Hold Me Closer, Necromancer Theme of Good vs. Evil

Our culture is full of classic tales where the forces of good clash with the bad intentions of villains. And in Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, as Sam struggles to protect his family and friends from destruction as Douglas sets out to destroy Sam at all costs, we find ourselves with another addition to the library of Good Versus Evil stories. In an interesting twist, though, the folks on both sides of this fight are necromancers. We don't know about you, but we generally think of dudes who can raise the dead as pretty evil—but Sam forces us to reconsider this.

Questions About Good vs. Evil

  1. Is there anything sympathetic in Douglas as a villain? Or is he just pure evil?
  2. How does Sam compare and contrast with other heroes in similar stories?
  3. What specific factors motivate Sam to want to destroy Douglas? Are they all good? Or is a bit of a mixed bag?
  4. Will Sam succeed in his desire to use his power for good in the future? Or, will he get drunk on it and abuse it like Douglas did?

Chew on This

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

Brooke's murder, along with Douglas's threats against his friends and family, give Sam the motivation he needs to go after Douglas. His motives, in other words, are pure.

Without his experience at his cousin's funeral and subsequent alliance with Aunt Lynn, Douglas might have ended up being a pretty decent guy.