Subject: review of _Villains by Necessity_ by Eve Forward

From: [email-masked] (Kevin B. Hewett)
Date: Sat, 11 Mar 1995 00:19:06 GMT

Eve Forward's first novel is set in a world where the eternal struggle
between good and evil has been won by the forces of good.  This unexpected
victory has brought about a "Golden Age" where war, poverty, crime and
other evils are no longer needed or tolerated.  Thus swords have been 
turned into plows and peace and prosperity reigns without dispute.  At
least that is what the victorious forces would have the population 
believe.  The truth is that without evil and darkness there is no place
for goodness and light.  Thus the world is slowing being destroyed by
the light which is not balanced by darkness.  This imbalace is central 
to the plot and is symbolised throughout the novel by the growing light.
Thus shadows fade from sight during daylight and the night begins to 
resemble dawn, even at midnight.  If the imbalance is not corrected, the
world will be destroyed by the light itself.

  In order to save the world from destruction, a yound female Druid, 
Kaylana, assembles a band of heroes who will champion evil and attempt 
to bring darkness back into the world.  Kaylana is the last of her 
religion since the druids, who believed in the balance between good and
evil, were deemed an obstacle to the triumph of the light.  The heroes
she finds include the assassin Sam, the thief Arcie, a black knight who
refuses to speak, a dark sorceress Valerie who wants revenge and a young 
Centaur Robin who is a spy for the light.  Together, this fractious band
of adventurers must reasseble the Spectrum Key which can unlock the portal
through which the creatures of darkness were exiled.

  The tests which the heroes must overcome to acquire each portion of the
Spectrum Key form the backbone of the tale.  In addition, the characters 
must overcome internal strife which threatens to tear the party apart and
avoid the forces of good led by the wizard Mizzamir and the impestuous 
knight Sir Fenwick.  

  This unusual twist to the standard "quest to save the world" fantasy 
novel is enjoyable to read.  The action and dialogue moves along rather
quickly and althought the resolution of the quest is never really in doubt, 
the plot does contain several unexpected twists which makes the book stand
apart from the standard tales of the genre.  Eve Forward has written
a well-crafted novel for her first published work and should provide 
readers with many equally good works in the future.

%A Forward, Eve
%T Villains by Necessity
%I TOR
%C New York
%D March 1995
%G ISBN 0-312-85789-6
%P 446 pp
%O hardcover, US$24.95

  Kevin B. Hewett            |     KNOWLEDGE
  [email-masked]     |              IS A
  Dept. of Chemistry         |                   TWO-EDGED
  Texas A&M University       |                            SWORD