I didn't read the books and really have no intentions of reading them for the simple reason I prefer to make up my own stories about details left out of the game. :P That said, I don't spare Loghain because of the facts presented in the game. As portrayed in the game, he was a power hungry traitor guilty of murdering not only the king and all but two of the Grey Wardens, but slews of others as well. *IF* he was so certain that there wasn't a snowball's chance in hello to end the blight there in Ostagar, then instead of setting the king, the king's army, knights from other places, and all of Fereldens' Grey Wardens up for slaughter, he should have flat out refused to have anything to do with it to begin with. Perhaps his flat out refusal would have given Cailin pause to rethink his actions. Instead, Loghain connived with the likes of Arl Howe in secret and blood mages in secret. He planned on quitting the field in the very beginning. He had Arl Eammon poisoned to ensure he didn't interfere with his plans. He allowed Arl Howe to take over Highever, torture nobles, and then sold elves into slavery. He also allowed Arl Howe to imprison his own daughter. The dude was seriously messed up and not only deserved his fate, he asked for it imo.