Listen free for 30 days

  • Vicious

  • Villains, Book 1
  • Written by: V. E. Schwab
  • Narrated by: Jeremy Arthur
  • Length: 9 hrs and 23 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (28 ratings)

1 credit a month, good for any title to download and keep.
The Plus Catalogue—listen all you want to thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts, and audiobooks.
$14.95 a month plus applicable taxes after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
Vicious cover art

Vicious

Written by: V. E. Schwab
Narrated by: Jeremy Arthur
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $31.97

Buy Now for $31.97

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

V. E. Schwab's New York Times bestseller Vicious is a masterful tale of ambition, jealousy, desire, and superpowers.

Victor and Eli started out as college roommates—brilliant, arrogant, lonely boys who recognized the same sharpness and ambition in each other. In their senior year, a shared research interest in adrenaline, near-death experiences, and seemingly supernatural events reveals an intriguing possibility: that under the right conditions, someone could develop extraordinary abilities. But when their thesis moves from the academic to the experimental, things go horribly wrong.

Ten years later, Victor breaks out of prison, determined to catch up to his old friend (now foe), aided by a young girl whose reserved nature obscures a stunning ability. Meanwhile, Eli is on a mission to eradicate every other super-powered person that he can find—aside from his sidekick, an enigmatic woman with an unbreakable will. Armed with terrible power on both sides, driven by the memory of betrayal and loss, the archnemeses have set a course for revenge—but who will be left alive at the end?

In Vicious, V. E. Schwab brings to life a gritty comic-book-style world in vivid prose: a world where gaining superpowers doesn't automatically lead to heroism, and a time when allegiances are called into question.

"A dynamic and original twist on what it means to be a hero and a villain. A killer from page one…highly recommended!" —Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of Marvel Universe vs The Avengers and Patient Zero

One of Publishers Weekly's Best Fantasy Books of 2013.

A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.

©2013 V. E. Schwab (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

What the critics say

2013, Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year, Long-listed

Entertainment Weekly's 27 Female Authors Who Rule Sci-Fi and Fantasy Right Now

"Fresh, merciless, and, yes, vicious. Wow." (Mira Grant, New York Times best-selling author of the Newsflesh Trilogy) 

“Schwab's characters feel vital and real, never reduced to simple archetypes.... In a genre that tends toward the flippant or pretentious, this is a rare superhero novel as epic and gripping as any classic comic. Schwab's tale of betrayal, self-hatred, and survival will resonate with superhero fans as well as readers who have never heard of Charles Xavier or Victor von Doom.” (Publishers Weekly, starred review) 

“A fun, morally-flexible revenge tale...Vicious methodically ratchets up the tension as Victor and Eli circle each other for the inevitable kill.” (Daniel H. Wilson, NYT best-selling author of Robopocalypse

What listeners say about Vicious

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    15
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    17
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Struggled to finish

It was like Cancel culture was mixed with a Clockwork Orange, and stirred with a magic stick
The protagonists were ugly, and the loyalties of the sub-characters, was wacked. Narrator was good.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Anonymous User
  • Anonymous User
  • 2022-03-17

captivating

from tension building to character pov's and the great job of Arthur, every moment was a joy

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Erika
  • Erika
  • 2022-02-12

So far so good!!!

Theres just not enough reviews for this book yet, but I wanted a thriller so I went for it. It's got a touch of sci-fi it it. I'm halfway through and find myself sucked in every time I start listening. Narration is really good. Story goes back and forth with past and present, but it's all pretty juicy stuff. I'll update when I'm done but so far this book has been great with how it doesnt lag and keeps you coming back to listen.

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Disco Inferno
  • Disco Inferno
  • 2022-02-02

Excellent!

Wow. I’m a huge fan of this writer’s work (Loved Addie LeRue and the “Darker Shade of Magic” series). And for some reason this book has not been available on Audible until yesterday (it’s been out for a few years—you could get the sequel, but not this one!). Thank you for finally coming through!

Schwab writes consistently complex characters who grapple with ideals, failures, imperfections, and resilience. This text disrupts some sci-fi and comic-book conventions in an unusual and interesting way—especially the concept of what makes a “hero” and what makes a “villain.” I will root for authors who resist cliches!! I’m really looking forward to reading the next in the series. Highly recommend.

File Under: Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for BDREY
  • BDREY
  • 2023-05-25

Disappointing

First book I’ve listened to from Schwab. It was Well written but the story just wasn’t compelling.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Molly
  • Molly
  • 2023-05-25

I loved it

Captivating until the end. A wonderful book that unfolds so beautifully with excitement and mystery!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Melanie G. Melendez
  • Melanie G. Melendez
  • 2023-05-20

No surprises but a good story

I’d say it the ending was a bit anticlimactic. I mean, if Eli lost his head too I’m sure it wouldn’t fix itself. Otherwise it was a good read with a little “save the cheerleader, save the world” feel.

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Jack Toomey
  • Jack Toomey
  • 2023-04-30

A good lead-in to the series

Took a little while to attach to the characters, but once I was in, I was hooked.
Really love how Schwabb toes the line with the morals of each character and makes you really question, "Are there any 'good guys' in this series?" (it is called "Villains" after all lol)

Definitely recommend jumping straight into the 2nd book to keep the details fresh if you liked the 1st.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Amazon Customer
  • Amazon Customer
  • 2023-04-23

Loved it!

I’ve enjoyed every book I’ve listed to by V.E. Schwab, and the narrator and characters in this one were fabulous and the plot was gripping. A great listen!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Joseph Crabtree
  • Joseph Crabtree
  • 2023-04-20

Amazing!!!!

I went in expecting this to be good but I was blown away by just how good it was.

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Anonymous User
  • Anonymous User
  • 2023-04-17

Speechless.

New reader and now a fan of V.E. Schwab, and all I can say about this audiobook and novel are lovely things. Jeremy was a perfect pick for narrator, and he kept me in the story every second, just as the characters themselves had. Can’t wait to listen to the next.