WoK: Top 5 Villians That Really Really Need to Die (*Spoilers*)

[jrh1524]

OK, I just finished listening to the Way of Kings audio book and it took my breath away.  Was that the best ending ever or what?     Brandon is getting better and better with every book he writes, and Mistborn was already one of the best books I’ve read.

One thing that really got to me was just how much I hated the villains in the book.  I really wanted to just reach into the book and strangle those rat bastards, didn’t you?  I’m not truly sure why I disliked those villains more than villains from other books… maybe I hated them more because they seemed more realalistic than the typical mustache twirler?

Anyways, here’s my list in order of villains that need to die.  Forgive my spelling of some of the names because I have only listened to the audio book so far and haven’t read my hardcover copy yet.

(the King of Kharbranth, right?)
Sadious = Sadeas


#1 King Taravangian  – a true bastard
#2 Szeth – I can’t wait for Kaladin to take him out.  He knows what he is doing is horribly wrong, but he does it anyway in the name of his hooky religion or culture or whatever. 
#3 Sadeas - I can't believe he betrayed Dalinor even after having his life saved
#4 Amaran
#5 Brightlord Roshone

[Munin]

Szeth... I'm not sure if I'd rank him as a villain.

He's definitely not a good guy (although he wants to be), but he's far from unforgivable.

[jrh1524]

Szeth is totally unforgiveable in my eyes.  He cut down women in children during some of his rampages.  There is no unbreakable magic spell forcing him to kill innocents... just his sense of "honor". 

[luminos]

Can you give me a quick reminder who each of these people are?  I finished the book, but there are so many names that I can't hold them all straight.  It also doesn't help that you spelled Sadeas wrong.

Anyways, I think the list is missing some people.  Specifically, brightlord Amaram (sp?) and whoever was in charge of the bridgecrews when Gaz disappeared. 

I wouldn't put Gaz on that list.  He was a jerk, but in the larger picture, he was too petty to be a real villain.  He may even have redeeming qualities we don't know about, and his strange disappearance suggests that he was just caught up in things bigger than himself.

I agree with assessing Szeth as a villain (or maybe anti-something or whatever) but he is way too interesting for me to want him to die.

[Fireborn]

Here's the spellings for those names.
Tarabon = Taravangian (the King of Kharbranth, right?)
Sadious = Sadeas

I'm not sure who you're referring to with Alocar...you wouldn't mean Elhokar would you?  Dalinar's nephew?

The reason I hate Taravangian is that he was a nice guy for the majority of the book.  That particular reveal was like.    

Szeth I'm not so sure about.  I get the feeling the oathstone has some kind of magic around it that even if it doesn't directly compel Szeth to follow orders, gives him the psychological compulsion to meet out the terms of his punishment.  I don't think we know enough about his situation to make any real condemnations just yet.

Sadeas totally needs to die, but how to do it without breaking the country?  Hmmm...

Gaz may already be dead, we don't know.

[jrh1524]

Ack... I cannot figure out how to edit old posts.  Sorry about that.

I may have gotten Alocar wrong.   I meant the guy who stole Kaladin's sword, what was his name?

[VegasDev]

I view Szeth in the same light as Marsh.

[VegasDev]

Ack... I cannot figure out how to edit old posts.  Sorry about that.

I may have gotten Alocar wrong.   I meant the guy who stole Kaladin's sword, what was his name?

That was Amaran or however you spell it.

[jrh1524]

I hear you about Gaz.  I mainly put him on the list to round it out to 5 rather than have a top 4.   

He seemed to have a few redeeming qualities.

[luminos]

Oh, I know who you need to put in spot number 5:  Brightlord Roshone, the bastard that conscripted Kaladin's brother, a little kid, just to be mean.

[jrh1524]

Oh, I know who you need to put in spot number 5:  Brightlord Roshone, the bastard that conscripted Kaladin's brother, a little kid, just to be mean.

Great idea!  Done!

[Eerongal]

Ack... I cannot figure out how to edit old posts.  Sorry about that.

On your posts, top right corner, next to the "quote" button is a "modify" button. Simply click that and edit it, then click submit.



I also am not convinced that Szeth isn't a villain, per say. I think there's more going on there that we don't know about yet.


Also, i'm with the "Gaz is just a jerk, not really an evil dude" idea. he's more akin to what a highschool bully would be in an old detective noir flick. He's annoying, but not really a main "bad guy" or any real opposition, and can be placated pretty easily, and in the end may even redeem himself and then some.

Then again, he could also move on to become something worse.

That or he's all ready dead, and we can just ignore him now.

[Chaos]

Oh, Szeth is awesome. Are you excited as I am that he'll be getting his own book? It's true

The Taravangian reveal was emotional, but it didn't match my horror when Sadeas betrayed Dalinar. That was just... God. I can't put words into that one.

[happyman]

Oh, Szeth is awesome. Are you excited as I am that he'll be getting his own book? It's true

The Taravangian reveal was emotional, but it didn't match my horror when Sadeas betrayed Dalinar. That was just... God. I can't put words into that one.

Yeah, Brandon is getting really good at writing villains.  Even while I hate them for everything they have done, I love it how they can spout completely reasonable rationalizations for being the absolute scum of the planet.  He's really taken to heart the fact that nobody views themselves as villains.  This makes the difference between the good guys and the bad guys what they do, not what they say, which is just so much more emotional, not to mention realistic.  So much so that I've seen some commentators claim that Sadeas wasn't that bad---which is baloney.  He just has a silver tongue and a heart of coal.

The only person on that list that I wonder about is Szeth.  He's done---terrible things.  I don't know why.  We really need to understand his religion and history to understand how he did what he has done, given what he feels about it.

[rjl]

Oh, Szeth is awesome. Are you excited as I am that he'll be getting his own book? It's true

The Taravangian reveal was emotional, but it didn't match my horror when Sadeas betrayed Dalinar. That was just... God. I can't put words into that one.

Please can you get that interview posted....