Post by Betrayer Of Hope on Sept 18, 2007 7:14:53 GMT 1
Well I began reading the Icewind Dale Trilogy tonight, and was immediately intrigued by the first pages. Not only do I enjoy Salvatore's writing style, but the philosophical question that he poses within the beginning chapters. The question of evil. What are its roots exactly, and what constitutes an evil action? Is that man that commits evil truly evil, or is he at the full mercy of something deeper, a supernatural force that compels him to commit the atrocious acts? Even so...isn't he still at fault?
Ah, philosophy. It's the latter that I was particularly engaged in thinking about after reading the account of Akar Kessel. Surely the act of killing his master was despicable, and can hardly be justified, but even that can be traced back to feelings of inferiority. There's always a motive, whether it be a conscious one, or more subtle. The question is, who's to blame?
It really gets interesting when he finds Crenshinibon. He is broken down to his most basic of instincts-survival. All he wants is to live through the cold, merciless night in the Spine of the World. The crystal, the "source of ultimate evil" utilizes this and uses it for its own means. Kessel is described as having no conscious thought over the next few days, and it seems, at least at first, that the crystal is completely in control.
Obviously, there's more to come, and I'm barely into the book yet, but I just thought this was rather interesting, and wanted to share it. Hopefully there's enough activity here for the thread to catch fire, but I'm not holding my breath.
Now!!! I want your opinions. And even if you haven't read the book, go ahead! Evil's a universal topic.
Ah, philosophy. It's the latter that I was particularly engaged in thinking about after reading the account of Akar Kessel. Surely the act of killing his master was despicable, and can hardly be justified, but even that can be traced back to feelings of inferiority. There's always a motive, whether it be a conscious one, or more subtle. The question is, who's to blame?
It really gets interesting when he finds Crenshinibon. He is broken down to his most basic of instincts-survival. All he wants is to live through the cold, merciless night in the Spine of the World. The crystal, the "source of ultimate evil" utilizes this and uses it for its own means. Kessel is described as having no conscious thought over the next few days, and it seems, at least at first, that the crystal is completely in control.
Obviously, there's more to come, and I'm barely into the book yet, but I just thought this was rather interesting, and wanted to share it. Hopefully there's enough activity here for the thread to catch fire, but I'm not holding my breath.
Now!!! I want your opinions. And even if you haven't read the book, go ahead! Evil's a universal topic.
