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Hector Bowen, also known as Prospero the Enchanter, is the closest thing the novel has to a true villain. He is cruel, cavalier, and entirely willing to let his daughter die to prove a point. Egotistical to a fault, Hector accidentally turns himself into an untethered ghost in an attempt to gain true immortality. Hector begins the novel as a larger-than-life figure who abuses Celia under the auspices of making her a stronger competitor. Even as Celia grows into her power, Hector is critical and rigid, never complimenting his daughter or relenting on her training. Hector remains unmoved by his daughter’s broken heart and continues to say cruel and vulgar things about her love life and actions in regard to the challenge. Though he is a hollow shadow of a man by the end of the novel, he is still spiteful and mean, learning nothing from his actions even as he suffers the consequences of them.
