Manlio Castagna

The Evil Twenty

Mystery

What would the stories we love be without the villains?

Twenty original stories in one book that promises to recreate the exact moment when twenty great villains from literature like Dracula, the Bogeyman, Mr Hyde, Captain Hook, Cthulhu, the Wicked Witch of the West, Snow White’s stepmother, and the demon Lilith, felt the flower of evil bloom inside, transforming them into the most disturbing dark figures of all time.
The greatest villains of all time describe how the evil began.

Multifaceted characters to help us better understand both them and, perhaps, ourselves.

  • A complete overview of imaginary evil to save us from the evil in the real world.
  • Beautiful illustrations by Paolo Barbieri, considered one of the greatest Italian fantasy illustrators.
  • A captivating journey into the origins of evil, revealing the dark sides of beloved villains and inviting readers to explore the complexities of human nature.
Publisher: Mondadori
Target: 12+
Year: 2020
Author
Manlio Castagna

Screenwriter, director, author, and film critic, he spent over 20 years as part of the artistic direction of the Giffoni Film Festival.
He made his debut in children's fiction in 2018 with the bestselling Petrademone trilogy (Mondadori), translated into several languages. Since then, he has explored a wide range of genres: from the historical fantasy of La notte delle malombre and Di fuoco e seta (both longlisted for the Strega Ragazzi Award and finalists in various literary prizes), to the horror of Goodwill and Nessuno verrà a prenderti, to nonfiction with the cinema guide 116 Movies to See Before You’re 16, and the genre-bending novel Dedalo & Dharma, all the way to social noir with Barriera (all published by the Mondadori Group).
The Reincarnation of the Klun Sisters and Try Not to Sleep are his adult fiction titles.
In 2022, he made his directorial and screenwriting debut in cinema with Il viaggio degli eroi, produced by Rai Cinema and awarded with record-breaking viewership on Rai1.

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