Series: Villains, book one.
Published: Tor Books, 2013.
Page Count: 368.
Genres: Sci-fi.
When college roommates Victor and Eli discover how to give themselves super powers, their lives are changed forever. Beginning as a simple senior thesis, Eli’s research on EOs – “ExtraOrdinary” people, people with super powers – soon becomes a dangerous reality for Victor and himself. Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to get revenge on Eli for irrevocably changing his life. But he soon discovers that Eli is on a mission of his own – seeing them as aberrations of nature, Eli has set out to kill every EO he can find. Victor and Eli find themselves on a dangerous crash-course towards one each other, each wondering who will be left alive at the end. Vicious gives a whole new meaning to the idea of a superhero story, and makes you question what makes one person “good” and another “evil.”
I think Vicious could easily be compared to X-Men, but what makes it different for me is the way the characters acquire their powers. In this world, to become “ExtraOrdinary”, one must go through a near-death experience. When the person “comes back,” yes, they have a power, but they feel as though they are living a “half-life.” I really thought this was intriguing, how the characters gained super powers, but the author also questions, “was it worth it?” This was definitely a dark take on the idea of, “with great power comes great responsibility.”
The characters in Vicious were very strong and well-developed – they are undoubtedly the strongest point, creating a very character driven plot. In fact, what I loved the most about Vicious has to do with the characters: none of them are truly good.
The story is written so that Victor is the protagonist, but he is by no means a good person. Victor is most definitely a criminal, and he does some very bad things to get ahead. For me, what makes Eli the true villain is the way he treats Victor and the others after his transformation.
Besides Victor and Eli, I absolutely adored the side characters, Sydney, Mitch and Sydney’s dog. I love the bond Victor has with them – they all watch out for each other, and provide their own skills to the group.
Touching on the setting briefly, I really enjoyed how such extreme sci-fi elements were set against rather mundane backdrops. University life; gloomy, everyday modern city – I think it was a really nice contrast against the extreme nature of the characters’ transformation and powers.
I’ve been sitting here trying to think of ways to critique this book, but I’m coming up empty. If there’s anything I could say, it’s that there are a lot of superhero-story tropes present. But Schwab utilizes them in such a fresh way that I really can’t say it’s a true flaw.
Overall, Vicious has firmly cemented me as a V.E. Schwab fan. I would highly recommend reading this book. I think it’s really accessible and highly enjoyable, even if you don’t normally enjoy sci-fi or superhero stories. I know you’ll fall in love with these characters just like I did.
Final Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What about you – have any of you read Vicious? If so, what did you think?
Let’s discuss it below!
As always, happy reading!
xx Zoë
Other Books Like Vicious
- The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice – Lestat is one of my favorite antiheroes. This is his origin story, about how he comes to terms with becoming a vampire.
- The Ms. Marvel comics by G. Willow Wilson – Main character deals with superpowers that are unexpectedly thrust upon her.
- Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo – Group of misfits gets together to pull off their biggest heist. None of the characters are truly “good.”
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