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I think that Finn would have had his arse handed to him by most of the investigators we see in the previous books.
In a battle, yes. The Investigators come from a much darker era. They were real murderers working for a terrifying regime. But the thing is, they would have never got close to him. He is too skilled in manipulation and will obliterate them with a third party force like the uber espers, like he did with the fellow Paragons.
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I also find him really petty and childish.
I prefer a villain that I can sympathise with, to some extent.
Well, to a degree Finn is a victim of his inability to love. He is a sociopath and I'm not saying it just as insult - I think that his condition was medical as this was strongly hinted in his conversations with Anne and in his final duel with Douglas. But yes, he is still a complete monster - and I love him for that! I am a bit tired of books in which you read book after book, only to discover in the end that the villain is not that bad. For example, I do like and sympathize Anakin from "Star Wars", but I think that we can all agree that he is not as cool as ESB Vader.
We know that Finn maybe is born a monster - but is still a monster. And I like that!
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Douglas was the victim of the piece, I agree. He just wasn't cut out for the role, was he? Too weak.
To a degree, I find that all characters in the second series, including Lewis, are a bit weak and not as magnificent as the characters in the original series. But this makes them more interesting and likable, at least for me. And I am not sure what could have Douglas done differently... he was in impossible situation, betrayed by his closest friends and his true love. He remained a good man and this, for me, is a tremendous power...
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That said, the fact I talk about both as if dissecting real people is a testament to Simon's writing ability.
Yes, and I'm loving it! I love such discussions! Maybe it's too geeky, but hey, there's nothing wrong with that!