A review by darkcrystal1839
Banewreaker by Jacqueline Carey

4.0

I think this is one of the most interesting stories I’ve read in a while. It’s your basic Good v. Evil story, but it really focuses on each side’s reasons. We’re given insights into both the good guys and the bad guys, and the intriguing thing you discover is that both sides are pretty much the same. The only reason one is considered ‘bad’ is because of a very old grudge and what basically boils down to a big misunderstanding. But with the misunderstanding diluted and the grudge concentrated over centuries, what we get is what must be a Bad Guy. Everybody’s always said he’s bad, so he must be. And legends also say that if we do such and such, we can destroy him. Why are we destroying him? Do we know for sure he has some evil plan? Well, he must, because he is a Bad Guy. Now we’re thrown back into the Evil camp, where we learn that the Bad Guy’s not really that bad. He’s not necessarily the Muffin Man either, but you try keeping a good temper when you’ve had the mass majority of the population wishing fervently for your destruction for centuries. Some of his actions can easily be seen as Evil by the good guys, but this is because he’s trying to thwart their plans. So he doesn’t die. Understandable. Really, the good guys kind of started it. It puts a whole new twist on the classic Good v. Evil battle you find in so many fantasy stories, and it was extremely interesting. Definitely a good read.