| Re: How to make the reader root for the villains?
the most successful way I've seen this done is in the Wild Card books (ed. George R. R. Martin)
the way it is achieved is by writing chapters from each character's viewpoint, sketching out their motives and plans, but not placing them in any direct confrontation with any other characters untill the stage has been set and the reader has made their decision about whether to like them before the conflicts start, based on the character.
the TV series Heros did something similar with all the confusion about which "side" all the characters are on and, as it progresses, finding out that the sides are subject to change as circumstances dictate. |