Vicious (novel)

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Vicious
Vicious (2013) V. E. Schwab.jpg
First US edition cover
Author V. E. Schwab
Cover artist Victo Ngai [1]
LanguageEnglish
Genre Fantasy
Publisher Tor Books
Publication date
September 24, 2013
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Pages368
ISBN 0-765-335344

Vicious is the first novel in the Villains Trilogy by American author V. E. Schwab. Published by Tor Books in 2013, Vicious follows two college roommates who learn how to create superhuman abilities but later become archenemies.

Contents

Plot summary

Victor Vale and Eli Cardale begin as college roommates and discover that near-death experiences, under the right conditions, can create extraordinaries (EOs): superhuman abilities. When Victor tries to create his abilities, things go wrong and people take a fall and he ends up in jail. 10 years later, Eli, now under the name Eli Ever, has started a crusade to kill every other EO, and Victor has broken out of jail, with fellow inmate Mitch, to get revenge on Eli. [2]

Reception

The Guardian called Vicious "a brilliant exploration of the superhero mythos and a riveting revenge thriller". [3] 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". [4] Publishers Weekly also named Vicious one of its best books of 2013 for SF/Fantasy/Horror. [5] The American Library Association's Reference and User Services Association likewise awarded it the top fantasy book in their 2014 Reading List. [6]

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. [7] In May 2014, Alexander Felix was hired to write the screenplay. [8]

Sequel

The sequel to Vicious, titled Vengeful, was released on September 25, 2018. [9] [10]

References

  1. Obeso, Dionne (September 20, 2013). "The Art of the Future". Publishers Weekly . Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  2. "Vicious". Tor Books . Retrieved November 23, 2014.
  3. Brown, Eric (January 9, 2014). "Science fiction roundup - reviews". The Guardian . Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  4. "Fiction Review: Vicious by V. E. Schwab". Publishers Weekly . 2013. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  5. Deahl, Rachel (February 10, 2014). "Book Deals: Week of February 10, 2014". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  6. "RUSA's 2014 Reading List winners revealed: Librarians' top picks in genre fiction". American Library Association. January 26, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  7. Fleming, Mike Jr. (December 17, 2013). "Ridley Scott's Scott Free Teams With Story Mining & Supply On Vicious Deal". Deadline Hollywood .
  8. Barnes, Madison (May 20, 2014). "Hit List Scribe Alexander Felix To Adapt Vicious For Scott Free And Story Mining & Supply Co". The Tracking Board. Retrieved January 19, 2015.
  9. @veschwab (December 21, 2017). "It does! September 25, 2018" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  10. "Release Dates". June 10, 2013.