''Vicious'' is a fantasy novel by American author

V. E. Schwab Victoria Elizabeth (V. E.) Schwab (born July 7, 1987) is an American writer. She is known for the 2013 novel '' Vicious'', the '' Shades of Magic'' series, and '' The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue'', which was nominated for the 2020 Locus Award ...

published by

Tor Books Tor Books is the primary imprint of Tor Publishing Group (previously Tom Doherty Associates), a publishing company based in New York City. It primarily publishes science fiction and fantasy titles, and is the largest publisher of Chinese scien ...

in 2013, focused around two college students who learn how to create superhuman abilities and later become archenemies.

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, things go wrong and people take a fall. Victor ends up getting put in jail. 10 years later, Eli has started a crusade to kill every other super-powered person and Victor has broken out of jail.

Reception

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' called ''Vicious'' "a brilliant exploration of the superhero mythos and a riveting revenge thriller". It received a starred review from ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of B ...

'', 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 The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

Reference and User Services Association The Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) annual Outstanding Reference Sources awards are considered the highest awards honoring academic reference books or media,. Besides these awards, the American Library Association (ALA) also grants ...

likewise awarded it the top fantasy book in their 2014 Reading List. In late 2013 the rights for a film adaptation of ''Vicious'' were bought jointly by Story Mining & Supply Co and

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...

Scott Free Productions Scott Free Productions is an independent film and television production company founded in 1970 by filmmakers and brothers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott. They formed the feature film development company Percy Main Productions in 1980, naming the ...

. In May 2014, Alexander Felix was hired to write the screenplay.

Sequel

The sequel to ''Vicious'', titled ''Vengeful'', was released on September 25, 2018.

References

External links

* 2013 American novels 2013 fantasy novels American fantasy novels Fictional rivalries Tor Books books {{2010s-fantasy-novel-stub