Ambition is a sharp blade, and in the hands of the brilliant, it carves away at the boundaries of ethics until only raw desire remains. Victor Vale and Eli Cardale were never intended to be heroes; they were merely two roommates at Merit University whose intellect outpaced their morality. Their shared fascination with the physiology of near-death experiences led them to a terrifying hypothesis: that the human spark, when strained to the absolute breaking point, can ignite something unnatural. They believed that by systematically engineering a brush with death, they could bypass the limits of biology and emerge as something "ExtraOrdinary."
Ten years after their research moved from the theoretical to the experimental, the consequences of that arrogance have manifested in a cold-blooded hunt across the city of Merit. Victor has surfaced from a decade of incarceration with a single, calculating focus: to track down the man who was once his closest confidant. Eli, fueled by a radicalized sense of divine purpose, has spent those same years on a mission to purge the world of anyone possessing unnatural abilities. As their paths converge, the narrative explores a world where power does not grant moral clarity, but instead magnifies the existing flaws of the human ego.
The world of this novel is a grounded, contemporary setting where the supernatural is treated with clinical coldness rather than wonder. Extraordinary abilities (EOs) are not the result of cosmic accidents or genetics, but are forged through the "EO Equation": a combination of a near-death experience, the presence of an external catalyst, and an indomitable will to live. The atmosphere is permeated by a sense of unease; power is depicted as a physiological burden that often strips away a person’s capacity for empathy. The "superpowers" here are rarely flashy; they are jagged, specific, and often reflective of the trauma that birthed them.
The core of the story lies in the shifting dynamics of the "found family" versus the "toxic pair." In the past timeline, we observe the slow erosion of the bond between Victor and Eli, moving from mutual respect to a simmering jealousy fueled by academic competition. In the present, Victor’s development is marked by his reluctant role as a protector to Sydney and Mitch. While he claims to be a sociopath, his actions suggest a complicated evolution of responsibility. Conversely, the narrative tracks Eli’s internal shift from a man of science to a man who believes he is the only "pure" exception in a world of monsters, highlighting how power can solidify a dangerous god complex.
The novel utilizes the "Archnemesis" trope but strips away the traditional moral compass associated with the genre. Rather than a hero fighting a villain, the story presents two distinct flavors of antagonist, forcing the reader to choose between a man who knows he is "bad" and a man who is convinced he is "good." It subverts the "Origin Story" by making the acquisition of powers a gritty, self-inflicted trauma rather than a gift. By focusing on the "Anti-Hero" and the "Self-Righteous Zealot," the book deconstructs the idea that having the power to save the world inherently gives one the right—or the desire—to do so.
Ambition is a sharp blade, and in the hands of the brilliant, it carves away at the boundaries of ethics until only raw desire remains. Victor Vale and Eli Cardale were never intended to be heroes; they were merely two roommates at Merit University whose intellect outpaced their morality. Their shared fascination with the physiology of near-death experiences led them to a terrifying hypothesis: that the human spark, when strained to the absolute breaking point, can ignite something unnatural. They believed that by systematically engineering a brush with death, they could bypass the limits of biology and emerge as something "ExtraOrdinary."
Ten years after their research moved from the theoretical to the experimental, the consequences of that arrogance have manifested in a cold-blooded hunt across the city of Merit. Victor has surfaced from a decade of incarceration with a single, calculating focus: to track down the man who was once his closest confidant. Eli, fueled by a radicalized sense of divine purpose, has spent those same years on a mission to purge the world of anyone possessing unnatural abilities. As their paths converge, the narrative explores a world where power does not grant moral clarity, but instead magnifies the existing flaws of the human ego.
The world of this novel is a grounded, contemporary setting where the supernatural is treated with clinical coldness rather than wonder. Extraordinary abilities (EOs) are not the result of cosmic accidents or genetics, but are forged through the "EO Equation": a combination of a near-death experience, the presence of an external catalyst, and an indomitable will to live. The atmosphere is permeated by a sense of unease; power is depicted as a physiological burden that often strips away a person’s capacity for empathy. The "superpowers" here are rarely flashy; they are jagged, specific, and often reflective of the trauma that birthed them.
The core of the story lies in the shifting dynamics of the "found family" versus the "toxic pair." In the past timeline, we observe the slow erosion of the bond between Victor and Eli, moving from mutual respect to a simmering jealousy fueled by academic competition. In the present, Victor’s development is marked by his reluctant role as a protector to Sydney and Mitch. While he claims to be a sociopath, his actions suggest a complicated evolution of responsibility. Conversely, the narrative tracks Eli’s internal shift from a man of science to a man who believes he is the only "pure" exception in a world of monsters, highlighting how power can solidify a dangerous god complex.
The novel utilizes the "Archnemesis" trope but strips away the traditional moral compass associated with the genre. Rather than a hero fighting a villain, the story presents two distinct flavors of antagonist, forcing the reader to choose between a man who knows he is "bad" and a man who is convinced he is "good." It subverts the "Origin Story" by making the acquisition of powers a gritty, self-inflicted trauma rather than a gift. By focusing on the "Anti-Hero" and the "Self-Righteous Zealot," the book deconstructs the idea that having the power to save the world inherently gives one the right—or the desire—to do so.
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Find Vicious V.E. Schwab in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.
Villains
Villains
7 books in catalog
A bargain made in the dark of night rarely ends with a soul intact. Whether following a woman forgotten by history across centuries or a traveler moving between four distinct parallel versions of London, these speculative narratives center on the high cost of ambition, the permanence of choice, and the heavy weight of being extraordinary. Victoria Elizabeth Schwab, publishing as V.E. Schwab for adult audiences and Victoria Schwab for children's and young adult fiction, has constructed an expansive body of work encompassing middle-grade, young adult, and adult fantasy novels. Her bibliography is anchored by a refusal to treat genre conventions as rigid constraints, instead using fantastical premises, dark magic, and liminal spaces to interrogate universal human experiences of loneliness, mortality, and identity.
With more than twenty books in print and frequent appearances at the top of the New York Times bestseller list, Schwab's narratives span standalone historical fantasies, dark antihero sagas, gothic fiction, and epic series. Her breakout adult novel Vicious, published in 2013, earned a place on the American Library Association's Reading List, while The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list and was nominated for the 2020 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. From short stories like Warm Up to sprawling universes like the Shades of Magic series, her books invite readers into eerie, highly atmospheric worlds where every extraordinary power comes with a visceral sacrifice.
Born Victoria Elizabeth Schwab on July 7, 1987, to a British mother and an American father from California, she grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and spent her youth moving between California and the American South. This upbringing, combined with a persistent passion for travel and wanderlust, instilled an early fascination with place, cultural intersection, and alterity. Schwab pursued her undergraduate education at Washington University in St. Louis, graduating in 2009 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Book Design. She later continued her academic study at the University of Edinburgh, focusing on the study of monstrosity in medieval art. This scholarly research into how human societies historically conceptualize, depict, and demonize the figure of the monster provided the intellectual framework for much of her later speculative fiction.
Schwab entered the publishing world in 2011 with her debut young adult novel The Near Witch, published by Disney Hyperion, followed by The Archived in 2013 and The Unbound in 2014. Her transition into adult speculative fiction occurred in 2013 with the publication of Vicious, a dark fantasy that deconstructed traditional superhero tropes by focusing on two college roommates whose lethal academic rivalry leads to supernatural abilities and moral ruin. Originally, the author maintained a strict division between pen names, reserving Victoria Schwab for middle-grade and young adult releases—such as her Everyday Angel series (2014–2015) and her City of Ghosts middle-grade series—and reserving V.E. Schwab for adult fantasy. Over time, as her international readership expanded and thematic elements crossed age categories, her works consolidated under the V.E. Schwab brand for broader audience recognition.
Beyond her standalone novels and prose series, Schwab's career encompasses graphic novels, short fiction, and television production. She created and executive produced the supernatural teen drama series First Kill, based on her short story originally published in the 2020 anthology Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite. Her work is published across major houses including Tor Books, Scholastic, and Disney Hyperion, and she has been represented by literary agent Holly Root at Waxman Literary and film agent Jon Cassir at CAA. Dividing her time between Edinburgh, Scotland, and Denver, Colorado, Schwab continues to maintain an active writing schedule, frequenting historic European cities and participating in major literary events such as the 2025 National Book Festival, where her novel Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil was featured.
Schwab's writing style is noted for its mythic, atmospheric quality, prioritizing psychological depth, atmospheric dread, and character motivation over rigid hard magic systems. A signature thematic concept in her bibliography is the ExtraOrdinary—individuals who survive near-death experiences and return to life endowed with supernatural abilities shaped directly by their final, frantic thoughts before dying. This mechanic allows her stories to explore the subtle line separating heroes from villains, demonstrating how ambition, grief, and resentment can corrupt individuals when granted unearthly power. Rather than relying on escapist fantasy, her magic systems serve as metaphorical tools to examine the permanence of human choice and the emotional burdens borne by those who dare to seek extraordinary lives.
A central thematic pillar across Schwab's adult and young adult fiction is the profound dread of being forgotten and the isolation inherent in immortality or alterity. In The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, this is embodied in a French woman who bargains with a dark god for eternal life, only to be cursed with complete oblivion where no person can remember her once she leaves their sight. Similar motifs of loneliness and liminality appear throughout her work, whether in the parallel, magic-infused versions of London in A Darker Shade of Magic or the haunted physical boundaries explored in Gallant. Schwab frequently uses prose designed to plant seeds of doubt in the reader's mind, challenging conventional boundaries between reality and dark fantasy while underscoring that every desire carries an inescapable price.
7 books in catalog
A bargain made in the dark of night rarely ends with a soul intact. Whether following a woman forgotten by history across centuries or a traveler moving between four distinct parallel versions of London, these speculative narratives center on the high cost of ambition, the permanence of choice, and the heavy weight of being extraordinary. Victoria Elizabeth Schwab, publishing as V.E. Schwab for adult audiences and Victoria Schwab for children's and young adult fiction, has constructed an expansive body of work encompassing middle-grade, young adult, and adult fantasy novels. Her bibliography is anchored by a refusal to treat genre conventions as rigid constraints, instead using fantastical premises, dark magic, and liminal spaces to interrogate universal human experiences of loneliness, mortality, and identity.
With more than twenty books in print and frequent appearances at the top of the New York Times bestseller list, Schwab's narratives span standalone historical fantasies, dark antihero sagas, gothic fiction, and epic series. Her breakout adult novel Vicious, published in 2013, earned a place on the American Library Association's Reading List, while The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue spent over a year on the New York Times bestseller list and was nominated for the 2020 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel. From short stories like Warm Up to sprawling universes like the Shades of Magic series, her books invite readers into eerie, highly atmospheric worlds where every extraordinary power comes with a visceral sacrifice.
Born Victoria Elizabeth Schwab on July 7, 1987, to a British mother and an American father from California, she grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and spent her youth moving between California and the American South. This upbringing, combined with a persistent passion for travel and wanderlust, instilled an early fascination with place, cultural intersection, and alterity. Schwab pursued her undergraduate education at Washington University in St. Louis, graduating in 2009 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Book Design. She later continued her academic study at the University of Edinburgh, focusing on the study of monstrosity in medieval art. This scholarly research into how human societies historically conceptualize, depict, and demonize the figure of the monster provided the intellectual framework for much of her later speculative fiction.
Schwab entered the publishing world in 2011 with her debut young adult novel The Near Witch, published by Disney Hyperion, followed by The Archived in 2013 and The Unbound in 2014. Her transition into adult speculative fiction occurred in 2013 with the publication of Vicious, a dark fantasy that deconstructed traditional superhero tropes by focusing on two college roommates whose lethal academic rivalry leads to supernatural abilities and moral ruin. Originally, the author maintained a strict division between pen names, reserving Victoria Schwab for middle-grade and young adult releases—such as her Everyday Angel series (2014–2015) and her City of Ghosts middle-grade series—and reserving V.E. Schwab for adult fantasy. Over time, as her international readership expanded and thematic elements crossed age categories, her works consolidated under the V.E. Schwab brand for broader audience recognition.
Beyond her standalone novels and prose series, Schwab's career encompasses graphic novels, short fiction, and television production. She created and executive produced the supernatural teen drama series First Kill, based on her short story originally published in the 2020 anthology Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite. Her work is published across major houses including Tor Books, Scholastic, and Disney Hyperion, and she has been represented by literary agent Holly Root at Waxman Literary and film agent Jon Cassir at CAA. Dividing her time between Edinburgh, Scotland, and Denver, Colorado, Schwab continues to maintain an active writing schedule, frequenting historic European cities and participating in major literary events such as the 2025 National Book Festival, where her novel Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil was featured.
Schwab's writing style is noted for its mythic, atmospheric quality, prioritizing psychological depth, atmospheric dread, and character motivation over rigid hard magic systems. A signature thematic concept in her bibliography is the ExtraOrdinary—individuals who survive near-death experiences and return to life endowed with supernatural abilities shaped directly by their final, frantic thoughts before dying. This mechanic allows her stories to explore the subtle line separating heroes from villains, demonstrating how ambition, grief, and resentment can corrupt individuals when granted unearthly power. Rather than relying on escapist fantasy, her magic systems serve as metaphorical tools to examine the permanence of human choice and the emotional burdens borne by those who dare to seek extraordinary lives.
A central thematic pillar across Schwab's adult and young adult fiction is the profound dread of being forgotten and the isolation inherent in immortality or alterity. In The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, this is embodied in a French woman who bargains with a dark god for eternal life, only to be cursed with complete oblivion where no person can remember her once she leaves their sight. Similar motifs of loneliness and liminality appear throughout her work, whether in the parallel, magic-infused versions of London in A Darker Shade of Magic or the haunted physical boundaries explored in Gallant. Schwab frequently uses prose designed to plant seeds of doubt in the reader's mind, challenging conventional boundaries between reality and dark fantasy while underscoring that every desire carries an inescapable price.
