I had a pretty bad reading week last week. Just 1 and a half books! Shameful! Hoping to pick up the pace this week! So sadly that means no review today, but I didn't just want to do nothing, so instead I decided to do this instead!
Monstrous Monday! This may be a regular thing on Empire of Books depending on how much you guys like it or not, and depending on how things look on the review font! So, let me explain what Monstrous Monday is all about. I'll take a dastardly bad guy, they can be human, or otherwise and discuss why they are such a good (or should that be bad?) villain.
This being the first, it has to be an epic villain right? One that everyone will of (or at least should have!) heard of. Lord Voldemort from the phenomenal Harry Potter series by JK Rowling!
(Handsome, ain't he?)
The greatest dark wizard known to man, Tom Riddle, or Lord Voldemort as he prefers to be known, is full of hatred, anger and is devoid of general human emotion. He has never known, so has never felt or expressed, love. All he knows is death and destruction. Fear equals power, a tool that Voldemort uses to the max.
He was at his peak, when he was thwarted by a little boy. A baby. A mere child, protected by love. But nothing can stop Voldemort. He bid his time, and resolved to, one day, come backs stronger than ever before.
Throughout all seven books, Voldemort's power grows and grows, as he makes attempt after attempt before succeeding to become corporeal again.
One thing that I think makes Voldemort a fantastic villain is his determination - something that all good villains need. He created those genius yet evil things, Horcruxes!
One thing that I really like about Voldemort is that he has deserted humanity. As JK Rowling said in the 2007 documentary, JK Rowling: A Year In The Life, he has purposely de-humanised himself. He has no human emotion left in him, apart from hate. He lives to kill those he doesn't see as pure, the Half-Blood wizards born to either one or two muggle-born parents. He thinks he's doing the right thing, that he's meant to do this.
Voldemort is a chilling villain, described as looking snake-like with a voice that barely rises above a whisper but is audible to everyone in proximity. I remember reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, and although he didn't actually appear for much, he terrified me. That's the only thing I didn't like (and yet I loved it at the same time), that he scared me so much. He's just pure evil and right the way through to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, he progressed from an evil entity, to something beyond evil.
And that is why he is one of my favourite villains of all time.
