26 July 2007

Booking Through Thursday: Best Moustache-Twirling

Who’s the worst fictional villain you can think of? As in, the one you hate the most, find the most evil, are happiest to see defeated? Not the cardboard, two-dimensional variety, but the most deliciously-written, most entertaining, best villain? Not necessarily the most “evil,” so much as the best-conceived on the part of the author…oh, you know what I mean!
Oooh ... I really wish The Silence of the Lambs wasn’t still buried in my TBR box – Hannibal’d be a shoo-in!

Of the books that I have actually read, the first bad guy that springs to mind is Captain Jonathan Randall from Diana Gabaldon’s Cross Stitch. He really does make your skin crawl, all the more so because his twisted mind is hidden behind a charming and seemingly sane façade. I have got to get around to reading the rest of the series, in the hopes of seeing him meet a sticky and well-deserved end.

Other good villains (okay, it’s an oxymoron, but you know what I mean) that spring to mind are Gilbert Osmond from Portrait of a Lady and Sir Percival Glyde from The Woman in White. The former is a cold man who crushes Isobel and Pansy’s chances of happiness; while the latter will do almost anything to hide his usurpation of another’s inheritance.

And if you’re talking villains in the plural, Pale Moon Rider by Marsha Canham features a wonderfully evil triumvirate. Each despises the others, but can’t cut them loose because the others know where the bodies are buried - in one case, literally. And neither has any compunction about using the heroine and her little brother to further their schemes.

Next month I’ll dig into my TBR box and meet Hannibal....

12 comments:

  1. Ah, we both recognize Osmond!

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  2. I've tagged you for The Blogging Tips Meme - hope you'll play along!

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  3. Great Answers!!

    Happy Thursday!

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  4. Once you've met Hannibal, he'll be right up there on your list.

    This is proving to be a great question because the answers are so diverse and make me want to read the books.

    cjh

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  5. Ditto on Randall!

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  6. I think Hannibal will be list. Creepy!

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  7. Ditto ditto on Randall!

    I don't think I could read Silence of the Lambs. I saw the movie and it creeped me out so badly!

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  8. Hey! Hannibal....he is some character and unquestionably a monster, although I wouldn't call him a villain. Anyway, I wanted to say you should read Red Dragon and Hannibal, and Hannibal Rising is worth a read too. I don't think you have to read them in order necessarily but they are worth reading. Brilliant stories and brilliant characters. Lector is an outstanding human in many ways, superb intelligence.

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  9. I agree with Randall, I see that many people list Randall as villian the most. I do love Outlander series and it one of my favorite. I hope others people would read it..it that good

    Great choice, Happy Booking Through Thursday

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  10. I feel so unread after reading many of these responses! LOL More books to add to my wishlist if only for the villians. :-)

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  11. Randall seems to be a popular choice - or should that be unpopular?

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  12. Ooh, I agree... Randall's a good one. What a nasty guy.

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Header image shows detail of A Young Girl Reading by Jean-Honoré Fragonard, c. 1776