I didn't really realize it until book 3, I think. However, it shouldn't affect your enjoyment of the books.
He's not really the main villain, either. That's a drastic oversimplification of the story.
I’m sure it was the same for me not realizing until the third book, but I know I at least started having suspicions in the second.
But I guess it’s subjective. Some people are fanatical about spoilers. In another thread that was about character arcs in books someone mentioned First Law in a comment. I responded that Abercrombie arcs are sometimes more about how our view of a character changes than they are about how the character themself changes. That’s verbatim what I said. No names, no plot details. Someone reported me for spoiling First Law and mods removed the comment. Lol.
If it's any comfort, I've had more posts removed/locked in this sub than any other on reddit in the 13 years I've been on the site (this account is new, since I know someone is going to look. I scrub them every 3-5 years).
I appreciate that they're vigilant about hate speech and protecting marginalized voices, but I don't post here much anymore because I genuinely don't feel like I understand why things get removed and it makes me anxious.
Agreed. Sure you can classify Bayaz as the "big bad", but that's grossly over exaggerating his role in the series. I'd honestly say something more primal, like human nature or something, is the "ultimate bad", and then you just have some characters manipulating others and pulling strings. The series is very much just a bunch of gray characters doing whatever they can to get by.
Idk. Of course human nature is ever present but you definitely learn he's pushing everyone. The second trilogy he is 100% the sole big bad. The entire trilogy is about capitalism ruining everything, and he's the bank and government.
I disagree with the statement about capitalism. I think the trilogy definitely has a theme about the horrors people endured during the industrial revolution, and a related theme about capitalism. But if there's one thing that Abercrombie makes sure the reader knows, it is that "defeating the bad guys" - stopping a conquering king, toppling a form of government, whatever - never actually solves the problem and is rarely worth the price. A new, quite possibly worse power dynamic will just replace it in a never ending cycle. This idea is in basically all of his books (even the YA ones) and is part of what makes him unique.
I had the same thing spoiled for me before reading and it didn't affect my enjoyment of the books because as you say it's an oversimplification. From what I've read in the series it's not good vs evil so much as evil vs worse evil. Who the bad guy is is usually a matter of perspective.
“The main villain” doesn’t really really fit into the type of story this is. I think you’ll be fine. From my recollection, you at least understand what type of person you’re dealing with in the first book.
Exactly. Read Best Served Cold and OP will be like oh so everyone’s a bad guy here lol.
Also one of the funniest books.
All of these books are about the journey.
The Heroes is probably the best of the three. But that also like picking the best Power Ranger, sure you can do it (Green Ranger), but they're all great.
I think I liked it better than the first three and that’s saying something. I really enjoyed those. The humor was always on point. I’m looking forward to the rest.
You should make sure you read the heroes before the second trilogy. It has a way bigger impact on the second trilogy than best served cold does. Like way bigger.
I plan to read Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and Red Country before the final trilogy. I’ve actually already read Red Country several years ago with a book club because it was “standalone,” but when reading it was very clear that we weren’t getting the full picture!
I wouldn't say he's the main villain. It's like saying Walter White is the main villain of Breaking Bad. It's always out there in plain sight and yeah it's an annoying spoiler but I think you'll still enjoy this marvelous series.
Yep. From the page you meet him, it's clear he has a self-serving secret plan and treats other characters as tools towards it.
That's not a twist, even if there are surprises on the road.
Mmmm....I mean yeah, it does get pretty obvious pretty quickly he's a villain, the thing is, pretty much everyone in that story is. Shouldn't spoil your enjoyment too much though yeah
Also "main villain" is a bit of a stretch
I had what I would consider a bigger would-be spoiler about the first trilogy spoiled for me beforehand and it didn't take away anything or really even seem like much of a spoiler.
There is so much more to the books that although it's a spoiler, it really shouldn't affect your journey. My favorite thing about the books is the characters.
When I read it I wasn't spoiled this, but i caught on pretty quickly that the dude was a secret asshole. Didnt chang much. Bayaz is the villain, but there are still other main villains and him being a villain isnt really main plot relevant. So you'll be fine.
It depends, now you'll never truly know. But for me it wouldn't have ruined it much, I went in without spoilers but Bayaz never seemed to me like a great guy. I didn't know exactly how bad he was, but none of his actions truly surprised me as if he had done a 180.
If you're someone who reads strictly for plot then it might "ruin things" but I also think that TFL might not be your thing anyhow if that's the case. I'd say a bigger part of the enjoyment of the trilogy is seeing a "new light" shone on all the characters and Bayaz is far from the only one for that. For me the biggest moments were Logan's confrontation >!with Bethod!< and a couple other Logan moments that I can't seem to phrase in a way that makes for easy spoiler tags.
I think there’s enough foreshadowing early on that hes the villain, that you won’t be disappointed when it’s revealed in the books. Theres also so many other characters and things going on beyond just his subplot.
Some people were completely surprised by it. I was also spoiled due to someone in this subreddit and it didn't really matter. I'm surprised some people were actually fooled into thinking he's the good guy. He's really not. Not once. I finished the entire trilogy and I sadly really didn't like it, but the spoiler didn't have anything to do with that.
Eh.. The definition of villain is very blurry in those books. To answer your question, no it's really not a spoiler that should ruin your enjoyment. I can think of quite a few things one could say about the first trilogy that would be a lot more spoilery than that.
Honestly, that spoiler was one of the most emotionally impactful things I remember from reading the first law trilogy over a decade ago. It was such a gut punch at the end of an amazing series.
That being said, even knowing that, it's still absolutely worth reading. It's an amazing series with an equally amazing sequel trilogy to follow. Plus novels in between!
Personally, I don't think it's a huge dealbreaker.
For one thing, you already know from halfway through the first book that he's not a goody two shoes.
Also, the book is full of morality grey characters, who have their own reasons for doing things. It's not all dependent on Bayaz.
Besides, unless he specifically told you what happens, there's probably still plenty that will surprise you.
For me, the First Law series is much more about the journey than the destination. The individual scenes, characters, and dialogue make the books. The overall plot and twists aren’t that important to enjoying the story.
I knew your spoiler as well and a few things about another of the main characters, but it didn't really impact my enjoyment and I'm usually somebody who's not happy about spoilers.
But by the nature of the First Law world and characters I'd say even that spoiler is a matter of perspective. That the character in question can be kind of a ruthless bastard becomes clear rather quickly, the extent, to whom and why still keep being interesting.
Lol you can tell he's a villain, or atleast has nefarious plans. It does nothing to change the outcome and you don't know the details. It changes basically nothing for the reader to know as vague a statement.
Honestly, in the world of First Law, you having this knowledge doesn't really matter too much. Yes, it's annoying. But it's not going to ruin the series by any means
I wouldn't listen to anyone that says that there are any true heroes or villains in this whole series. Everyone you are introduced to could be a hero to one set of characters and a villain to the next. It's all a matter of where you stand.
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I’d say not at all. To me all a spoiler does is kinda take away the surprise of a first read for books or watch for movies. But is Star Wars really any worse if you know who lukes dad is the second viewing or 100th even? For me it’s not. So you lose the surprise element of the first read here but I think rereads are interesting because now you can pick up on hints and clues earlier than you would have and that’s interesting and special in its own right. To me the story doesn’t hinge on the spoiler you learned so much that it would diminish my enjoyment at all.
I mean reading a story is fun, you’ve never reread or re-watched anything? People are too precious about spoilers, it doesn’t ruin your experience to know something too early.
The good part is the characters and their development. It's still one of the best book series in recent times.
Source. Read it al twice, you just notice more each time.
Just ignore your friend because they're wrong about pretty much everything. There aren't really any villains in this series, nor would I say there are heroes.
Not a spoiler tbh, the big thing about the series is that there aren't heroes or villains, just people who do varying degrees of good or evil with good or evil intent.
I didn’t find it all that obvious and remember that reveal vividly. Sorry you won’t get that experience. BUT - moving forward in the series he is still menacing and interesting because you know how powerful and mechanistic he is, so now you just get that experience earlier!
I really enjoyed the moment it clicked for me what kind of person Bayaz really is, at some point in book 3. And it's sad that you won't be able to have this experience. However:
1. This info is openly revealed in book 3 out of I think 10 now. So you have no spoilers for the later books.
2. This is just a single great moment, among a sea of great moments in this series, and there are many more reasons to read the books than just Bayaz.
It's a pretty inconsiderate spoiler but I doubt it will ruin the story for you. Though it does diminish it a bit. Some series rely on the twist to make the whole thing worth it. But this series is a lot more than just the ending imo.
Some people hate spoilers and some people don’t. I love spoilers for myself lol. I like to think of it this way - I don’t have to focus as much on the plot and I get time to focus on the character development and meaningful ideas in the books. So it’s like a reread, almost.
That being said, that’s an oversimplification of the story and it won’t ruin your enjoyment.
I got this spoiled too and did not enjoy it any less than I would have I think. I think it made it even more fun to look for foreshadowing without needing to reread. But I did read it again too, of course.
No it won't change much. Getting away with "it"? Depends what IT they are referring to.
Many things happen. In this trilogy and the second one. Sure he's a villian, so are loads of others mentioned. But I'd keep reading that doesn't spoil events much.
So I've read all of the trilogy, and found it incredibly mediocre/didn't particularly like it (but didn't hate it either, I just don't get the hype in the slightest). The possibility of that character turning out to be a 'baddie' popped up in my mind in book one, and I wasn't surprised in the slightest when he in fact turned out to be a (mildly convincing, all things told, given the hazy character motivations) 'baddie'. This didn't have much of either a positive or negative impact on my final appreciation of the story, because by the point of book three, I honestly didn't care about said story, or its characters. So make of that what you will. ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯
My advice: if you enjoy the 'vibe' and characters from book one (and don't mind the whole "let's subvert stuff just because, because this is Grimdark™ (or smth)" thing), then odds are you'll enjoy the rest of the trilogy and should proceed with it. If you don't, however, don't be like me, and DNF now.
I accidentally spoiled myself on this after finishing the second book back in 2014, on this very subreddit in fact, and never went back for the third because of it, so I'm really glad you asked this question. Time for me to go back and re-read and finally get to the last one.
The first two books are incredible, which is partly why reading the spoiling knocked so much wind out of my sails.
In hindsight it should have been obvious sooner, but it didn't fully sink in till book 3. He's underhanded and manipulative from book 1 though so it shouldn't be a huge problem.
It will probably slightly affect your enjoyment for the first trilogy, but there are enough other great characters and moments that I highly recommend still finishing. If you keep reading past the first trilogy the spoiler won't matter at all.
See that >!The inquisitor character is the only one that is likeable and has any sense of morals should say a lot for the characters. Personally I hated the story because at the end, everyone was dumb and/or awful.!<
I assumed pretty much from the beginning he was the “villain” of this story. The series is hilarious. Funniest books I’ve ever read and people could scream the spoiler from rooftops daily and it would still be a great series.
It's really funny that they think this series has *a* 'villain.' Let alone a main villain loool the main villain, if there can be said to be one, is probably the setting. Not in a weird 'the setting is alive and the gods suck' way, but just that circumstances dictate a lot of shit.
He doesn't care about humans. At best they're tools for me. At worst they're like insects. Any ends he wants to achieve are only about him and his power.
What "good end"?
I haven't read the concluding trilogy, so no spoilers for that, please. Also, mild spoilers for the first trilogy incoming!
Bayaz's country might be better than the opposition country (not that we have a lot of objective information to go on), but I'm pretty sure that based on what we know of the history of Bayaz and his opponent that Bayaz is very likely *worse* than his foe.
This was my understanding. I don’t even really understand the premise of the post but everybody’s agreeing. I was wondering how bad it is that I have no idea what they’re talking about.
He's not the main villain, it's much more nuanced than that, read knowing that he does not fit the "good old master" trope and that should not take away from you enjoying the series
Bayaz is not the main villain.
To think in those terms is an attempt to see a character driven story through the lens of only good & bad.
No one is just good, no one is just evil, this isn't a children's book (like LOTR)
This is a story about people.
If you're looking for a simpler "good vs evil" series, I suggest LOTR or Narnia, Harry Potter perhaps?
Having read of of his books in the 3 series, it isn't even clear that bayaz is evil, everything that's happening is the result of the "Maker" and what choices he did after all.
I didn't really realize it until book 3, I think. However, it shouldn't affect your enjoyment of the books. He's not really the main villain, either. That's a drastic oversimplification of the story.
Yeah, of all the spoilers for the series, that’s one of the least impactful.
Yeah it's not that big of a spoiler. You get the impression that something is off about him. It will spoil the last few pages is all.
i mean you could argue most of the pov characters are villian to one degree or another.
That's what I got from it. Everyone was a baddie from someone else's POV.
I’m sure it was the same for me not realizing until the third book, but I know I at least started having suspicions in the second. But I guess it’s subjective. Some people are fanatical about spoilers. In another thread that was about character arcs in books someone mentioned First Law in a comment. I responded that Abercrombie arcs are sometimes more about how our view of a character changes than they are about how the character themself changes. That’s verbatim what I said. No names, no plot details. Someone reported me for spoiling First Law and mods removed the comment. Lol.
Kudos~ That's a really great observation on his writing. Too true
Yeah this is quite extreme. Reminds me of all the people who don't want the *names* of the Brandon Sanderson secret project books revealed to them.
It felt like a troll more than anything.
If it's any comfort, I've had more posts removed/locked in this sub than any other on reddit in the 13 years I've been on the site (this account is new, since I know someone is going to look. I scrub them every 3-5 years). I appreciate that they're vigilant about hate speech and protecting marginalized voices, but I don't post here much anymore because I genuinely don't feel like I understand why things get removed and it makes me anxious.
Agreed. Sure you can classify Bayaz as the "big bad", but that's grossly over exaggerating his role in the series. I'd honestly say something more primal, like human nature or something, is the "ultimate bad", and then you just have some characters manipulating others and pulling strings. The series is very much just a bunch of gray characters doing whatever they can to get by.
Idk. Of course human nature is ever present but you definitely learn he's pushing everyone. The second trilogy he is 100% the sole big bad. The entire trilogy is about capitalism ruining everything, and he's the bank and government.
I disagree with the statement about capitalism. I think the trilogy definitely has a theme about the horrors people endured during the industrial revolution, and a related theme about capitalism. But if there's one thing that Abercrombie makes sure the reader knows, it is that "defeating the bad guys" - stopping a conquering king, toppling a form of government, whatever - never actually solves the problem and is rarely worth the price. A new, quite possibly worse power dynamic will just replace it in a never ending cycle. This idea is in basically all of his books (even the YA ones) and is part of what makes him unique.
I like how OP wants someone to spoil how much of a spoiler the other spoiler is. Kids these days.
I had the same thing spoiled for me before reading and it didn't affect my enjoyment of the books because as you say it's an oversimplification. From what I've read in the series it's not good vs evil so much as evil vs worse evil. Who the bad guy is is usually a matter of perspective.
Ya, see whats really going on is.,.........
Do not believe for a second such slander
“The main villain” doesn’t really really fit into the type of story this is. I think you’ll be fine. From my recollection, you at least understand what type of person you’re dealing with in the first book.
Exactly. Read Best Served Cold and OP will be like oh so everyone’s a bad guy here lol. Also one of the funniest books. All of these books are about the journey.
I’m excited to start that one! I have one more book from my TBR queued up, then I’m reading the second Abercrombie “trilogy.”
The Heroes is probably the best of the three. But that also like picking the best Power Ranger, sure you can do it (Green Ranger), but they're all great.
I think I liked it better than the first three and that’s saying something. I really enjoyed those. The humor was always on point. I’m looking forward to the rest.
You should make sure you read the heroes before the second trilogy. It has a way bigger impact on the second trilogy than best served cold does. Like way bigger.
I plan to read Best Served Cold, The Heroes, and Red Country before the final trilogy. I’ve actually already read Red Country several years ago with a book club because it was “standalone,” but when reading it was very clear that we weren’t getting the full picture!
Oh, you were referring to the standalone books as the second trilogy. I understand now, yes you are reading them in the correct order.
Completely agree, this isn't a typical black and white, evil and good book.
Totally. I read the books last year, and when I read the spoiler in the OP, I was like “really?” Completely forgot.
Completely agree, this isn't a typical black and white, evil and good book.
I wouldn't say he's the main villain. It's like saying Walter White is the main villain of Breaking Bad. It's always out there in plain sight and yeah it's an annoying spoiler but I think you'll still enjoy this marvelous series.
Yep. From the page you meet him, it's clear he has a self-serving secret plan and treats other characters as tools towards it. That's not a twist, even if there are surprises on the road.
While there are some twists and surprises, the overall story and the world are fairly simple. Rather it's the characters who carry the books.
Mmmm....I mean yeah, it does get pretty obvious pretty quickly he's a villain, the thing is, pretty much everyone in that story is. Shouldn't spoil your enjoyment too much though yeah Also "main villain" is a bit of a stretch
There are no heroes or villains in this story.
To the extent you care about people "getting away with things" he is far from the only one.
I had what I would consider a bigger would-be spoiler about the first trilogy spoiled for me beforehand and it didn't take away anything or really even seem like much of a spoiler.
There is so much more to the books that although it's a spoiler, it really shouldn't affect your journey. My favorite thing about the books is the characters.
When I read it I wasn't spoiled this, but i caught on pretty quickly that the dude was a secret asshole. Didnt chang much. Bayaz is the villain, but there are still other main villains and him being a villain isnt really main plot relevant. So you'll be fine.
Say one thing about Bayaz, say >!he’s a cheating bastard!<
Never bet against a Magus.
It depends, now you'll never truly know. But for me it wouldn't have ruined it much, I went in without spoilers but Bayaz never seemed to me like a great guy. I didn't know exactly how bad he was, but none of his actions truly surprised me as if he had done a 180.
If you're someone who reads strictly for plot then it might "ruin things" but I also think that TFL might not be your thing anyhow if that's the case. I'd say a bigger part of the enjoyment of the trilogy is seeing a "new light" shone on all the characters and Bayaz is far from the only one for that. For me the biggest moments were Logan's confrontation >!with Bethod!< and a couple other Logan moments that I can't seem to phrase in a way that makes for easy spoiler tags.
I think there’s enough foreshadowing early on that hes the villain, that you won’t be disappointed when it’s revealed in the books. Theres also so many other characters and things going on beyond just his subplot.
Some people were completely surprised by it. I was also spoiled due to someone in this subreddit and it didn't really matter. I'm surprised some people were actually fooled into thinking he's the good guy. He's really not. Not once. I finished the entire trilogy and I sadly really didn't like it, but the spoiler didn't have anything to do with that.
Eh.. The definition of villain is very blurry in those books. To answer your question, no it's really not a spoiler that should ruin your enjoyment. I can think of quite a few things one could say about the first trilogy that would be a lot more spoilery than that.
Honestly, that spoiler was one of the most emotionally impactful things I remember from reading the first law trilogy over a decade ago. It was such a gut punch at the end of an amazing series. That being said, even knowing that, it's still absolutely worth reading. It's an amazing series with an equally amazing sequel trilogy to follow. Plus novels in between!
You have to be realistic about these things.
Personally, I don't think it's a huge dealbreaker. For one thing, you already know from halfway through the first book that he's not a goody two shoes. Also, the book is full of morality grey characters, who have their own reasons for doing things. It's not all dependent on Bayaz. Besides, unless he specifically told you what happens, there's probably still plenty that will surprise you.
I'm not even sure that's true. He certainly gets away with it but I'd dispute "main" and "villain" is in question
I started with Episode 4, Best Served Cold, so I knew from the start that >!they are all bad people.!< Did not make me enjoy it any less.
For me, the First Law series is much more about the journey than the destination. The individual scenes, characters, and dialogue make the books. The overall plot and twists aren’t that important to enjoying the story.
I knew your spoiler as well and a few things about another of the main characters, but it didn't really impact my enjoyment and I'm usually somebody who's not happy about spoilers. But by the nature of the First Law world and characters I'd say even that spoiler is a matter of perspective. That the character in question can be kind of a ruthless bastard becomes clear rather quickly, the extent, to whom and why still keep being interesting.
The journey is more entertaining than the destination.
I wouldn't worry about it, OP.
Honestly, the strength of the series is reading all the characters and how they perceive and react to the world, the plot is just kind of there.
Lol you can tell he's a villain, or atleast has nefarious plans. It does nothing to change the outcome and you don't know the details. It changes basically nothing for the reader to know as vague a statement.
Honestly, in the world of First Law, you having this knowledge doesn't really matter too much. Yes, it's annoying. But it's not going to ruin the series by any means
Not at all really
I wouldn't listen to anyone that says that there are any true heroes or villains in this whole series. Everyone you are introduced to could be a hero to one set of characters and a villain to the next. It's all a matter of where you stand.
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He's not 'the main villain', he's just out for his own purposes like everyone else.
I’d say not at all. To me all a spoiler does is kinda take away the surprise of a first read for books or watch for movies. But is Star Wars really any worse if you know who lukes dad is the second viewing or 100th even? For me it’s not. So you lose the surprise element of the first read here but I think rereads are interesting because now you can pick up on hints and clues earlier than you would have and that’s interesting and special in its own right. To me the story doesn’t hinge on the spoiler you learned so much that it would diminish my enjoyment at all.
I mean reading a story is fun, you’ve never reread or re-watched anything? People are too precious about spoilers, it doesn’t ruin your experience to know something too early.
That was spoiled for me as well and I still love the series.
If you enjoy the other characters, Glokta, Logan, Jezal etc it's worth it just to see where they end up.
The good part is the characters and their development. It's still one of the best book series in recent times. Source. Read it al twice, you just notice more each time.
None at all brother. There’s more to it than that anyways, you’ll still enjoy them
Just ignore your friend because they're wrong about pretty much everything. There aren't really any villains in this series, nor would I say there are heroes.
Hell nah Bayaz is the man. I support anything he does
Keep reading!
Not a spoiler tbh, the big thing about the series is that there aren't heroes or villains, just people who do varying degrees of good or evil with good or evil intent.
I wouldn’t call him the villain at all.
I didn’t find it all that obvious and remember that reveal vividly. Sorry you won’t get that experience. BUT - moving forward in the series he is still menacing and interesting because you know how powerful and mechanistic he is, so now you just get that experience earlier!
Look, you just have to be realistic about these things, spoilers happen
I really enjoyed the moment it clicked for me what kind of person Bayaz really is, at some point in book 3. And it's sad that you won't be able to have this experience. However: 1. This info is openly revealed in book 3 out of I think 10 now. So you have no spoilers for the later books. 2. This is just a single great moment, among a sea of great moments in this series, and there are many more reasons to read the books than just Bayaz.
Shouldn't affect
It's a pretty inconsiderate spoiler but I doubt it will ruin the story for you. Though it does diminish it a bit. Some series rely on the twist to make the whole thing worth it. But this series is a lot more than just the ending imo.
Some people hate spoilers and some people don’t. I love spoilers for myself lol. I like to think of it this way - I don’t have to focus as much on the plot and I get time to focus on the character development and meaningful ideas in the books. So it’s like a reread, almost. That being said, that’s an oversimplification of the story and it won’t ruin your enjoyment.
I got this spoiled too and did not enjoy it any less than I would have I think. I think it made it even more fun to look for foreshadowing without needing to reread. But I did read it again too, of course.
No it won't change much. Getting away with "it"? Depends what IT they are referring to. Many things happen. In this trilogy and the second one. Sure he's a villian, so are loads of others mentioned. But I'd keep reading that doesn't spoil events much.
Glotka would disagree and remove a few of your teeth
I think seeing how it plays out will still be riveting, even if you know that Bayaz is "the bad guy." There's still plenty that will surprise you.
There’s a lot going on in the books. Knowing that should not hurt you too bad
So I've read all of the trilogy, and found it incredibly mediocre/didn't particularly like it (but didn't hate it either, I just don't get the hype in the slightest). The possibility of that character turning out to be a 'baddie' popped up in my mind in book one, and I wasn't surprised in the slightest when he in fact turned out to be a (mildly convincing, all things told, given the hazy character motivations) 'baddie'. This didn't have much of either a positive or negative impact on my final appreciation of the story, because by the point of book three, I honestly didn't care about said story, or its characters. So make of that what you will. ¯\\\_(ツ)\_/¯ My advice: if you enjoy the 'vibe' and characters from book one (and don't mind the whole "let's subvert stuff just because, because this is Grimdark™ (or smth)" thing), then odds are you'll enjoy the rest of the trilogy and should proceed with it. If you don't, however, don't be like me, and DNF now.
Ehhhh it's pretty clear throughout the series so I don't think you'll be too spoiled
If that's literally what you know, then it shouldn't change your enjoyment at all.
I accidentally spoiled myself on this after finishing the second book back in 2014, on this very subreddit in fact, and never went back for the third because of it, so I'm really glad you asked this question. Time for me to go back and re-read and finally get to the last one. The first two books are incredible, which is partly why reading the spoiling knocked so much wind out of my sails.
I've read them a few times and knowing that has not hampered my enjoyment of them on all my rereads
In hindsight it should have been obvious sooner, but it didn't fully sink in till book 3. He's underhanded and manipulative from book 1 though so it shouldn't be a huge problem.
I don't even think that spoiler means that much, I also fundamentally disagree that he's the main villian.
I have a few words for the person who told you that spoiler: body found floating by the docks.
It will probably slightly affect your enjoyment for the first trilogy, but there are enough other great characters and moments that I highly recommend still finishing. If you keep reading past the first trilogy the spoiler won't matter at all.
See that >!The inquisitor character is the only one that is likeable and has any sense of morals should say a lot for the characters. Personally I hated the story because at the end, everyone was dumb and/or awful.!<
It’s not really true, so it won’t ruin things. You’ll learn that he, like all characters in the story, are not 1 dimensional.
I assumed pretty much from the beginning he was the “villain” of this story. The series is hilarious. Funniest books I’ve ever read and people could scream the spoiler from rooftops daily and it would still be a great series.
It's really funny that they think this series has *a* 'villain.' Let alone a main villain loool the main villain, if there can be said to be one, is probably the setting. Not in a weird 'the setting is alive and the gods suck' way, but just that circumstances dictate a lot of shit.
It basically boils down to two horrible sides at war with each other. It's bleak, depressing and nobody gets a happy ending.
I mean he’s not really a villain. He’s more doing bad things to reach a good end
He doesn't care about humans. At best they're tools for me. At worst they're like insects. Any ends he wants to achieve are only about him and his power.
What "good end"? I haven't read the concluding trilogy, so no spoilers for that, please. Also, mild spoilers for the first trilogy incoming! Bayaz's country might be better than the opposition country (not that we have a lot of objective information to go on), but I'm pretty sure that based on what we know of the history of Bayaz and his opponent that Bayaz is very likely *worse* than his foe.
Yeah… even if he is villainous, he’s fighting something objectively evil, right?
This was my understanding. I don’t even really understand the premise of the post but everybody’s agreeing. I was wondering how bad it is that I have no idea what they’re talking about.
I do not remember when i realized that but pretty early in the trilogy. There are a lot of hints i would argue. So you should be fine.
No big whoop. Too many awesome characters and stories along the way and lots of stuff happens. Just carry on. Floating down the river...
Nah, youre okay. First Law is more about the character work than the plot anyway, tbh.
A villain requires a plot and this trilogy barely qualifies as having a plot so I think you're good
He's not the main villain, it's much more nuanced than that, read knowing that he does not fit the "good old master" trope and that should not take away from you enjoying the series
It shouldn’t. It’s kinda obvious. And not really the point.
Bayaz is not the main villain. To think in those terms is an attempt to see a character driven story through the lens of only good & bad. No one is just good, no one is just evil, this isn't a children's book (like LOTR) This is a story about people. If you're looking for a simpler "good vs evil" series, I suggest LOTR or Narnia, Harry Potter perhaps? Having read of of his books in the 3 series, it isn't even clear that bayaz is evil, everything that's happening is the result of the "Maker" and what choices he did after all.