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Book Villains

R

Russell Brooks

New Member
Hello, everyone.

I've always thought that the best movies and books were those that had the most memorable villains. Remember Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Hannibal Lechtor (who needs no introduction).

Who are your favorite villains in a novel and why.

Mine are: Jim Hilger from the John Rain series by Barry Eisler. He's such a patriot that he will cause havoc elsewhere so that the US can appear like the world's savior.

Alex Cork: from the Jack Daniels series by JA Konrath. A real psychopath that plays around with heroine Jack Daniels, who cannot help but feel sorry for her.

Queen Akasha from Queen of the Damned, by Anne Rice. Probably the world's oldest feminist.
 
Bernard Cornwell is specialy good with villans,revenge is one of the deep engines of his writing.Often i was desapointed by the mild ending of the terrible ones.Lancelot in the winter king is someone you feel like strangling on each apparition.
 
Ha! Cornwell's Lancelot definitely was an insufferable SOB. He does write some nice villains. You want them to die so badly, and Cornwell always obliges.....

James Lee Burke writes some pretty awful villains as well. I would vote for just about any of them, especially the mentally unbalanced/serial killer types. His mafia villains are pretty interesting and humorous as well.


I like the villains that are just completely relentless and so McCarthy's Anton Chigurh from no country for old men rates a nod. Sort of like a philosophically minded Terminatior Robot.
 
753C said:
James Lee Burke writes some pretty awful villains as well. I would vote for just about any of them, especially the mentally unbalanced/serial killer types. His mafia villains are pretty interesting and humorous as well.
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I have to agree, I am still reading his Dave Robicheaux series in order, the last one being The Confederate Dead in the Electric Mist, and Baby Feet, the villain of the piece was played by John Goodman in the film to perfection.

Then there are Percival Glyde and Count Fosco from The Woman in White.
 
I really like Tom Ripley, from Patricia Highsmith's series. A suave, intelligent, manipulative, sophisticated, sensitive, artistic, remorseless sociopath. I also love Hannibal Lecter for similar reasons.
 
Lawrence Block's Bernie Rhodenbarr, the likeable burglar..if there ever was such a thing, except in fiction...Raffles is another.
 
Russell Brooks said:
I'm still reading James Patterson. Really enjoyed Along Came a Spider and saw this Gary Soneji character. Creeped me out.
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You and me both!
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Gretchen Lowell in Chelsea Cain's series was pretty awful in a totally "it's a trainwreck and I can't stop looking" way.

I've only read the first of the J.A. Konrath series and wasn't overwhelmed, but now that y'all are saying that she has a good villan I'll have to check out the next books in her series. I am a total sucker for reading recommendations.
 
Fish Lady said:
Gretchen Lowell in Chelsea Cain's series was pretty awful in a totally "it's a trainwreck and I can't stop looking" way.

I've only read the first of the J.A. Konrath series and wasn't overwhelmed, but now that y'all are saying that she has a good villan I'll have to check out the next books in her series. I am a total sucker for reading recommendations.
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The first one, I believe it's called Rusty Nail, is the only one in the series that I haven't read. The other books make reference to the Gingerbread Man. I'm still trying to find it at my local book stores. If not, then I'll order it online.
 
Fish Lady said:
Gretchen Lowell in Chelsea Cain's series was pretty awful in a totally "it's a trainwreck and I can't stop looking" way.

I've only read the first of the J.A. Konrath series and wasn't overwhelmed, but now that y'all are saying that she has a good villan I'll have to check out the next books in her series. I am a total sucker for reading recommendations.
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Gretchen was okay. Although people were putting on Hannibal's level of awesomness.which was kinda extreme.

My favorite villain is Kyle Craig from Roses Are Red.
 
An interesting question. Some of my "favorite" villains from fiction would include Arnold Zeck, from a series of Rex Stout novels (think Moriarty living in Upstate New York), Schomberg from Joseph Conrad's Victory , and the villain from Harry Crews' Body. I can't think of his name off the top of my head. And, I would be remiss not to mention Fu Manchu and Moriarty. But, perhaps my favorite of all time, Captain Nemo of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
 
Coincidentally, I started reading Victory myself yesterday. Also I agree about Fu Manchu and Moriarty. Also Capt. Nemo. I always preferred criminal mastermind types like Lex Luthor or Dr. No to geeky serial killers as far as villains go, as they are more worthy opponents for the hero of the story to fight against.
 
Well, I hope you enjoy Victory. I have always thought that Conrad was one of the greatest writers to have ever lived. And, you make a good point about the serial killer vs. criminal mastermind dichotomy. I have no use for the serial killer genre, myself.
One of the great things about villains like Fu Manchu, and Moriarty, and Zeck, is that they understand that their opponents are men of equal quality, more or less - they respected their opponents, just as their opponents respected them.
 
My favorite villain would be Micheal Sullivan AKA:The Butcher,from Cross by James Patterson. A bad ass,also a heartless assassin.He loves amputating people,and he is funny.
 
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