Not directed at you! I just recalled the situation when the author (Stirling) was being criticized for his "Draka" series of alternate history novels:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Domination
Some people thought the "Bad Guys" in the series were portrayed too sympathetically. He pointed out, "It's a dystopia, you twit", and also made the point virtually none of the great tyrants throughout history have ever actually considered themselves to be evil.
Ah! I though you wuz slammin’ editor-surveyor. I couldn’t let that happen for something I said.