Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl.

Today’s prompt was:  Villains (favorite, best, worst, lovable, creepiest, most evil, etc.)

This week I decided to list villains from books I’ve read and some from books I haven’t yet read (and might never read. Ha!)

1. Professor Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

I have read one book featuring Professor Moriarty, the nemesis of Sherlock Holmes, but not the short story yet. I have also seen him portrayed in at least two TV adaptations of Sherlock Holmes

2. Captain Hook from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Of course Captain Hook from J.M Barrie’s Peter Pan has to be on this list. I have read some of Peter Pan and watched, of course, the adaptations, specifically the Disney one and Hook. Dustin Hoffman pulled off a brilliant performance as Hook in that one

3. Sauron from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

Hello…what is more evil than a wizard who wants to rule the world? A devil who wants to rule it, but you know what I mean.

4. Count Dracula from Dracula by Bram Stoker

We’ve had way too many kids’ movies that have tried to turn Dracula into a funny, relatable good guy. I’ve never read the book, but from what I  understand about it — he was not a good guy. Not at all.

5. Voldemort from The Harry Potter series

Another evil wizard who wants to take over the world, but most of all destroy poor Harry Potter. I have not read the books but I did read part of the first on my own and with my kids and watched the movies with them as well.

6.Hannibal Lecter from The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

I have never read this book and most likely won’t but I did watch the movie with my husband.

7. Eleanor Shaw from The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon

I have not read the book but I watched the 1962 movie with Angela Lansbury as Eleanor Shaw and … shudder…she was super creepy. I can’t get into too much about why she is so evil so I don’t ruin the book or movie for you. Just know she’s scum.

8. The White Witch (Jadis) from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Creepy to a fault, Jadis likes to tempt little boys with Turkish delight to drag all the secrets out so she can find and kill his siblings and keep her chilly hold on all of Narnia. She is, of course, a symbol of Satan, or at least one of his minions. I have read the books she is in (The Magician’s Nephew and The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe) and have seen one movie with her in it.

9. M. Hercule Flambeau from The Father Brown Mysteries by G.K. Chesterton

This conniving burglar is always trying to get by Father Brown who is always hot on his tale. I’ve read one short story with him and have seen him in the modern version of the show. He’s quite handsome in that show too but aren’t all the best villains a bit handsome?

10. Satan from Paradise Lost by John Milton (and …hello….the BIBLE)

I have not read Paradise Lost but I have read the Bible and if you want to get technical about it, Satan is the basis for all the villains we have listed here.

Here is another list of villains I found online: https://lithub.com/40-of-the-best-villains-in-literature/

There are so many more great and interesting villains from literature that I could have named. Who are some of your favorites?

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Hello! Welcome to my blog. I am a blogger, homeschool mom, and I write cozy mysteries.

You can find my Gladwynn Grant Mystery series HERE.

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