Hannibal Lecter has been voted the greatest literary villain of all time, according to a new survey of book lovers.

One in five (22 percent) British book fans claim they prefer VILLAINS to heroes, with three quarters (77 percent) insisting every great story needs a great ‘baddie’.

The Greatest Ever Literary Villains Revealed

But it was the crazed serial killer, Hannibal Lecter (33 percent), the brainchild of Thomas Harris, who has been crowned our top scoundrel, according to the poll of 2,000 book lovers, by Kindle Storyteller Award, a literary prize celebrating the UK’s best self-published story, with the winning author receiving a £20,000 prize.

Count Dracula (26 percent) from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula came second, followed by the iconic Captain Hook (20 percent) from James Barrie’s Peter Pan and Lady MacBeth (18 percent) from William Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

Other bad guys making an appearance include Sauron (17 percent) from The Lords of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, Pennywise (16 percent) from Stephen King’s IT, Voldemort (16 percent) from the Harry Potter books, Cruella De Vil (16 percent) from Dodie Smith’s 101 Dalmatians and the frightening Miss Trunchbull (15 percent) from Roald Dahl’s Matilda.

One in ten (12 percent) love the antics of Bill Sikes in Oliver Twist, while 11 percent can’t forget the images of Annie Wilkes in Stephen King’s Misery.

Rooting for the Bad Guy

Almost half (45 percent) love them so much that they always find themselves rooting for the bad guy in a novel, with one in three (32 percent) finding it easier to get hooked on a book when there is a villain.

In fact, villains make such an impact that 18 percent believe they have more in common with them and one in ten (11 percent) say their all-time favourite character is a bad guy.

A sixth (16 percent) think villains are often just ‘misunderstood’.

Brits clearly Love a Good Villain

Jen Barrett, UK KDP Manager commented: “From Shakespearean scoundrels to fantasy foes and kids’ book baddies, Brits clearly love a good villain just as much as their beloved heroes. That passion shines through in many of our Kindle Storyteller Award entries. Championing independent authors and exploring the brilliant characters they dream up is always a judging highlight—and we can’t wait to see what this year’s entries bring, villains or otherwise.”

Two thirds (61 percent) agree that strong characters – both good and bad – are central to a great novel.

Who Loves the Good Guys?

When it comes to good guys, 007 himself, James Bond (27 percent) is the nation’s favourite, along with the small but mighty Frodo (27 percent), wizard Harry Potter (24 percent) and forever young Peter Pan (22 percent).

Oliver Twist (20 percent), Sherlock Holmes (19 percent), Hannibal Lecter’s adversary, Clarice Starling (19 percent) and Aslan (18 percent) from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe are also our heroes.

It’s no surprise that a WHOPPING 94 percent think that books are the most moving art form and have the power to elicit emotion with 23 percent wanting a book to evoke strong emotions in them.

Our Love for Strong, Emotive Books

Our love of strong emotive books is so powerful that 82 percent have reread a book they love an average of seven times.

Three quarters (76 percent) percent describe themselves as an avid reader, with a third (33 percent) admitting that reading is their passion and it is one of life’s greatest pleasures (86 percent).

In fact, the average Brit reads four books a month, preferring to escape with fiction (64 percent) rather than non-fiction (36 percent).

Thrillers (35 percent), true crime (33 percent), mystery (31 percent), murder mystery (28 percent), historical (27 percent) and romance (26 percent) are the nations go-to genres, along with fantasy (25 percent) and autobiographies (21 percent).

We Love a bit of Bedtime Reading

Brits are most likely to delve into a novel in bed before going to sleep (57 percent), on the sofa in the living room (46 percent), on holiday (39 percent) and in the garden in the sun (38 percent).

Almost a third (29 percent) love reading on a long train journey, while 20 percent have their head down during their commute.

The 30 Greatest Literary Villains

1. Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris – 33%
2. Count Dracula from Dracula by Bram Stoker – 26%
3. Captain Hook from Peter Pan by James Barrie – 20%
4. Lady Macbeth from Macbeth by William Shakespeare – 18%
5. Sauron from The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien – 17%
6. Pennywise from IT by Stephen King – 16%
7. Voldemort from Harry Potter by JK Rowling – 16%
8. Cruella De Vil from 101 Dalmatians by Dodie Smith – 16%
9. Miss Trunchbull from Matilda by Roald Dahl – 15%
10. The Joker from The Killing Joke by Allan Moore – 14%
11. Goldfinger from Goldfinger by Ian Flemming – 13%
12. Fagin from Oliver Twist by Charkes Dickens – 13%
13. The Wicked Witch of the West from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum – 12%
14. Bill Sikes from Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens – 12%
15. Dr Frankenstein from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley – 12%
16. The Queen of Hearts from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll – 12%
17. The White Witch (Jadis) from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis – 12%
18. Annie Wilkes from Misery by Stephen King – 11%
19. Patrick Bateman from American Psycho by Bret Easten Ellis – 11%
20. The Shark from Jaws by Peter Benchley – 10%
21. Mr. Hyde from The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson – 10%
22. Big Brother from 1984 by George Orwell – 9%
23. Mr Rochester from Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte – 9%
24. Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey – 8%
25. Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling – 8%
26. Napoleon from Animal Farm by George Orwell – 7%
27. Professor Moriarty from The Final Problem by Arthur Conan Doyle – 7%
28. Begbie from Trainspotting by Irving Welsh – 7%
29. Captain Ahab from Moby-Dick by Herman Melville – 6%
30. Richard III from Richard III by Williiam Shakespeare – 6%

Kindle Storyteller Award

This year’s Kindle Storyteller Award launches Thursday 1st May and is accepting submissions until 31st August 2025. All titles must be enrolled in Kindle Direct Publishing Select while they are in the competition. For further information, visit amazon.co.uk/Storyteller

Did you enjoy this article? Download your FREE short story from the Redcliffe Novels series by Catherine Green. Click here. 

Note: This research of 2,000 Brits was commissioned by Amazon and conducted by Perspectus Global during April 2025. This is a collaborative article and contains affiliate links, meaning that if you shop using the links I share, I may receive a small income at no extra cost to yourself. Thank you for supporting SpookyMrsGreen!