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! – BTT
Hard to say because I generally enjoy well written villains, and I don’t always read books where there is a clear cut villains. In recent memory, I think Watership Down‘s General Wormwort. I liked everyone in that book, and I found the villain equally as interesting. I really looked forward to how he would get is comeuppance.
Most children’s literature has great villains. Roald Dahl has always written nasty adults well. I remember reading the Narnia books and so pleased when the White Witch was defeated. Yes, even Harry Potter, because I think Dolores Umbridge is deliciously bad. She is a nasty piece of work. Another good book with a well constructed villain is Louis Sachar’s award winning Holes.
7 Comments
Stephanie
Great Answers! I was full expecting to see many posts filled with Lord Voldemort. But I’ve been surprised with great answers!
Happy Thursday!
Debi
I don’t think I would have come up with the Warden from Holes, but what a great answer!
CJHill
I’m with Debim but for your Watership Down nomination. Wormwort was an excellent villian and the book is amazing because you forget that the characters are rabbits.
cjh
CeeCee
Someone commented her worse impression of a villain came from her childhood too. I tend to agree but could not for the life of me remember any names.
Barbara H.
Somehow I have never read Watership Down — I need to! I agree about the White Witch and many villains from children’s literature.
alala
I thought Jack Schitt, from the Tuesday Next books by Jasper Fforde, was really villainy. Not moustache-twirling Snidely Whiplash evil, but like the real people I think of as evil. Like Dick Cheney evil, you know?
I wandered over here from Ravelry, by the way.
Athena
Jack was rather villainy. It’s been awhile since I’ve read those books which reminds me I must reserve a copy of the new one soon. That is a good choice, and yes, he is rather good at being evil. I also think Dick Cheney is the Penguin so I wouldn’t be surprised if he did do some moustache twirling.
Thanks for the comment and for coming via Ravelry.