Author(s): V. E. Schwab

Science Fiction/Fantasy

A masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers.

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates--brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find--aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge--but who will be left alive at the end?

In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.

"A dynamic and original twist on what it means to be a hero and a villain. A killer from page one...highly recommended " --Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Marvel Universe vs. The Avengers and Patient Zero

One of Publishers Weekly's Best Fantasy Books of 2013  

Review by Fantine;

'‘Someone could call themselves a hero and still walk around killing dozens. Someone else could be labelled a villain for trying to stop them. Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.’ 

Whilst attending a wealthy private boarding school, a pair of privileged boys with shared crookedness discover the formula for superhuman abilities. With their newfound glory comes unforeseen chaos, will the world turn against them if they are discovered? Or will they destroy each other first. It’s 10 years later and Victor Vale has just broken out of prison and on a mission to catch up with his old college roommate and sworn enemy Eli Ever. Schwab tears apart the typical hero-villain dichotomy in this fast-paced addictive novel. The characters are complex, morally ambiguous and so incredibly compelling. the plot alternates between timelines and where I find this hinders plenty of other books.'

- Fantine, Bookseller at Collins Moonee Ponds