Today on Seeing Night Reviews I have author Resa Nelson who would like us to meet the Villain of here Dragonslayer series Mandulane! Don't forget to check the links below for a free mini ebook for the Dragonslayer series + enter the goodreads giveaway!
by Resa Nelson
My four-book Dragonslayer series revolves around Astrid, a young female blacksmith who makes swords for dragonslayers. But every good hero needs a villain. The villain of the Dragonslayer series is Mandulane, a man who has risen through the ranks to become the warrior king of a new religion whose followers threaten to destroy Astrid’s beloved Northlands, a fantasy land similar to Scandinavia during the Viking era.
But who is Mandulane? In book one, The Dragonslayer’s Sword, Astrid briefly hears a rumor of an event that has happened in another country – this is actually the first hint of Mandulane. (Book one has its own villains.) In book two, The Iron Maiden, we meet some of his followers, whose actions demonstrate the severity of the threat of an impending invasion. In book three, The Stone of Darkness, Astrid’s meets Mandulane in a deadly encounter and learns his threat is far more serious than anyone in the Northlands has imagined. In book four, The Dragon’s Egg, Mandulane comes into his own as an extremely dangerous villain.
Mandulane makes my blood run cold because he’s an extremely powerful man who can never love anyone but himself. He only cares about getting what he wants and has no regard for others, not even his own devoted soldiers. He understands the difference between right and wrong and doesn’t care.
In other words, Mandulane is a true sociopath.
He terrified is me because he’s unpredictable. One minute he can be having a perfectly normal conversation and the next minute he can literally cut someone off at knees. He sees women simply as things to be used. He doesn’t even consider women to be human. When this becomes clear to Astrid, she’s shocked that any man can be so callous. At the same time, she understands the depth of the dangers she and other women now face.
When I created Mandulane, I thought a lot about how many men in the middle ages considered women to have less value than certain animals like horses and cows. This tells me that these men thought women were animals, not human like men. Otherwise, how could they have thought women were beneath animals and men? Ironically, I began to feel sorry for Mandulane. He learned these attitudes and beliefs from his family and community, and it takes great courage to think for yourself and rise above what you’ve been taught all of your life. Mandulane will never have that kind of courage. So as deadly a villain as he is, I also pity him.
There is one thing about Mandulane that made me look forward to writing every scene in which he appeared. He’s a clotheshorse. He sees waging war and going into battle as a way to show off his beautiful clothes. He sees every fight as an opportunity to steal beautiful clothing and war accessories from the dead. Like many sociopaths, what he cares about is looking good.
At the end of the day, Mandulane is a dangerous villain because he forces his will upon others, and in my opinion the desire to control people is the source of all evil.
But who is Mandulane? In book one, The Dragonslayer’s Sword, Astrid briefly hears a rumor of an event that has happened in another country – this is actually the first hint of Mandulane. (Book one has its own villains.) In book two, The Iron Maiden, we meet some of his followers, whose actions demonstrate the severity of the threat of an impending invasion. In book three, The Stone of Darkness, Astrid’s meets Mandulane in a deadly encounter and learns his threat is far more serious than anyone in the Northlands has imagined. In book four, The Dragon’s Egg, Mandulane comes into his own as an extremely dangerous villain.
Mandulane makes my blood run cold because he’s an extremely powerful man who can never love anyone but himself. He only cares about getting what he wants and has no regard for others, not even his own devoted soldiers. He understands the difference between right and wrong and doesn’t care.
In other words, Mandulane is a true sociopath.
He terrified is me because he’s unpredictable. One minute he can be having a perfectly normal conversation and the next minute he can literally cut someone off at knees. He sees women simply as things to be used. He doesn’t even consider women to be human. When this becomes clear to Astrid, she’s shocked that any man can be so callous. At the same time, she understands the depth of the dangers she and other women now face.
When I created Mandulane, I thought a lot about how many men in the middle ages considered women to have less value than certain animals like horses and cows. This tells me that these men thought women were animals, not human like men. Otherwise, how could they have thought women were beneath animals and men? Ironically, I began to feel sorry for Mandulane. He learned these attitudes and beliefs from his family and community, and it takes great courage to think for yourself and rise above what you’ve been taught all of your life. Mandulane will never have that kind of courage. So as deadly a villain as he is, I also pity him.
There is one thing about Mandulane that made me look forward to writing every scene in which he appeared. He’s a clotheshorse. He sees waging war and going into battle as a way to show off his beautiful clothes. He sees every fight as an opportunity to steal beautiful clothing and war accessories from the dead. Like many sociopaths, what he cares about is looking good.
At the end of the day, Mandulane is a dangerous villain because he forces his will upon others, and in my opinion the desire to control people is the source of all evil.
Synopsis for The Dragon’s Egg (Book 4)In the fourth and final book of the Dragonslayer series, Mandulane’s army is poised to attack the Northlands in the name of a powerful god, but in truth Mandulane is using the act of spreading this new faith as a way to disguise his own personal greed and hunger for power.
Astrid has succeeded in warning her beloved country of imminent danger, and the Northlanders scramble to set up a clever defense, never realizing a spy in their midst is poised to take critical information directly to Mandulane.
After sacrificing herself in order to set her brother Drageen free for the sake of protecting the Northlands, Astrid finds herself controlled by the stone of light. Although it forces her path of destiny, Astrid learns she must make one final choice about who she wants to be.
Most important of all, her new sweetheart Trep encounters a dragon that entrusts him with the care of a dragon’s egg. Trep embraces a dangerous journey and accepts the duty of protecting the unhatched dragon, knowing that its safety could impact the fate of the entire world.
Resa Nelson’s first novel, The Dragonslayer’s Sword, was nominated for the Nebula Award and was also a Finalist for the EPPIE Award. This medieval fantasy novel is based on a short story first published in the premiere issue of Science Fiction Age magazine and ranked 2nd in that magazine's first Readers Top Ten Poll. The Dragonslayer's Sword is Book 1 in her 4-book Dragonslayer series, which also includes The Iron Maiden (Book 2), The Stone of Darkness (Book 3), and The Dragon’s Egg (Book 4).
Resa's standalone novel, Our Lady of the Absolute, is a fantasy/mystery/thriller about a modern-day society based on ancient Egypt. Midwest Book Review gave this book a 5-star review, calling it "a riveting fantasy, very highly recommended."
She has been selling fiction professionally since 1988. She is a longtime member of SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America) and is a graduate of the Clarion SF Workshop. Resa was also the TV/Movie Columnist for Realms of Fantasy magazine for 13 years and was a contributor to SCI FI magazine. She has sold over 200 articles to magazines in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Resa lives in Massachusetts. Visit her website at http://www.resanelson.com.
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