would explain at least their reasons for doing what they do.

[Jay David Randall]

There is evidence that perhaps Lord Orlin did not actually abuse children. The Riva Rohavi have very righteous reasons for hating Voulhire. Meldorath was never given a proper trial before being imprisoned.

Do you think the antagonists of the story are actually villains? Or are they more honorable than the portrayed heroes: King Wilhelm, Chancellor Maido, and King Saint Idus?

I think the antagonist is the villain despite my instinct not trusting king Wilhelm and his chancellors.

[LS Daniyal]

I think the characters were quite realistic. They did bad things, they did good things, they reacted to what they were dealt with. After what Voulhire did to Riva Rovani, is what they did to Hillport justifiable? In my opinion no, because the people that lost their lives were not the perpetrators.
In conclusion people do good and bad and both had consequences.

[Adekeye Hassan musab]

I have never really thought about this but I have a basic grab between good and evil. If king saint idus had not fought the Rival perhaps they wouldn't have become such a staunch enemy of the state. But likewisely the Rival should have forgotten the near extinction that have almost be done to their kind. Taking it out of people centuries away from the culprit is pretty messed up.