What's a fantasy adventure without good versus evil? It's like a birthday party without cake. So like any good fantasy adventure, Sabriel has a diabolical villain who's trying to—dare we say it—rule the world. Or at least make his own rules, and wipe out most of the world's existing rules in the process.
In addition to the blatantly no-good ways of Kerrigor, this story explores the subtler evil of the imprisoned spirit Mogget, who's on the good side as long as he's safely trapped in cat form (but once he's let loose, look out). The bottom line in this: Any story that has zombie battles, flaming death demons, and a final showdown with an undead sorcerer has really got the good versus evil theme nailed.
Questions About Good vs. Evil
- It seems pretty obvious that Kerrigor is the evilest guy in Evil Town. What are his motivations? What's he trying to achieve by breaking the Charter?
- Mogget is a Free Magic spirit trapped in cat form. When freed, he attacks out of a desire to revenge his thousand years of servitude. How is his motivation different from Kerrigor's? Is he truly evil?
- How does evil manifest itself in the Old Kingdom? What measures are taken to protect against it?
- Across the board, the characters in this book who believe in Charter Magic are good guys. What do you think this says about the importance of controlling magic in the Old Kingdom?
Chew on This
Rules and order are good, and chaos is evil—this is how Sabriel's world works.
Kerrigor believes in Free Magic, not Charter Magic. What's so evil about that?