This week’s Booking Through Thursday is all about the villain. 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!
Don’t forget to leave a link to your actual response (so people don’t have to go searching for it) in the comments—or if you prefer, leave your answers in the comments themselves.
Isabel Says:
First person that comes to mind is Euphemia from Julia Garwood’s The Wedding. That woman is evil. She was one of those mother in laws from hell. She was telling Brenna how to run her household by makeing “helpful” suggestions. She often called Brenna “child” which Brenna hated. Euphemia also “accidently” ruined all the decorating Brenna had done.
The kicker though was not only did she tell Brenna that she should submit to her other son Raen, she was also the traiter to her step son, Connor’s clan.
Evil, evil, evil woman.
Holly Says:
There have been so many great villains out there it’s really hard for me to choose just one. But I think I’m going to go with the villain from Dean Koontz‘s The Door To December. Melanie, a three year old, is kidnapped by her father and subjected to numerous tortures and tests. He (her father) wanted to prove that you could bring out psychic abilities in people if only you could get them to open their minds, and he chose his young daughter to test the theory. She was left in a sensory-deprivation tank for hours and hours (sometimes even days on end) and forced to do test after test. She was shown no love or compassion and was treated exactly as a test subject would be.
All of this from her father. Yes, I think he definitely tops my list.
What about the rest of you??
GREAT discussion topic!
I agree, Euphemia was EVIL!!
How about Sally’s father (Amory St. John) in Catherine Coulter’s The Cove? He beat his wife, had his adult daughter declared insane and locked up in an asylumn where they kept her drugged and he came in every week to abuse her (psychologically, sexually & physically). PLUS, he was having an affair with her aunt (his wife’s sister) and he stalked Sally and tried to kill her.
this is a good topic! unfortunately, i can’t think of any. lol
euphemia was nasty, that bitch. haha
Two real baddies popped in my mind as I was reading this.
First, General Amberson Scott, father-in-law to Richard Tiernan in Anne Stuart’s NIGHT FALL. Referred to as “the General” in the book he embodies evil and malevolence. He’s one of the worst sociopath’s I’ve ever read, which considering how on-the-edge of normal the hero Richard Tiernan is in this one, that’s saying something.
Well, except for Jim Beckett in Lisa Gardner’s THE PERFECT HUSBAND. He’s a ‘perfect’ cop gone bad. We know from the beginning he’s a baddie but Gardner does a wonderful job of revealing how depraved a bad guy is once he’s caught and then escapes. Especially when the person who helped catch him is his wife, the heroine. Scary and creepy.
Thanks, Holly, for your comment on my blog about my choice of Heathcliff as the worst villain. Isn’t it interesting how our experiences (in life and in reading) affect our choices (in life and in reading).
This comment has been removed by the author.
I hate to seem like I’m talking up my own book, but Julian of Harwick from The Daystar seriously gave me the creeps while writing that book.
Also, I have to agree wuth Isabel. Euphimia is one awful character.
Rene, you’re right. Julian WAS creepy as fuck. I got all squicked out while reading about him. Good call.
Gracie,
I really can’t believe I didn’t think of him myself. Seriously.
Rosie,
I haven’t read either of those, but I think I might now.
Ange,
I haven’t read CC, either. I’ve heard mixed things about her.