The Carryx - TFoB
TFoB spoilers below.
SPOILER >!I just finished TFoB and now I am wondering, are the Carryx really the villains here? Yes their methods are definitely cruel and unforgiving, but species have survived quite well under their rule (notably the lothark) and they seem to be fighting against a mindless zombie species based on the conversation between Dafyd and the spy when they compared it to lichen. I am waiting for the hammer to drop next book where Dafyd successfully does toss the Carryx into chaos only to realize he has doomed the universe.!<
>!The interrogation at the end of the book, seemed like the other humans they found didn't seem particularly friendly. So either they have dealt with Carryx controlled humans before or they see them as a threat, not a group to work with or be rescued. It makes me think they aren't going to be the heros to save humanity that they were made out to be.!<
>!Additionally, TFoB showed that the Carryx are very good at compartmentalizing. So I could see them maintaining multiple populations of species without any of them knowing so as to always keep the threat of extinction real for each group while actually maintaining populations of all species, thus saving the greater universe in the long term from the undying threat.!<