When the bad guy is made to pay in the end? I really do. There’s nothing more satisfying in a book, than when the good guy, is allowed to exact his revenge on the bad guy.
None of this I’m-the-good-guy-so-I-can’t-kill-him crap, shooting the bastard between the eyes, works for me every time.
Just saying.
Jayne
August 24
1:23 pm
Karen, I love you. I love your attitude towards villains. All I can say is “YES” and “Damn straight!”
Eve Vaughn
August 24
3:32 pm
I agree, I hate it when the villain gets off too lightly or completely.
Dee Tenorio
August 24
4:02 pm
Any hints as to which thing made you so happy today? I wouldn’t mind a little justified revenge in my diet.
jillnoelle
August 24
4:08 pm
Have you seen Taken? If you like to see the good guy give the bad guy(s) exactly what they deserve, you’ll love this movie.
Karen Scott
August 24
4:45 pm
Dee, it was a Shiloh Walker book actually, The Missing, which isn’t due till November. Fabulous, fabulous book, one that really deserves a review, after all the dross I’ve been reading.
K. Z. Snow
August 24
7:42 pm
Ooo, and the movie House of Games. One of my faves! The person who does the merciless shoot-‘im-up is a woman…and she gets away with it. Yeah, baby!
Shiloh Walker
August 24
10:14 pm
*G* And here I was wondering if you were speaking of any particular book.
🙂 Glad you liked it, Karen!
Kate Douglas
August 24
11:28 pm
I’m with you! I take a great deal of joy in killing off the villains in my books, and if there’s someone in real life I’m a little bit PO’d at, can I help it if their face sort of slips over the villain’s just before I off the sucker?
GrowlyCub
August 25
1:18 am
I’ll have to disagree with you all on this. As satisfying as the knee-jerk reaction may be – take that villain – it’s a real downer for me. Killing has repercussions for the one doing it even if, or better said, especially when he’s the good guy.
I’m married to a soldier. I’ve seen what it’s like and I’m sure others know this, too. So, I’m not convinced that the hero will be completely unscathed from killing even a villain and that that will not affect him and his relationships in a negative way.
Point in case is when it’s heroine doing the killing, the hero is always all over her telling her how it’s okay to feel shitty for killing somebody, etc…
Just one of those triggers for me.
Shiloh Walker
August 25
2:44 am
Growly, Karen can’t really go into much detail without doing serious spoilers, but I can tell you that this wasn’t a ‘take that’ type of thing. It was basically the only viable option. I can tell you the hero didn’t escape unscathed, but not doing it would have been worse.
There are times when good people have to make hard choices, and this, for the character, was one of them.
I’ve read books with the basic thing Karen was referencing, where the hero didn’t kill the villain and the only reason why was because he was the ‘good guy’ and it ended up not quite working the story, or my version of reality.
Kate Douglas
August 25
3:28 am
Growly, every reader brings their own baggage to each book they read–we all have our own triggers. As an author, I can’t write to all those different readers–I write the story my characters demand. In my Wolf Tales series, the Chanku have no problem killing to protect their packmates–that’s part of the world I’ve created. It’s a sensual, yet violent and often bloodthirsty world, but it’s consistent within the context of the series. I think that, as authors, we write the stories the way the plot and characters demand. If we’re not true to the world we create, our readers will know it and so will we.
K. Z. Snow
August 25
4:53 am
Have to agree with Shi and Kate. I doubt most romance writers indulge in gratuitous or capricious violence. As Shiloh said, sometimes (depending on the storyline, naturally), it’s the only “viable option” — and, often, one with consequences. Or, as Kate pointed out, killing is part of an intricate other-world.
I employed this plot turn only once, in my novel Plagued, and I feel it was perfectly justified.
BTW, I mentioned House of Games because, dayum, it’s a really intelligent, thought-provoking movie!
GrowlyCub
August 25
5:15 am
No need for anybody to justify themselves about why they wrote what they did. I just don’t agree with Karen’s sentiment and the agreement voiced because I know first hand what the good guys go through (be they special forces, soldiers or police) after using lethal force. I don’t expect authors to cater to my tastes, I just don’t read the books where that kind of solution is employed to give the reader a ‘Gotcha’ thrill. Disagreements happen, that’s why it’s great that there is so much variety out there in Romanceland. 🙂
Aemelia
August 26
12:21 am
Eeek! I’m only 1/2 way through my copy (loving it btw…) so happy to hear that I will probably like how the villian gets his due! I hate it when the bad guy gets off too lightly…as this is fiction, I do not feel guilty feeling this satisfied.
is it just me…or chapter 3 = bawling my eyes out! I was so enthralled reading the story that this affected me deeply! will not say anymore…*zip* just note that it is an intense read!
Angelia Sparrow
August 28
4:05 am
Uh-oh. Steer clear of my stuff. I like my anti-heroes.
When I have to ruin a villain, I prefer to break his heart or ruin him financially. Take away what he loves the most, whether power and status, a pretty Moroccan boy or his customers which ruins his wealth.
Would torturing the hero before hanging, drawing and quartering him be considered gratuitous violence?