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    Vicious
    Ebook402 pages6 hours

    Vicious

    By V. E. Schwab

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    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

    At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateSep 24, 2013
    ISBN9781466822177
    Author

    V. E. Schwab

    V. E. Schwab is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty books, ranging from middle grade to teen to adult. Her books have garnered critical acclaim and been featured in the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, the Washington Post, and NPR; have been translated into more than a dozen languages; and been optioned for television and film. Schwab, an avid traveler, received her MFA from the University of Edinburgh, where her thesis was about the presence of monsters in medieval art. She lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. 

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    Reviews for Vicious

    4/5

    1,003 ratings67 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Vicious(The Villains Series #1)By V.E.Schwab2013Tor BooksCollege roommates Victor and Eli share a research project about near death experiences: under the right circumstances and conditions, a person could develop extraordinary(EO) abilities. Things don't go as planned. They go horribly wrong.Its 10 years later. Victor has broken out of prison, hunting his revenge with Eli.....but Eli is now on a mission to eliminate all EOs.Will anyone be left alive?Betrayal. Loss. Revenge.....fantastic good vs. evil novel, with horror and supernatural overtones. Recommended.
    • 3/5
      A superhero zombie book. I found the writing surprisingly clunky for such a well-known author. Half way through, it is pretty obvious where the plot is going to go, so I am putting it aside unless advised by you folks to pick it up again.
    • 3/5
      wow this was a great book! very very very well written with great character development and a really interesting concept. V.E. Schwab is amazing. I loved how the past and present were interwoven throughout the novel and the different perspectives we got. there's something I can't quite put my finger on that is stopping me from giving it a higher rating but I really enjoyed it and overall 3/5 stars
    • 5/5
      V E Schwab can do no wrong with me! I am in love with everything she writes ever since my first reading of her work! It magical, mystical and devious. Just when you think you have a character pegged, her writing twists them into something you never saw coming; hover, still within the realm of her created worlds. I LOVE this book - but why it gotta be $30 bucks for a hard cover - OUCH
    • 4/5
      Ten years ago Victor and Eli were in College and they had a theory that with a near-death experience they could trigger superheroic abilities, they experiment on themselves and find that a lot of things are possible. However during Victor's experiment there are tragic consequences which lead Eli to believe that he should kill those with powers and lands Victor in Jail. 10 years later Victor escapes and is bent on revenge.Some who gain power are driven mad by it and some are made too arrogant. This looks carefully at power and revenge and the terrible things people can do to each other. Looking forward to more in this world.
    • 5/5
      I hated every single character (except Sydney and Dol) it was great! I would love to see this as a movie.
    • 5/5
      27/03/2017
      this is one of those life-changing books. it's just so intriguing and original and creative and smart and every positive adjective you can think of. i've read it twice now and it still surprises me at times, and the ending just catches me off guard every time.
      but of course the characters are the real stars here, and i love them so very much, especially victor, who is i think the most morally grey character i've found in a book so far. he's not a good person per say, even at the beginning, and his motives aren't exactly the purest, but the one thing i find really interesting is that, you have the choice of whether you want to sympathize with him or not. personally, he's my favourite and i root for him and i love him, but i think it wouldn't take away from the story at all if i were to hate him. that's a really unique thing that i haven't really found in any other books.
      i really loved the time-jumping, it's not something i've encountered very often, but i think it really gave a lot to the story, and it just fit so well with the atmosphere and the writing style, which is definitely one of my favourites like ever. and i guess this can be considered a superhero book, but it definitely doesn't feel like it, it just feels so real and logical and something that could absolutely happen.
      it's really hard for me to express my feelings when it comes to this book, but i just love it so much.

      06/03/2016
      how do i even begin. this book is absolutely incredible. the premise is original but still believable, the writing style is so different and beautiful and just a pleasure to read and the characters are all fleshed out. reading this book was an experience that changed my life, and i will definitely be reading more of Schwab's work.
    • 5/5
      Loved it. Awesome book.
    • 4/5
      3.5 stars I liked how the book is structured with the story told from different points in time. The ending was worth the read even though throughout the book there very repetitive parts. kind of surprisingly, I found Eli's character a bit flat. There was a bit too much reliance on one aspect of his character. He didn't get much of a backstory. While that made him mysterious, it was also frustrating. But overall, I enjoyed the read. It was nice to read about morally ambiguous characters.
    • 5/5
      LOVED, LOVED,LOVED, THIS BOOK!!!!

      I have heard so many things good about this series so I wanted to make sure I picked it up before 2018 ended and let me say!!! This did not disappoint.

      Trigger warnings: I do want to state that there is an animal issue in this book. The only reason I brought this up is because I was not aware of this when I started this and I am a huge animal lover and I have 4 fur babies of my own.. But it is still worth the read.

      Other Trigger Warnings: Abandonment, attempted suicide, overdosing, self-harm, drug use, murder.

      “Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.”

      First let's start with the opening of this book! I love how it opens... THUD THUD THUD!!!

      We have 2 friends from 10 years ago that went to school together, Eli and Victory. Eli wanted to do his thesis on EO's (Extraordinary People). When a person is brought back from death and becomes an EO they inhabit a power. This intrigues Eli and he wants to go more into debt for his thesis and find out if his theory is true. When they begin to experiment on themselves and things go completely wrong.

      Now in the present date, you have one that is out of prison and the other one is on a killing spree. All EO's are being killed off and the other is trying to stop them. Some on the powers we have in this book are, raising the dead, controlling minds, healing, causing pain, and more. This book is full of thought. There are 5 characters that have all had tangled paths that has lead them to each other. Which side will you chose to win?

      “I don't need a bodyguard,” said Victor.
      “I noticed that,” said Mitch.
      Victor let out a cough of a laugh. “Yes, well. I don't want everyone else to notice too.”
      “So what do you want?” he asked.
      Victor's lips curled into that same dangerous smile. “A friend.”

      I love the side characters that play a major part in this book as well. The 2 sister Serena and Sydney are wonderfully introduced. I think that Sydney is my favorite character in this book. She must be protected at all cost due to the extra powers she carries and her sister, Serena, well let just say her power is pretty amazing.

      This book is dark and very interesting and that ending, left me wanting to go straight in to picking up book 2, so needless to say, tonight I will start book 2! Lets just say that this book ends with eyes wide open!
    • 5/5
      That was a lot of fun. Love the way the plot goes back and forth the timeline.
    • 5/5
      So good! Total page turner. I couldn't put it down
    • 5/5
      One of my favorites with out a doubt. It's amazingly written.
    • 5/5
      I LOVE THIS BOOK!
      For various reasons, i think. I enjoy the beginning as the subtle envy and jealousy grow between the two very best friends. I enjoy the scientific aspects of the plot, as I am too a science student. I like both Eli and Victor, so well-crafted characters and so dark that I think there are no good guy in the story. I like how the story linked together, flying between the past and the current, but also being so coherent and relevant. I like the ending, which is a very smart one, if not a mind-blowing one. And I like this book so much that I didn't want it to end, I read it for three months and put it down from time to time, just to make the last chunk of the book lasts. It is so dark and brilliant and I LOVE IT!
    • 5/5
      Wow I absolutely loved this book !! ?????

      This book is just so very well written !! Love the story and all the characters !!

      The books is about two friends who discover how to become EO's (ExtraOrdinaries)

      Because of a Eli research project going wrong or right they ended up with superpower or extra ordinary powers!

      Eli Ever's power is that he can heal and Basically he is immortal.

      Victor Vale's power is the he can control pain but unlike his friend he is mortal !

      Because of an incident Eli get Victor arrested and sentence to prison for a long time !

      Now ten years later, Victor Vale is ten years older and he look the part ! He breaks out of prison with the help of a fiend he made while in prison. He sets out to find Eli to get his revenge !

      Now tens years had pass and Eli Ever still looks the same as he did ten years ago !
      For the pass ten year Eli had spend his time tracking down and killing other EO's because believe that they go against gods will and that God gave him his power to set the balance of nature back in order ..

      This books is a fantastic read ! Who's side will you be on ?? Can you tell who the real hero and who is the villain??

    • 5/5
      Great story, lots of intrigue. The fight between good and evil but who is really the good one?
    • 4/5
      This was an interesting take on super powers. Enjoyable read!
    • 5/5
      VE Scheab has a way to keep you captivated in her words. I loved all the characters even the bad ones.
    • 5/5
      I am stunned. I am shaking from just finishing this book, having read almost the entire thing in one sitting. I couldn’t stop reading. Immediate addition to my list of favorites.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed this Urban Fantasy/Horror story.

      Two college students theorize how to create "EO"s or ExtraOrdinary people: People with super powers. Then they take the next step and create several EOs - themselves.

      The rest of the book is a thriller, good vs evil. Super Hero vs Super Villain, with no certainty that one will win over the other.
    • 5/5
      Maybe it's because I went in with pretty low expectations (I have bad experiences with Schwab's other work) but I actually really liked this. I picked this up for a "morally grey/villain MC" prompt, and this was actually the perfect book for that
    • 5/5
      Great read. Worth every bit. Very interesting until the end.
    • 5/5
      V E Schwab can do no wrong with me! I am in love with everything she writes ever since my first reading of her work! It magical, mystical and devious. Just when you think you have a character pegged, her writing twists them into something you never saw coming; hover, still within the realm of her created worlds. I LOVE this book - but why it gotta be $30 bucks for a hard cover - OUCH
    • 4/5
      Vicious is a comic book-style story that turns the traditional superhero narrative on its head by focusing on two very flawed characters intent on killing each other. Victor and Eli experiment with near-death experiences as college students in an attempt to develop special powers, then terrible events occur which lead to the pair hunting each other down some years later. The story is dark and fast-paced, and reminded me a bit of Heroes (the TV show). I really enjoyed going along for the ride, and especially liked supporting characters like Sydney, Serena and Mitch, but the book didn't quite go as 'deep' into the motivations of each character as much as I would have liked (which I recognise is more to do with me than the author!). I'll pick up the sequel at some point, because I'm quite intrigued to see how it ends.
    • 5/5
      😮 I have no words, but I'll try.

      The Writing and Worldbuilding

      Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.
      As usual, Queen Victoria's writing and world building were superb 👌. She crafted such a believable concept that I can't help but want to try it myself and become an EO (but I won't; don't worry). I especially loved the story structure, how the chapters alternated between the past and present and different characters' perspectives, revealing little tidbits as it went along. It wasn't necessarily unique—I've seen it done a million times—but it was well done and not something I've read recently by any means, so it was refreshing and intriguing. The book itself read like a noir or even a heist movie tbh, but with the cheese replaced by thought-provoking insight into the psychology of superpowers and those who have them, and of who and what is the greater evil, and if that makes the less evil good.

      The Characters

      Be lost. Give up. Give In. in the end It would be better to surrender before you begin. be lost. Be lost And then you will not care if you are ever found.
      Victor Vale: He was honestly the most interesting character I've read in a very long time. He's without a doubt a psychopath, but he seems to care just enough about select people, namely his fondness for Sydney and his hate towards Eli. Even his relationship with Mitch was interesting. There were strong Frankenstein vibes with him, what with the method of his NDE and his name being Victor. I also really liked his erasures. I loved that most of the book was in his perspective because that essentially made him the MC, but he's definitely not your average protagonist.

      Eli (Cardale) Ever: He was just as interesting as Victor; they felt as though they were cut from the same cloth—both lacking something vital and human long before they became something inhuman. I really liked Eli's religiously misdirected self-imposed mission to eliminate EOs, as it created a great conflict for all the characters.

      Victor was naturally quiet, but even more so under pressure, which gave his peers the distinct impression he knew what he was doing, even when he didn't.
      Sydney Clark: I really loved Syd. Her struggle with her powers and with her sister was really well executed. I loved that she was essentially a little girl but in that stage of her life where you want to be an adult, and you're beginning to feel like an adult, but the world still sees you as a child, because really, you still are. (Also, please don't judge me, but I low-key shipped her and Victor even though he's literally like 20 years older than her; even I feel weird about this being my OTP, but hey, the heart wants what it wants)

      Serena Clark: She was super interesting. I loved how her power wasn't necessarily obvious when she was introduced, but you could figure it out on your own before it is directly revealed, which I did. It made me feel like a detective lol

      Mitch: I loved Mitch. He was fun and engaging, and his suddenly getting his backstory and perspectives half way through the book was so fantastically unexpected. He was complex and, like every character, multidimensional.

      Angie: She was definitely the least fleshed out character in the book, but that really isn't a problem, because she was also the character featured the least, and when she was, she felt real.

      He wondered about life, and people, and science, and magic, and God, and whether he believed in any of them.
      Conclusion

      This book is as close to perfect as a book can get, I think. I absolutely loved it and devoured it. I want to read it again; I just know I'll notice things I never noticed before each time I reread. It's such a fantastic experience and I'm so happy I read it. I had a similar idea for a book once and tried to write it out, but didn't get far, and honestly, no one could have done a better job than the great goddess herself, Queen Victoria #AllHailTheQueen
    • 4/5
      Creepy good!
    • 4/5
      [Cross-posted to Knite Writes]Ah, finally! A book that lives up to the hype.This book was fantastic! It was a very different look at the superhero/power genre than the usual fare, and it went a lot of unconventional directions. What could have been a fairly standard revenge story turned out to be anything but, thanks to some ingenious and strategic use of various superpowers. What could have been a good vs. evil story was completely morally ambiguous — neither Victor nor Eli are good people, and a conspicuous “hero” figure is noticeably absent. What could have been a cliche ending was totally twisted, and thought it wasn’t entirely unexpected (on my part), I found it satisfying all the same.By far the best thing in this book is the characters. There’s a colorful cast, and through short, well-crafted flashbacks, their backstories are explained in ways that perfectly feed into the main plot. There’s a great variety of character mentalities, from the sociopathic Victor to the twelve-year-old Sydney, whose innocence slowly breaks over the course of the book. At times, the characters’ personalities bordered on the over-the-top comic-style superhero types, but they never once crossed that line because the story was so grounded in very real and very gritty relationship dynamics.The plot wasn’t too shabby either. Not so well put together that I didn’t guess a few twists (like the ending twist) but pretty well done. The structure of the book was fantastic, with the story being told through two intersecting timelines, past and present. It worked very well for this story because it held the tension throughout and kept the pacing relatively quick.I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style — there was something about, I think, Schwab’s narratorial voice that threw me off a bit at the beginning. But it stopped bothering me part of the way through, once the plot really kicked.Overall, a great read! Pretty well-rounded with a couple of weaknesses here and there. But hey, no book is perfect.I’m really glad this one didn’t fall short of its hype, as I’ve been looking forward to reading it for quite a while now.
    • 4/5
      College, extraordinary powers, and a slew of murders, oh my! Vicious by V.E. Schwab tracks former roommates Victor Vale and Eliott “Eli” Cardale over a period of ten years. When Eli chooses to write his final college thesis on EOs, people with ExtraOrdinary powers, an intrigued Victor finds a way to involve himself in the project too. What happens next changes their lives forever.

      The chapters jump back and forth between time periods, so be prepared to dive into the main conflict within the first few pages. Since Schwab leaves out various elements of the plot only to surprise the reader with them later, you will find yourself constantly mulling over who is actually the hero and who the villain. Various chapters are also told from different perspectives, so the reader gets an inside look into the minds of all of the main characters.

      While the plot mostly revolves around Victor and Eli, the two pick up a variety of extreme personalities along the way. Sydney and Serena, sisters with a dismal past, end up entwined in their shenanigans, along with Mitchell, an ex-con hacker genius with a strong sense of loyalty. Victor and Eli each possess distinctive personalities that contrast each other well. Where Victor is a conflicted and introspective outcast, Eli is outgoing, religious, and adored by all.

      The most captivating aspect of the novel is the theme of real vs. perceived heroism. Who decides what makes a hero? Likewise, when does someone become a supervillain? What makes you one or the other? Is there a clear line between the two or is it more complicated than that? And the underlying theme of power adds even more complications to those questions. It’s an endless psychological feedback loop that may or may not drive you insane, but in a good way, I promise.

      The one major issue I have with the plot, which somewhat spoiled it for me, is Eli’s development. From the beginning of the novel, his persona is far less nuanced in comparison to Victor’s. Everything seems very black and white to him, and that never really changes. His obsession with God and doing “God’s work” also annoyed me slightly, as he becomes very one-track minded in that regard. Whether or not this was an active choice on behalf of the author, I will not deny it made for a rather stale character by the end of the novel.

      Regardless of that one caveat, V.E. Schwab’s Vicious is a fascinating look into a world with an underground superhero network. The novel is incredibly engaging and action-packed from the get-go. If you pick it up, make sure to clear your schedule, as it’s a page-turner you won’t be able to put down lightly.
    • 4/5
      A very fast-paced read, with intriguing plot and very grey characters. I honestly don't know how I feel about any of them; I know they're doing bad things, yet I want them to succeed. It's everything a "morally grey" book should be. The plot is interesting, and the idea of ExtraOrdinaries is definitely something I would love to further explore. It's not as groundbreaking or amazing as I thought it would be, but it was fun and enjoyable which is sometimes all you want out of a book.
    • 3/5
      Victor and Eli are two self-centered medical students researching how adrenaline and near-death-experiences might combine to create extra-ordinary individuals (EOs). Experimenting on themselves that returning to the living, each with supernatural powers. Eli, returns from his near death experience possessing the ability for self-healing; he regenerates no matter how much he is cut. Victor acquires the ability to alleviate or cause pain in himself or others. Of course, something goes wrong. Victor inadvertently kills Eli's girlfriend during his transformation. Both fail to learn what Peter Parker (Spiderman) learned: "With great power comes great responsibility." Eli believing that the two have become abominations and reports the girlfriend's death to the police sending Victor to prison. Eli then assumes judge and jury seeking other EOs for execution. Ten years later, Victor is released from prison and learns that Eli has been on a murder spree while he has been in prison. Hardly a hero, Victor believes that it is his responsibility to find his former friend and stop him.Both primary characters in this novel are flawed, neither one truly a villain or a hero. Both characters were fleshed out through back stories including other EOs who assist the two. I found the plot predictable and a rehash of other works. For example, this novel's plot reminded me of the 5th season of the Flash television series with its meta-human villain Cicada who blames other meta-humans for his niece's coma and proceeds to kill them one by one.