Are the "Bad Guys" Actually Bad?

Use this forum to discuss the October 2020 Book of the month, "We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies" by Matthew Tysz.
User avatar
Mariana Figueira
Posts: 922
Joined: 03 Aug 2020, 00:55
Favorite Book: Tujunga
Currently Reading: Cloud Atlas
Bookshelf Size: 215
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mariana-figueira.html
Latest Review: Mysteries Of the First Instant by Daniel Friedmann

Re: Are the "Bad Guys" Actually Bad?

Post by Mariana Figueira »

Personally, even if Lord Eldus did not abuse children, there was something shady about him.
The Riva Rohavi have fair reasons to hate Voulhire, but it doesn't justify terrorism; how is violence the way?
And Meldorath most definitely has something evil about him; even so, in a perfect world, he should've had his trial. I guess Voulhire is just as imperfect as the real world, isn't that something?
I love this type of fiction where none of the characters are good, nor bad, and you can't tell who the villains are.
"No two persons ever read the same book" Edmund Wilson
Rita Baadom
Posts: 37
Joined: 26 Jul 2020, 21:26
Currently Reading: The Freedom Building
Bookshelf Size: 36
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-rita-baadom.html
Latest Review: Protectors of the Black Prince by Curtis Stephen Burdick

Post by Rita Baadom »

Oh, I do not know about Meldorath or Lord Orlin, but I strongly believe that the Rival Rohavi are bad. Period. No amount of anger can justify murdering innocent civilians that know nothing about your quarrel with the king. None whatsoever.
User avatar
Christabel Uzoamaka
In It Together VIP
Posts: 544
Joined: 14 Jun 2020, 17:37
Currently Reading: Lingering Poets
Bookshelf Size: 181
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-christabel-uzoamaka.html
Latest Review: Atlantis Revealed by Riaan Booysen

Post by Christabel Uzoamaka »

Reader 05 wrote: 04 Oct 2020, 22:00 This is an interesting topic! I don't think there truly is a bad guy in this novel, they all seem to have their own reasons and background stories for being "bad guys."
I find this to be correct. In many fictional worlds, some “bad” people just have their reasons for doing what they do and sometimes it’s justified. This one is no different. I think Meldorath might just be my favorite character.
User avatar
Bibliogn0st
Posts: 181
Joined: 27 Jun 2020, 07:13
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 89
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-bibliogn0st.html
Latest Review: We are Voulhire: Someone Else's End by Matthew Tysz
Reading Device: B07Q3T2RZF

Post by Bibliogn0st »

That is a very interesting observation. I agree with you that Riva Rohavi has the right to hate Voulhire. We do not have enough information on Lord Orlin; whether he was a paedophile or not, can't be certainly affirmed. Lord Meldorath seems like a man way too ahead of his time. So you can't say anything. I guess we will come to know as we move forward in the storyline.
User avatar
sadwh0e_
Posts: 13
Joined: 21 Oct 2020, 00:22
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 7
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sadwh0e.html
Latest Review: Awakening by Tayma Tameem

Post by sadwh0e_ »

After reading so many novels and watching loads of films & television series, I would like to think that there are no "good" and "bad" characters. Everybody has good and evil inside of them, and it's all about having balance. I like to think that it is not just black and white in the spectrum. And in my opinion, having both sides (good and bad) is a sign of a well-rounded character.
User avatar
Nixk
Posts: 12
Joined: 25 Oct 2020, 15:11
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 12
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nixk.html
Latest Review: Timewise by Robert Leet

Post by Nixk »

I have only read the first book. With the suspicions coming up, however, I think maybe they aren't as bad as people believe. They all have legit reading for their actions. So maybe not villainous exactly
Miller56
Posts: 504
Joined: 22 Jul 2019, 19:30
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 61
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-miller56.html
Latest Review: Nightlord: Sunset by Garon Whited

Post by Miller56 »

Krista Ash wrote: 03 Oct 2020, 14:25 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?
That is an interesting question. I think we are all righteous and all villains depending on the eyes we are being viewed through. We all view are actions as necessary, proper, righteous, and justified, but those around us probably don't see things the same way. I think we all deserve a proper trial and an honest review of our behaviors. Sometimes circumstances make us look less honorable than we really are.
User avatar
zainherb
Posts: 890
Joined: 27 Nov 2017, 04:31
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 130
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-zainherb.html
Latest Review: Legacy by Chris Coppel

Post by zainherb »

Krista Ash wrote: 03 Oct 2020, 14:25 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?

Hmmm, this is an interesting view of things.
It is certainly possible.

Although I still think Maido is a villain.
I also think Meldorath is not as bad as he is portrayed.

We can agree it is not all black and white.
:techie-reference:
Latest Review: Legacy by Chris Coppel
Sarah Schmidt
In It Together VIP
Posts: 543
Joined: 11 Nov 2020, 15:52
Currently Reading: The Vine Witch
Bookshelf Size: 271
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sarah-schmidt.html
Latest Review: First Survivor by Mark Unger

Post by Sarah Schmidt »

This is one aspect I enjoyed about the book. All the characters appear multidimensional and the villain role is still technically up for grabs. Their motives seem completely justifiable, and there's a sort of vagueness in the retelling of each 'bad' person's story that seems intentional, like these stories are just rumours or hearsay.
Wekesa Namuyonga
Posts: 56
Joined: 24 Nov 2020, 19:21
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 12
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-wekesa-namuyonga.html
Latest Review: Soul Seeker by Kaylin McFarren

Post by Wekesa Namuyonga »

The bad guyz in this book fit in great to keep the story going. It made more more emotionally attached to the other characters as i was fearing for their lives
dianaterrado
Posts: 311
Joined: 29 Jun 2018, 01:23
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 152
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-dianaterrado.html
Latest Review: Love, Grandma by Ann Morris

Post by dianaterrado »

I think there's a lot of gray area between good and bad. And their actions may be deemed villanous by some but in their own mind what they're doing is what they think is good. I think this is most often true with everyone.
"We should all have something to be weirdly passionate about."
Nikita_sharma
Posts: 25
Joined: 11 Jun 2020, 13:33
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 25
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-nikita-sharma.html
Latest Review: We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies by Matthew Tysz

Post by Nikita_sharma »

I was left with the same thought. Nice job by the author in shaping the characters and the stories that we don't see anyone in black and white as yet (except perhaps Eldus RIP and Galen). I'm hoping that Maldorath is actually good and Orlin turns out to be just a pawn in the grander scale. Till now, its the Rivas that seem most immoral but let's see how things progress.
User avatar
ksjordan59
Posts: 25
Joined: 12 Feb 2020, 15:46
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 39
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ksjordan59.html
Latest Review: Waterworks by Jack Winnick

Post by ksjordan59 »

I was impressed that often it was difficult for me, as a reader, to determine that some of the characters were solely evil or fully good.
User avatar
SweetSourSalty AndSpicy
Book of the Month Participant
Posts: 1743
Joined: 15 Aug 2020, 07:36
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 233
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-sweetsoursalty-andspicy.html
Latest Review: The Past Speaks by Geoff McCue

Post by SweetSourSalty AndSpicy »

I think there are no “good guys” or “bad guys.” There are only opposing views. The character becomes a “good guy” if we share the same opinion with them. The one expressing a contrasting view becomes the “bad guy.” One character can have good views and bad views. So I think it is a matter of perspective and labels.
User avatar
ashleymarie310
Posts: 38
Joined: 22 Nov 2020, 15:12
Currently Reading: To All the Boys I've Loved Before
Bookshelf Size: 519

Post by ashleymarie310 »

I think this question lives in the grey area between "good" and "bad". It's all about perspective and what is ethically and morally important to someone. Anyone can be a villain or a hero depending on what's important to the people that see them. I think it also becomes a question of balance. If there is some bad and some good, does the bad cancel out the good or can they work in harmony to create someone that is flawed but redeemable?
Post Reply

Return to “Discuss "We are Voulhire: A New Arrival under Great Skies" By Matthew Tysz”