Great role reversal fantasy novel. The villians have to save the world from being sublimated by too much goodness in the world by bringing evil back into the world. But in doing this the villians sort of become heroes themselves...Wherein, things get a little bit fuzzy. I mean, good people can do bad things & bad people can do good things, but really, the "villians" were essentially good people... I'd say in the villian party their d&d alignments would be as follows: Blackmail - Chaotic Good all the way. Has no qualms about setting himself against the law for the good of his party or the greater good.Robin - He's a tough one. I want to say that he started out Lawful Good & by the end of the book is almost as neutral as Kaylana. And that's not to say he does evil things either, I just think he ends up doing neutral things. The things that have to be done that aren't good or evil, and maybe not within the law...but not necessarily outside it, things that the laws don't even mention, perhaps. If I wanted to follow a character after the end of this book, it'd be him. Sam & Arcie - both pretty much Chaotic Neutral, definitely not lawful, as one's an assassin & the other's a thief, but not really evil. Sam kills only when on a job and really has his own pretty strict set of morals, oh, but he kills rapists D-E-D, for great vigilante justice. Arcie is almost a kleptomaniac, but he is a DAMN good thief, it'd be almost sinful not to use that gift, right? And he is definitely not the type to steal bread from a beggar or any such nonsense. He will steal from his friends, but...it seems to be in only a braggarty sort of way, to show that he CAN, since he'll usually return those items.Kaylana - True Neutral. She's a druid through & through. She is there to protect & maintain the balance & that's all there is to it. To that end, she'll do whatever it takes, be it Good or Evil. Valerie - Either Lawful Evil or Chaotic Evil. It depends on how you view "law". Within her own racial society, she's Lawful Evil, but in the rest of the world she's Chaotic Evil.The rest of the world - The rest of the world is Lawful Good. And that's horrifying, because if the laws are corrupted in any way by people who believe they are doing good, all who follow those laws are corrupted. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, ne?All in all a good fantasy read, while it seems like it might be more of a break from normal fantasy than it really is. It still sorta follows familiar fantasy archetypes. Sam is the scoundrel hero, Arcie the rascal sidekick, Kaylana the powerful ice queen, Valerie the icier ice queen, (there is a bawdy heroette, but she has a small role), Blackmail is the stalwart knight who smashes much & says little, and Robin is the plucky/nervous minor character that you don't know whether to love or hate & you wish you could help decide what to do because as the reader you have all the facts at your disposal & could help him make more informed choices. I'm not sure if that last one is an archetype, but I think it is. And it sorta follows a (quest - sidetrack - new character) x3 pattern followed by a repeating (quest - obstacle) pattern. Which seems to me like a typical fantasy adventure. Anyway it was good! It just wasn't as...-different-... as it appears at first glance.
I first read this book when I was 15. I now have a bachelor's in English, and this is the only book I've read more than 2-3 times. I LOVE this book. I think there's a clear message here that is beyond a classic fantasy story with great humor and an epic plot. This book says to me that we choose (and have a right to choose) who we are, "good" or "evil." Some reviewers criticize the book for making evil characters that aren't 100% evil. In actuality, THAT IS THE POINT! People are not "good" or "evil" completely. What we perceive as "evil" often is simply misunderstood. What makes Eve's story so great IS her characters. If you ever take the time to truly get to know a person that on the surface seems shallow or cruel, you know that underneath... they are (in my experience) not what they seem on the surface. Read it if you can find it... it's a fantastic book! PS. Sam (the ASSASIN! not thief...) is my favorite character of course.
What do You think about Villains By Necessity (1996)?
Unforunately, this gem of a book has been out of print for quite some time and is worth $50 paperback and $100 hardback.This is not your typical fantasy novel, it is written in a fantasy realm where good has prevailed. There is no murder, no stealing, no mugging. Fortunately, the ex-head of the theives guild is set to make things right in the world. Travel with the band fo merry theives as they set out to open the portals of darkness and unleash evil back into the world.Villains by Necessity is one of the most enjoyable books to read, it is easy to understand and full of quirky humor.If you ever ind this book in a used bookstore, trashcan, or library, you will not regret giving Eve Forwards masterpeice a try.
—Josh Taylor
Reviewed at: http://sunhibooks.blogspot.com/2011/0...Rather hilariously, I've already reviewed this book, and I hadn't realized it until I went to the Amazon page and saw my own review for it there! I will paste my review in and add a few thoughts. In a twist on the usual fantasy story, Forward's heroes are not classically good-hearted heroes, but instead villains. Including an assassin, an evil sorceress, a greedy thief, and a black knight, the main characters are likable and intriguing. They band together to save the world from destruction by the powers of good. In the beginning, I found the characters one-dimensional. However, as the story quickly unfolded, I was fascinated to see that both character introspection and interaction developed their personalities to an amazing degree. After that, even minor, short-lived characters managed to grab my attention fully. There are a number of sly digs at other fantasy works, which make Villains By Necessity an even funnier book if you're well-read in fantasy novels. I wrote that review in 2000 when I apparently was unable to actually remember plot points or characters from the book. Villains by Necessity does many things wrong. I won't lie to you. It's not extremely well written. There are many plot holes if you think about it too long. I think the author confuses the nature of good and evil with law and chaos (which is a no, no especially since the author is clearly a fan of early Dungeons and Dragons.) However, it's still fun if you're well-read in fantasy. I can't really recommend that you buy it since it is rather expensive (having been out of print for ages), but if you know anyone who owns it, or if your library has it, try to read it if you like fantasy or Dungeons and Dragons. It's take on concepts present in most fantasy novels is interesting and refreshing. I will admit that when I was younger, a particular favorite of mine included the skewering of Dragonlance that was more meaningful because I had just finished reading the original Dragonlance trilogy. Nowadays, I enjoy Sam (the book's main character and an assassin) and relationships with the other villains around him much more. The parody has become less enjoyable, but the things I considered boring at that time have become more. Such is life.
—Sunhi
This was a fun read; not a serious one or one that added tothe fantasy genre.The highlights of this book are:(1) Evil has to save the world by trying to restore thegame balance; so good people are after them;(2) the humor is fairly good in this tale;(3) the pacing is well done;(4) the story is light on evil so if you don't want a seriousspread, you got it in this tale; and(5) There are some clever outcomes for the villains; in other words, they succeed in ways that aren't usualThe areas that aren't so great are:(1) If you wanted an in depth discussion of how evil characters would really be, you won't get it. The evil characters in this tale are more;(2) while the characters are detailed, it lacks heart andemotional resonance (slight exception for the main character);(3) Not enough on details or legends;(4) Several things remind me of a D&D game so if you hatethe game, be warned.; and(5) A few points don't make logical sense (no spoilers here)Overall, an above average read for veteran fantasy readers, but this is no George R.R. Martin nor Raymond E. Feist. But then, this is her first book so I might eat my hat later. :)
—StoryTellerShannon
