In contrast to that, it is only at the end of Ravenor Rogue that Ravenor’s fate becomes clear - or rather, Ravenor claims to know what lies ahead for him, but it quickly becomes apparent to the reader that his journey hasn’t quite ended yet. The events in Hereticus only serve to make clear to the reader just what happens to him, because the reader already knows what Eisenhorn will do, but not how. At the end Malleus, the second book in Eisenhorn’s trilogy, it’s clear what sort of fate Eisenhorn is going to meet, what course of action he’s going to take. The only difference, however, is that due to the choice of narrative perspective Abnett uses for the Ravenor books, Ravenor’s fate is not as clearly telegraphed as Eisenhorn’s in the Eisenhorn trilogy. Just like his mentor Eisenhorn, Ravenor makes a decision that affects the lives of those around him, and which leads him down a very dark road. I found it interesting that, in a way, this novel paralleled Hereticus, the last novel in the Eisenhorn trilogy.

It crops up a lot in nonfiction as well, but I’m biased to its interpretations in fiction because it often comes across as a little less moralistic that way.Īt any rate, the latest work of fiction that I’ve read that plays with the possibilities of that statement is Ravenor Rogue by Dan Abnett, the third and final book in his Ravenor trilogy. There are plenty of examples of this in fiction - really, all one has to do is pick a genre and an author and it won’t be long until one comes across a situation that suits the spirit of the statement. The statement is a reminder that there’s a time and place for everything, and knowing the difference between when to interfere, and when not to, can make or break the outcome of a situation. Even when one thinks one knows what one is doing, it might be best not to interfere. It’s meant to prevent one from meddling in another person’s business, a reminder to leave a situation well enough alone unless one is invited to do so.

The statement “The road to hell is paved with good intentions” is a hoary old warning, something everyone has heard in some way, shape, or form throughout life, and it’s something one will continue to hear for the rest of one’s life.

Eisenhorn ravenor