Vicious by VE Schwab REVIEW

BOOK REVIEW Supervillain smackdown

Why you can trust GamesRadar+ Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about our reviews policy.

Vicious by VE Schwab book review .

As Stan the Man once wrote, “With great power there must also come - great responsibility.” In reality, unfortunately, great power is usually the preserve of total pricks. That's certainly the case with this stark, cynical novel about powered “ExtraOrdinaries” – superheroes to you and me.

College students Victor and Eli set out to investigate the emergence of EOs, and discover a link to near-death experiences. Realising that they can gain powers of their own, they embark on a series of almost-suicides, Psychomania style. They succeed in getting powered up, but an accident leads to a jail sentence for Victor, and a bitter feud follows. Ten years later he breaks out and goes looking for revenge…

There's something of The Social Network in Victoria Schwab's portrayal of conflict between gifted but socially maladjusted students, jealously squabbling over an idea. Neither Victor or Eli are particularly likeable leads, but Schwab makes them compelling all the same. You wouldn’t want to know them, but you understand – and fear – them.

The novel hops back and forth between the past and the present, and the plot rapidly builds up a real momentum as it heads to disaster. The powers are standard comic fare (healing, electricity etc), and they’re effectively conveyed. Most impressive is Schwab's urgent, insightful prose. Vicious? Yes, that certainly applies. We’d also add dangerous and surprising.

Will Salmon twitter.com/evilrobotbill

Read more of our book reviews .

SFX Magazine is the world's number one sci-fi, fantasy, and horror magazine published by Future PLC. Established in 1995, SFX Magazine prides itself on writing for its fans, welcoming geeks, collectors, and aficionados into its readership for over 25 years. Covering films, TV shows, books, comics, games, merch, and more, SFX Magazine is published every month. If you love it, chances are we do too and you'll find it in SFX.

Latest in Entertainment
Fantastic Four: 1234 #2 cover excerpt
Sue Storm and Namor are officially both in Avengers: Doomsday, and fans are wondering if Reed Richards has something to worry about
fool me once
Harlan Coben’s new novel is set to be "more of a sequel" to the hit Netflix series Fool Me Once: "I don’t know any time that’s ever happened"
Tony Dalton as Jack Duquesne
Daredevil: Born Again fans are loving the MCU cameos in this week's episodes – especially the Hawkeye reunion
Chris Hemsworth's name on the back of a director's chair
Marvel's Avengers: Doomsday cast reveal live blog
Halloween director John Carpenter
15 years on from his last horror movie, Halloween's John Carpenter says he'd "love to direct again" – but he has one condition
The cast of Suicide Squad (2016)
David Ayer admits James Gunn has good reason not to release his cut of Suicide Squad, but he remains hopeful it'll happen
Latest in Reviews
Image of the Corsair Virtuoso Max wireless headset sitting on top of a gaming PC case taken by writer Rosalie Newcombe.
Corsair Virtuoso Max Wireless review - a PC headset tour de force
Zombicide box featuring stylized art of survivors fighting zombies
Zombicide 2nd Edition review: "Like a zombie flick brought to tabletop"
Razer Handheld Dock with Steam Deck sitting on cradle, pink and yellow RGB lighting on, and Alienware monitor in background with Tomb Raider Trilogy gameplay on screen.
Razer Handheld Dock review: “Your Steam Deck will ride shiny and Chroma"
Photographs of the Agricola board game in play
Agricola review: "Accurate representation of the highly competitive and often unstable world of agriculture"
Photos taken by writer Rosalie Newcombe of the Shure MV7i microphone, within a pink and white themed room.
Shure MV7i review - convenience and excellence rolled into one superb sounding package
Key art for Atomfall showing a character in the English countryside looking at a nuclear plant some distance away
Atomfall review: "This isn't British Fallout – it's something much better than that"