But it's not fun bashing, it's just trying to tear down everything to do with the series. When a simple question about Micah degenerates into people trying to figure out the most graphic way to kill him, it's not even worth my time anymore.

Maybe the readers in question just really overidentified with the characters and felt betrayed when the plot went a way they didn't like.

The books changed in NiC, really. That was in 2001. Frankly, it's time to move on.