9.4 /10 1 Votes
4.9/5 Barnes & Noble Country United States Publication date September 24, 2013 ISBN 0-765-335344 Page count 368 Publisher Tor Books | 4.2/5 Goodreads Language English Pages 368 Originally published 24 September 2013 Genre Fantasy Cover artist Victo Ngai | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Media type Print (hardback & paperback) Similar V E Schwab books, Fantasy books, Paranormal books | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Vicious is a 2013 novel by V. E. Schwab, focused around two college students who learn how to create superhuman abilities and who later become archenemies.
Contents
Plot summary
Victor and Eli begin as college roommates and discover that near-death experiences, under the right conditions, can create superhuman abilities. When Victor tries to create his abilities, he accidentally kills Eli's girlfriend. Eli begins to believe that all those with power are evil and starts a crusade to kill them.
Reception
The Guardian called Vicious "a brilliant exploration of the superhero mythos and a riveting revenge thriller". It received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which called Schwab's characters "vital and real, never reduced to simple archetypes" and praised the book as "a rare superhero novel as epic and gripping as any classic comic". Publishers Weekly also named Vicious one of its best books of 2013 for SF/Fantasy/Horror. The American Library Association's Reference and User Services Association likewise awarded it the top fantasy book in their 2014 Reading List.
Film adaptation
In late 2013 the rights for a film adaptation of Vicious were bought jointly by Story Mining & Supply Co and Ridley Scott's Scott Free Productions. In May 2014, Alexander Felix was hired to write the screenplay.