Top Ten Tuesday – delicious villains!

As I’ve by now mentioned multiple times, I haven’t been able to do much blogging or reading due to my cross-country move. However, I am excited to get back in the saddle and start participating again in TTT. As usual, Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl hosts these weekly challenges (so, see her blog for more info).

Today’s prompt is about villains. What are your top ten favorites? Which ones are the worst? The most lovable? Maybe the creepiest or most evil? Here is my top ten list where I indicate the reason a particular villain has been chosen. Per usual I am linking to my Goodreads reviews if they exist.

TTT villains galore. Is most of my list gonna be comprised of Stephen King characters???? Surprisingly not!

1. It. Yeah, It might be my favorite villain of any book I’ve ever read. This evil entity is erratic, creepy, can shapeshift, gets so much pleasure out of torture, is basically unbeatable, and completely psychotic. Pair this with King’s superb writing style and you have the villain of a lifetime.
2. Professor Umbridge. I don’t think I am alone in choosing her over Lord Voldemort as the ultimate HP villain. She is so freaking calculating and heartless.
3. Dracula. Reading about blood-sucking vampires is one of my favorite past times. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is definitely my favorite. But Stephen King conjured a close second in Salem’s Lot.
4. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille. He is a lovable villain for sure. Is it his fault he turned out to be a mad murderer? Probably not. Does he haunt everyone around him? Yes. Yes, he does.
5. Hannibal Lecter. Another villain I love to hate. He for sure is one of the worst because he is so incredibly smart and disciplined. He manipulates people. He calculates his every move. But getting insight into his psyche is just fascinating and no matter how evil his next step, I look forward to being disturbed by it.
6. The Devil in The Master and Margarita. I know this is a satire. But, oh boy, does Bulgakov use the devil in the best way possible.
7. Death in The Book Thief might be my favorite narrator of any book.
8. Hunter in Neverwhere. Is she a villain or anti-hero? Unclear. However, she makes this list because her character sucks you in. She is powerful, smart, cunning, and just an all-around badass; only to let you down by looking out for herself when push comes to shove. That makes for a really good villain in my opinion.
9. The Outsider. This is a great villain because this entity is so modern, so timely, so relevant. It’s also slippery and hard to grasp. This evil is unattainable. It surrounds us. It influences and manipulates us. It is always a few steps ahead of us. Yes, the outsider reminds me of It in that sense. But who cares! Stephen King can create some amazing villains.
10. Jabberwock in Alice. First of all, I love a retelling of Alice in Wonderland. Secondly, the Jabberwock is so dark and creepy that you can’t help yourself but be afraid. Yet, at the same time, he pulls you in and you care about him because he does remind you of the cute rabbit from the original story. What made him that way? Why is he doing these evil things? How did he become so depraved? You want to know and at the same time, you don’t. What a wonderful villain!