Nice Job Breaking It, Herod: Difference between revisions

* In ''[[Curse of the Wolfgirl]]'', it is revealed that [[Retired Monster]] Malveria pulled this one out of the playbook back before the "retired" part. Since then, she's become part of the heroes' group of [[True Companions]], and when the obligatory survivor turns up, it is as the [[Big Bad]] of the book.

* ''[[Vorkosigan Saga]]'': Mad Emperor Yuri of Barrayar attempted to kill off everyone else who might have a claim to the Imperium, but he missed Aral Vorkosigan. (He did get Aral's mother and older brother, though.) He also didn't bother trying to kill Aral's father, Piotr Vorkosigan, who wasn't in the line of succession. (This is further evidence of just how mad he was.) Piotr threw his support behind Yuri's brother, who was also missed, and started the civil war that took Yuri down. Two years later, Aral, aged thirteen, got to take the first cut in the long drawn out execution of the ex-emperor.

* In ''[[Gwenhwyfar]]'' by [[Mercedes Lackey]], which is based on Arthurian Legend, the protagonist hears of how Arthur, under the advice of the Merlin, killed all newborn babies in the kingdom (it's even implied that this is the reason why {{spoiler|Gwen's mother dies while giving birth to her baby brother, who also dies}}). Toward the end of the book, [[Big Bad|Medraut]] reveals that {{spoiler|Arthur was trying to kill his illegitimate (and incestuous) son, but Morganna and Anna Morgause foresaw it and worked a spell that caused Medraut to be born a few months early, saving him from Arthur's wrath}}.

* King Erius in ''The Bone Doll's Twin'' kills off female relatives who can challenge him for the throne (traditionally held by a queen due to divine mandate). He spares his baby sister Ariani, but has no intention of doing the same for her daughter - except that the daughter is passed off as stillborn and then raised in the guise of her dead twin brother.