Your ideals are not always the correct ideals. Jebel Rum learns this in the novel The Thin Executioner by Darren Shan. The Thin Executioner follows Jebel on his travels to become the man he wants to be. Along the way, Jebel encounters people and obstacles that slowly sway his mind away from the mindset of his people who think the Abu Aineh are always right, and everyone else deserves to die. Shan subtly shows the reader the evils that can be born from a person thinking they are always correct from the view point of Jebel meeting controlling people on his travels. Shan makes a very convincing argument to not think you are always right. The main portrayal to Shan’s idea is how Jebel grows throughout the story. Jebel is described to hate all slaves, even his travelling companion, yet he cannot kill his slave Tel Hasani to become invincible because Tel has become his friend. Jebel was so convinced slaves were worthless, but he comes to realize no life is worthless. Another example of being wrong when you think you are in the right comes with the overzealous missionary, Qasr Bint. When Jebel and Tel are ‘taken in’ by the Um Biyara, Qasr Bint forces his masochistic religion in them both. Qasr Bint must subconsciously realize he is committing atrocities because he never hurts himself, but he convinces his followers to hurt themselves and others; retribution is inflicted in the form of a god killing Qasr Bint for his greedy ways.

The Thin Executioner, though a totally unique plot line, has the same disturbing writing style of all Darren Shan novels. This novel is very similar to the Cirque series by Shan in that the main character has changed his outlook on life by the end. Many wars can be related to this novel as well. WWII for example came about because Hitler was trying to forces his ideals on others. The Thin Executioner shows the reader to always be unpretentious. Shan expertly shows the wrongs of trying to command anyone or shove your beliefs on them.