Any representation of evil, violence, or the grotesque could, at some point, be seen as gratuitous or inappropriate. This is an accusation that is difficult to avoid. Perhaps this is why Koontz not only professed a compulsion to portray evil, but to portray it as evil, to temper it by making it look “pathetic.” In particular, he claimed to accomplish this by refusing to “never glorify a villain.” This seems like a good rule of thumb for the Christian artist.
