I’ve read some awesome books with super-evil-baddies, and the list below represent 3 of my fave reads – books where the bad guys wanted other people’s “shine” – they wanted it real bad … and it made for some good reading!
Doctor Sleep (The Shining #2), Stephen King
On highways across America, a tribe of people called The True Knot travel in search of sustenance. They look harmless—mostly old, lots of polyester, and married to their RVs. But as Dan Torrance knows, and spunky twelve-year-old Abra Stone learns, The True Knot are quasi-immortal, living off the “steam” that children with the “shining” produce when they are slowly tortured to death.
Stephen King has a way with characters, and he did justice to The Shining with this sequel. Doctor Sleep (The Shining is another book you should read if you haven’t yet). Seeing Dan all grown up and reading the story after he managed to escape “the house” was satisfying. And he was so endearing. The “True Knot” … ooh, they were … just bananas! But I’m glad to see they sort of brought Dan back to life. This book has some twists to it, and it’s definitely good readin’.
The Shining Girls, Lauren Beukes
In Depression-era Chicago, Harper Curtis finds a key to a house that opens on to other times. But it comes at a cost. He has to kill the shining girls: bright young women, burning with potential. He stalks them through their lives across different eras until, in 1989, one of his victims, Kirby Mazrachi, survives and starts hunting him back.
Harper is a truly evil villain. He sees girls that have something special about them – he calls it “The Shining” – and he kills them when they’ve grown up. But this story is not as straightforward as it seems, and there are a lot of twists and a lot of sides to the story. It’s a detailed web of a story, a very gruesome at times, but well worth the read.
NOS4A2, Joe Hill
Victoria McQueen has a secret gift for finding things: a misplaced bracelet, a missing photograph, answers to unanswerable questions. Charles Talent Manx has a way with children. He likes to take them for rides in his 1938 Rolls-Royce Wraith with the NOS4A2 vanity plate. With his old car, he can slip right out of the everyday world, and onto the hidden roads that transport them to an astonishing – and terrifying – playground of amusements he calls “Christmasland.” One day, they meet and nothing is ever the same again, for both of them.
Charlie Manx is quite the character, and he tried to make everything I love about Christmas into something sick and twisted ** ughh ** But was it Charlie, or the damn car that was responsible? So much happens in this book, and I loved reading every word of it.
I loved none of these villains, and was happy to see them defeated in the end. Who are some of the bookish villains you’ve absolutely hated and felt no pity for?
(republished and updated from Feb. 4, 2014)
// Comments //
Sue at Book By Book
Oooh! Nice creepy list. My husband read all 3 of these, and we both loved The Shining Girls (I love anything with a time travel theme!).
Sue
Book By Book
Kim
I love it when the baddie is given extra attention and development in a story. So many times they’re this no name villain or a villain that we don’t get to know all that well and the good guy running from the villain is the main focus. There’s something extra creepy in a book that gives more focus to the bad guy/girl.
Michelle
All three books are GREAT examples of baddies. I think my favorite though is the True Knot. I listened to the audiobook of that one, and the mere thought of Will Patton’s performance of it still gives me chills!
Jennifer @ A Librarian's Library
Did you listen to both of those? Because I am always looking for books I want to read that are great on audio! And both of those books are on my list! =)
Tanya Patrice
I listened to the audiobook for The Shining Girl (amazing and creepy), and NOS4A2 (excellent too).
Tif
Oh my goodness, I have been dying to read the Joe Hill book!! I gotta get my hands on this one!
Tanya Patrice
@Tif – you’ll love this one!
Pamela D
All three of these books are on my TBR list! I want to read all of the so much!
Angie @Angela's Anxious Life
OH YES this post! I actually just won a book in a giveaway and chose them to order NOS4A2 so I can’t wait to receive it. I love King so much!
Angie
Speaking of King – Mr. Mercedes
Asheley Tart (@BookwormAsheley)
You know, I haven’t read Doctor Sleep (I’ve never read ANYTHING by Stephen King) but I’ve actually considered picking this one up. Despite it being a sequel, the audiobook is read by one of my favorite readers – Will Patton – and I’ve seen around that he is generating some big buzz for his performance. I LOVE his reading. So based on the fact that he reads, I would actually consider reading this book as an audio read but it makes me nervous because I don’t love the horror genre/category! The cover is really cool, though, and I like that you liked it. My husband loved it – he read print format.
// Trackbacks & Pingbacks //
[…] Good Marriage Thrillers That Belong On Your Reading List or 5 Better Than the Book Audiobooks or #ReadThis … 3 Books With Talent Stealing Bitches. And, I’m still maintaining the Master List of Book Blogging […]