Vicious (Villains, 1)

Friends, Vicious is a book that totally surprised me in the best of ways. I've owned this book for months but was kind of afraid to read because of the hype and my lukewarm/conflicted feelings about the Shades of Magic trilogy, but I decided that it was about time that I give this book a try... and I am so glad that I did because I loved it! If you enjoy morally gray characters and anti-heroes like I do, this definitely is a book for you.

Vicious is told in the perspectives of Eli and Victor, who are former college roommates turned enemies, I really enjoyed the storytelling overall: the narrative shifts between present-day and ten years prior, meaning that the reader is thrust into the present with little context and slowly discovers what happened to turn friends into foes. I found this to be incredibly engaging and I was more invested in uncovering how the friendship broke down and led to the events of present day for our characters. One of my notes from 19% says "I so want to know how the friendship fell apart. This is written so well" and I loved how full the characters are... and how I understood the motives for each of them. one of my favorite literary devices is being thrust into the present day and seeing what happened to get us there through flashbacks, and it is executed so well here. I also really love the friends-to-enemies trope, but then again, I like my characters to essentially go through rough situations and grow from them.

This is a world where no one is innocent, yet they each feel justified in their actions. Morally speaking it's a choice of Bad and Worse, and the reader is left to decide whose actions are most justified. Jealousy, self-righteousness, self-preservation, loyalty, betrayal... each character has a driving force that motivates them in Vicious, and they are all very well crafted.

Our main characters: 🔪 "Victor Vale is not a [...] sidekick"; his belief in probability, science, and chance guide him and he has difficulty with religious faith. 🔪 Eli Cardale/Ever "was precocious, and frighteningly charming, the kind of guy who got away with everything, thanks to good genes and quick wits"; his belief and faith in God guides his life and his actions. 🔪 We also have Mitch Turner and Sydney Clarke, both of whom are absolute cinnamon rolls and I adore them wholeheartedly. And let's honest here: the banter between Mitch, Sydney, and Victor cracked me up and I lived for it. 🔪 Lastly we have Serena Clarke, Sydney's older sister and most certainly not a cinnamon roll. This is definitely a character-driven story with a very interesting world that kind of reminds me of the tv series Heroes. I do wish that there was more worldbuilding and an explanation of EOs in the context of the world Victor and Eli live in. When Eli presented his thesis topic it almost appeared like a joke; however, as the plot progressed it is hinted that EOs were a thing even before the thesis. How long had the term been coined? How much did the public know in that ten-years ago period?

The crux of the battle is the whole "us versus them" mentality and the dehumanizing the "enemy" to justify your own actions. But who is the enemy? Who is in the wrong? In this story - and in life - it depends on the side that you are on. “You don’t understand,” he said. “I’m trying to protect people.” She smiled behind her coffee. It wasn’t a happy smile. “Which people?” Serena plays an interesting foil to Eli in this way and brings out an interesting philosophical argument for the reader to consider if they choose.

Overall I found Vicious to be a fast-paced and engaging fantasy story with amazingly deep and flawed characters. While my little worldbuilding heart wish that more information had been presented on the history of the EOs in the context of the world, it didn't really hinder my enjoyment of this story at all. I honestly cannot recommend this book enough.

In a word: An unexpectedly different superhero story, full of love, evil, danger and viciousness, written with spare and lovely prose, with a careful and precise construction that will leave you breathless.

I knew Vicious was a story about superheroes and that the main characters meet in college and embark on some kind of adventure together, but that was about all I knew when I started reading. I didn't know I was going to fall in love with all of the characters (even the most evil ones!). I didn't know that the super powers of these characters would be so subtle and unusual. And I didn't anticipate the utter brilliance of the way Schwab constructed her story: by jumping back and forth through time, slowly peeling away layer after layer of her complex tale, giving the reader only hints at first, then carefully revealing its shocking depths. Schwab is like a diabolical choreographer, telling us her twisted story in bits and pieces as each chapter unfolds.

I don't want to spoil the story for anyone, but here's a quick rundown of what's happening. Eli and Victor are college roommates who end up in a senior thesis class together. When the professor asks his students to declare their theses, Eli boldly decides that he will try to prove that ExtraOrdinaries, or people with extraordinary abilities, exist. When Victor proposes that they experiment on themselves to prove Eli's theory, the story takes a suddenly dark and menacing turn, and before you know it, friends have become enemies, and safety and happiness are things of the past.

Vicious was a completely unpredictable story. I did not see many of the twists coming, which means I was constantly worried about each character. In the beginning it's hard to understand all the relationships between the characters, but you just have to go with it. Like I said before, the author doles out information gradually, and while you may be wondering "How did Eli and Serena meet?" in one chapter, you will find out later when the pieces fall into place. I had many "ah ha!" moments like this, and I adored this method of storytelling.

And the characters. What can I say about them? I loved them, I hated them, I rooted for them, I cursed them, I wanted to be sisters with one of them and happily assist in the murder of another. But I know one thing for sure: every character in this story terrified me at one point or another. Each of the main characters has an unusual power that, in typical superhero fashion, isn't always what it seems. And each power eventually takes its toll on its user and changes him into something less than human.

Sydney was probably my favorite character. She's a twelve-year-old girl who has been shot in the arm when the story begins. (I have a thirteen-year-old daughter so I immediately connected with her.) You don't find out for many chapters why she's been shot, but her run-in with Victor turns out to be fortuitous. They form a complicated bond that only becomes more complicated by the end of the book. The dog and the shovel in Sydney's trading card are very important!

I loved Victor as well, and even though he did not always use his power for good, I loved the way he watched out for Sydney and the way he made friends with a computer hacker named Mitch, a side character with his own sad back-story that I grew very fond of.

On the other side of the coin are Eli and Serena. Eli has a very useful power and wants to use it for a terrible mission that puts everyone around him in grave danger. He's teamed up with a tragically beautiful girl named Serena to help him in his quest, and together they are a force that is hard to beat. Serena was the most damaged of the characters and so for me, the most dangerous. When you discover her connections to the others you will be very worried, trust me! The details in Serena's card are integral to the story, too; in fact this drawing describes Serena to a T!

Schwab gives each character a back-story (or maybe I should say "origin story") that delves into the reasons they behave the way they do. Once you get used to the circuitous method of storytelling, you will be turning pages as fast as you can. She masterfully ends the story with a scene that is almost identical to the opening chapter, but with a twist, of course. I have to say I was completely satisfied with the way things ended, something that doesn't happen as often as I'd like it to. Vicious is so good, that I wish I could read it again for the first time. I envy all you readers out there who have yet to crack open the cover and experience Schwab's unique brand of magic.

Many thanks to Victoria for selecting me to participate in her ARC tour and providing a review copy.

I am finding it extremely difficult to come up with the right words to accurately describe just how much I adored this novel. I completed it well over a month ago and I am still constantly thinking about it. This was my first experience with Victoria Schwab’s work, and I was completely blown away by her talent. It has been quite a while since I was so quickly pulled into a novel. I found this incredibly hard to put down once I started reading; it’s one of those stories where you sit down to read a chapter or two and, before you know it, you’ve read a third of the book. This is due primarily to Schwab’s impressive abilities in character development and storytelling.

Vicious follows the story of two best friends turned archnemeses, with a narrative that jumps between the present day and their time in college together ten years prior. During their study of extraordinary abilities, things get out of control, landing Victor in prison, bent on getting revenge, and Eli attempting to wipe out every super-powered person in existence. In alternating time periods and perspectives, the story of their falling out is gradually filled in, and the mystery pieced together in a fast-paced and suspenseful way.

Victoria Schwab is an absolutely brilliant writer with an incredibly addicting writing style that flows beautifully. Her innovative ideas, particularly in the depiction of the super-human abilities, make a well-loved topic into a remarkable and unique reading experience. It is extremely difficult to base a story around villainous characters and requires major skill—which she clearly has—to do so. She is spot on with her level of detail and description when it comes to her world and character building, and she masterfully creates a dark, chilling mood and atmosphere all the way through. Her words, her details, her plot points, everything just flows so nicely.

Early on, I had my doubts about the way the novel jumped around in time so often. That is something I typically do not enjoy, as I have found that I tend to get lost and confused easily in books that skip around too much. However, this did not happen at all as I was reading this book, and I actually ended up loving the style. In general, this can be a rather dangerous and risky way to write a novel, but Schwab executes it perfectly and completely nails this method of storytelling.

Since the plot is so connected to the past and the history of the characters, being able to jump back and hear first-hand what happened to them definitely contributes a lot to the novel as a whole. Schwab does this in a way where she essentially creates two storylines—a past one and a present one—and the jumping between them alternately causes tension and suspense in both. There is also plenty of suspense within each chapter to boot. All of this really succeeds in fully immersing the reader in the story and making them want to read on.

The character creation and development is one of the strongest and most important aspects of this novel, and is definitely some of the best I have ever come across. This is not your typical tale of good versus evil—in fact, what makes this story so intriguing is the lack of clarity and specificity when it comes to the definitions of both. It is a novel about villains, revenge, and the dangers of extreme power. The characterization relies heavily on moral ambiguity, and no one is truly heroic in the traditional sense of the word; there is typically an ulterior motive behind each character’s actions.

Schwab works hard to create vivid and complex characters, and she presents the reader with a comprehensive portrayal of every single one. This is one of my personal favorite elements to see in a story. Clearly displaying a character’s good qualities as well as their flaws will always make for a far more memorable and three-dimensional character that your reader will take an interest in. And whether they are hero or villain, this connection is essential. No matter what side their loyalties lie on, every character needs to be relatable in order to have an impact on an audience.

Vicious contains a very flawed group of individuals, and none of their negative qualities are sugar-coated. Their flaws are a driving force in the plot. This is the type of story that requires messed up and imperfect characters—ones who are not distinctly good or bad and whose motives are questionable. That is exactly what she has succeeded in creating here, and it adds a great amount of depth to the story. Whether you like them or not, they are utterly fascinating, and you find yourself fully captivated by their plotlines, constantly wanting to know more.

This book is filled with many magnificent examples of antiheroes, and what comes from this is an absolutely enthralling character study. Victor is one of the most amazingly well-imagined characters I have ever read about in my life. His characterization was brilliantly done, and his storyline was absorbing from the very first page. He is that villain that you hate to love, and potentially even love to hate—and though his actions are not always entirely permissible due to his focus on revenge, you find yourself siding with and rooting for him anyway. Overall, Victor is a surprisingly relatable and likeable villain, and an impeccable choice for a main protagonist. He was by far my favorite character in the novel.

On the opposite side of this, from the very first time we see Eli and Victor together, something about Eli immediately rubbed me the wrong way—and as the story progressed, my opinion of him most definitely did not improve. Though he is an intensely dislikable character, his plotline was fantastically well executed. Schwab wrote it in an incredibly interesting way, making it one of those stories where, depending on one’s point of view or position, Eli might not necessarily be a villain in everyone’s eyes.

As a reader, we are meant to feel that he is entirely immoral. His actions are not at all condonable, nor is there any justification for anything he does. And we as the reader are correct in thinking this, because his inhumane actions are not and should not be justifiable; he is a monster. However, it is also easy to understand why he justifies his own actions to himself.

Eli believes that he is doing right, that he is being heroic and fulfilling God’s will, and it would be impossible for anyone working under that type of extreme delusion to see their own—or potentially someone else’s—immorality. While neither Eli or Victor are truly heroes, Eli’s delusion of heroism and inability to see his own inhumanity makes him not only more villainous, but also far more dangerous.

Victor is much more aware of what he is doing and, though he does questionable things primarily for his own motives, that is not the definition of all of his actions. He has far more restraint and humanity left in him—more of a conscience than Eli has. There are certain actions each do individually that it would be hard imagining the other doing. Victor is certainly more aware of the consequences of his actions, and though that might not prevent him from ever doing evil, he has limits and never has any misconception about his purpose in life.

Schwab also fills this book with an all-star set of secondary characters. Sydney is a downright lovely character, and by far the most purely endearing and innocent of the bunch. On top of this, the role that she played in the story was fascinating, and her powers were an element that served to create a lot of mystery and suspense throughout. Another character that added to the huge amount of suspense in the plot was Mitch. Mitch is one of the only other truly lovable characters in the novel, and the juxtaposition of his natural talents against the others’ powers was a highlight for me.

Serena falls more toward the Eli side of the scale of villains. She is quite dislikable from the very start, and while she remains that way throughout the novel, you begin to understand her actions as more information about her is revealed. As with Eli, it is impossible to condone what she does, but you do begin to get an understanding of how aspects of her life—such as her powers—would cause her to act in the way that she does. All in all, though these three are all supporting characters, they are no less vivid or complex than the protagonists, and their plotlines are fully conceived.

Victoria Schwab has produced an absolute masterpiece with this novel. Her three-dimensional characters and unique plotlines work together to create a truly engrossing and addictive read that will stay with you long after you’ve finished it. Whether or not you are a superhero/supervillain fan like myself, this book holds something for everyone to enjoy. If you have not read this yet, I very highly recommend giving it a go. I’m not sure what to expect from the sequel, but I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what happens next; I cannot wait to be back in this world with these characters. Vicious, without a doubt, now holds a place on my list of all-time favorite novels.

I loved Vicious from the first few chilling pages. Vicious is a little grittier, a little bleaker than Victoria's YA novels, but although the prose is more stark than in her other books, it lacks none of her characteristic lyricism. It's obvious from the disturbing opening -- where we meet two of our main characters as they dig up a grave -- that the reader is in for a well-crafted tale spun by a mind that is twisted in the best possible way.

Let's talk for a minute about characters. Vicious focuses around two central characters, Victor and Eli, once best friends, now mortal enemies. Each has his own small band of misfit allies, some with powers, some without. And the best part of every single one of these characters is that each of them chooses sides based on what they believe in their hearts to be right. Maybe not good, but right. The calls they make are difficult, their actions are not clean and the consequences are often messy, but each fully realized secondary character picks the side they think is best not just for them individually, but the world as a whole. Which makes every character think they are fighting for the side of light, when in reality, they all inhabit a world of gray.

Getting back to Eli and Victor, my favorite villains in fiction have always been the ones who were motivated by more than darkness, power, and a desire to watch the world burn. Sure, there's a strange dark beauty in a villain who will stop at nothing to destroy the hero, simply because he stands on the side of good. The Jokers and the Voldemorts and the Moriartys. But an excellent villain is one who can make me root for him, in spite of the fact that he opposes our hero, because in his own mind, he is right. These are the Lokis, the Magnetos, the Dr. Horribles, the Javerts. They're the villains I know need to be defeated, but I keep hoping they will redeem themselves, because they make me care for them. Sometimes even more than I care for the good guys.

Eli and Victor both fall into this second category. Vicious is a book about villains, except none of the characters see themselves as particularly villainous. Certainly neither starts off that way. Eli and Victor begin as college roommates and best friends, whose downward spiral into villainy begins as nothing more than a thesis project and a flight of fancy. This is not a case of characters destined to be evil masterminds. They're simply two guys who were, quite literally, too clever for their own good.

Ironically, the character who is indisputably the more righteous of the pair is probably the closest thing to a pure villain, whereas the one who comes across as more heroic (although even he is far from a hero) sees himself as irredeemable. The character with the stronger moral compass drifts deep into the darkness, while the one with little empathy or remorse holds himself in check right where the light begins to fade into shadow. It's a fascinating dichotomy, and brilliantly executed. Vicious doesn't paint either protagonist in particularly rosy colors, and both characters make terrible decisions and, at one point or another, commit terrible acts of violence with motives that are far from noble. But in this world where nothing is as simple as black and white or good and evil, it's fascinating to see who we root for. I finished the book thinking really, one character wasn't so bad -- surely he wasn't a villain -- until I thought back to what he actually did, and I realized yes, yes he was. He just wasn't as much of a villain as the other character. And I didn't want anything bad to happen to him, because I liked him -- even though in a black-and-white world, I really shouldn't have liked him.

As for the plot itself, Vicious is an intricately woven tale of intrigue and deception, betrayal and revenge. The rules of the world are simple and clear, enough that you find yourself wondering if maybe it is possible to give yourself superpowers through thwarting death. The twists and turns aren't predictable, yet everything makes sense. The action isn't constant, but ebbs and flows in a natural rhythm that keeps the pages flying by. Victoria masterfully builds the tension leading to the final confrontation between Victor and Eli throughout the entire book, slowly ratcheting up anticipation until it's almost unbearable. And when they finally do meet, the result is explosive, bloody, and deliciously satisfying. I was left wanting more, not because any threads were left dangling, but because this world and these characters were so painfully amazing that it hurt to be parted from them.

If you're a fan of sympathetic villains and realistic superpowers and dark, twisty tales brimming with moral ambiguity, make haste to your nearest bookseller and pick up a copy of Vicious. Run, don't walk. Or, if you can, fly.

3.5 Stars

The great thing about Vicious is that is isn’t your standard superhero story. The guys with the power aren’t altruistic, nice and brooding. Nope in this they are slightly homicidal and missing a little thing I like to call humanity. Still for me there was clearly a good guy and a bad guy, or at least a guy I was rooting for and one I wasn’t.

“You can’t kill me, Victor,” said Eli. “You know that.” Victor’s smile widened as he buried his knife between Eli’s ribs. “I know,” he said loudly. He had to speak up over the screams. “But you’ll have to indulge me. I’ve waited so long to try.”

Surprisingly the only really likable characters are the side characters Sydney and Mitch. I enjoyed their interaction with the main character Victor and they made him seems a little more on the human side, or at least likable like Dexter is.

“Look, Sydney, there’s something you need to understand about Victor—” “He’s not a bad man,” she said. “There are no good men in this game,” said Mitch. But Sydney didn’t care about good. She wasn’t sure she believed in it. “I’m not afraid of Victor.” “I know.” He sounded sad when he said it.

There are things in this book that really worked for me and a few that missed the mark just a little bit. But all in all I enjoyed the story. It takes a little time to get used to as it jumps from past to present and is told from multiple PoVs. The problem that I almost always have with this type of format is that I’m more interested and invested in one or two PoVs and don’t care about the others as much. I struggled when it was Eli’s PoV since I really didn’t care about him. Even Eli and Victor together in the past was at times difficult to care a lot about since I didn’t like either character.

However, that said, I love the little band of roving misfits Victor, Mitch, Sydney and there trusty canine companion Dol. The present tense involving them was really my favorite part of the story. Each had something that made the team that much better and stronger, I would definitely read another story involving them.

Eli and Victor both play the role of the mad scientists very well. Their discovery of how to make Extra Ordinaries or EOs involving near death experiences and the subsequent events of trying to create their own was a good part of the story.

Killing something was easy. Bringing it back to life took more than measurement and medicine. It was like cooking, not baking. Baking took a sense of order. Cooking took a flare, a little art, a little luck. This kind of cooking took a lot of luck.

It really showcased how emotionally/mentally unstable both were and how together they made each other worse people. Each man competing for the others attention in the worst ways. I like that we see them ten years later and the men they become without the other, even though they seem very drawn to each other like magnets.

I did like the wrap up to the story, I saw a few of the ending points coming but still it was all very enjoyable and had just enough flare to push up my rating of this just a little bit. I agree with my friend Eon’s assessment that I totally could have done with some even darker more fleshed out characters and a little less predictable ending but the book flies by and is a lot of fun.

Vicious was an interesting science fiction story that was driven by very strong characters. I’d read a TON of 5-star raving reviews about this novel, and was honestly a bit let down.

Although I certainly think the writing is top notch and the storytelling is engaging, it didn’t leave me with the “OMG, I must tell everyone I know about how awesome this book is!!!”

But, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t good.

What I enjoyed about Vicious was the lead up to a big showdown between Victor and Eli, two college frenemies who turn hardcore nemeses. The story is told in a day by day then hour by hour lead up to when these two men meet again after 10 years and is interspersed with their history and backstory from years past.

The countdown added a lot of suspense and movement to the book. I didn’t necessarily feeling “pulled” through the story as with other books, but I liked the drama of knowing everything was leading up to ONE BIG MOMENT.

Because so many of my blogger friends loved and reviewed this book, I didn’t realize it wasn’t YA for the first 100 pages or so. Then all the f-words tipped me off.

Vicious is a very dark story, but one that hasn’t been told before. Victor and Eli live in what I would say is a contemporary time (they have smartphones and the Internet), and they are experimenting with idea that EO’s (ExtraOrdinaries) live among us.

Victor is the narrator for the first half of the book, and his story is filled with sadness and bitterness. It makes him an even more interesting character though. There is a lack of pretension about him that I really appreciated.

It could have been the lack of a romance (love and feelings are mentioned but not highlighted) or it could have been the more battle/fight driven plot, but Vicious felt quite dry at times. It seemed like something was missing.

What I pushed through the book to read (and not DNF instead) was the super complicated relationships. Victor and Eli both love and hate and respect and loathe each other. Their relationship changes over time, and the definition of “good guy” and “bad guy” is in question (<-- the best).

Plus, larger issues of faith and law are deftly woven in as well.

OVERALL:

If you are a sci-fi lover, this book will delight and fascinate. You MUST be ok with no romance and difficult-to-like characters. Although neither of those things are my exact cup of tea, I definitely appreciated the great writing and the complication relationships in the novel. Vicious is definitely a strong read overall.

The first half or so moved fairly quickly and was hard to put down. Unfortunately, I found it slowed at one point. It was still interesting enough to keep me reading but I kept expecting it to pick back up. The climax is very exciting but could have been even more so. The two main characters are intriguing and so well-developed by Ms Schwabb that a more exciting ending could have been possible, especially in the given setting.

As mentioned, the characters are well-developed and believable. It’s difficult to like or relate to any of the main characters, except for one or two, and one being a dog! This is mainly due to the fact that the two main characters kill too easily. In Victor’s case, it’s due to his ‘superpower’ numbing his empathy among other things. In Eli’s case, he simply a narcissistic a-hole (redundancy intended) and has been all his life! Victor is certainly easier to like but his jealousy and revenge streaks don’t exactly make him that great guy you’d want as a friend.

And then there’s Serena! Ms Schwab does an excellent job at painting a fine-line between a truly terrible person and a likeable one. Although Serena shows some signs of being human, she’s a villain. She delights in watching others squirm painfully under her ‘spell’. I would say she’s the most dangerous character in Vicious.

The writing style overall was good. Although I found some points in the book lacking, overall it’s well-written. The occasional humour or sarcasm was welcomed. The use of ‘dated’ chapters to explain the intricate details was perfect. Some reviewers found this feature confusing - it’s not for everyone. I found it kept things clear and were provided at the right points in the story.

Having read many non-fiction books on near death experiences and their effects, I was a little surprised to see that the effects in Vicious are mostly, if not all, negative. Ms Schwab mentions Post Death Stress Disorder and The Rebirth Principle, two concepts I never encountered in my readings. Googling them reveals that they don’t really exist! This reveals that Ms Schwab did her research well and possesses a great and fantastic imagination - what every excellent story-teller needs, especially in the fantasy-genre!

There’s quite an amount of violence which might not be suitable for younger readers.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely! Would I read it again? Absolutely!

Eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Like many others, I found VICIOUS to be very readable, and in that spirit I will immediately tout its positive traits: an interesting plot, a provocative protagonist, and lots of action. As for its negatives: it's a story that hits as much as it misses, possesses a hard-to-like protagonist, and has a tendency to deny its readers a lot of great plot.

Contradictory? Then I’ve expressed my feelings adequately about this book.

VICIOUS has an interesting plot, but it’s a derivative one. While it shares a passing resemblance to the movie FLATLINERS, it’s got a wholly different take: if one dies under certain conditions and is then revived, then he or she will come back as an EO, or ExtraOrdinary: a person with an interesting and unique super power (though what that power will be is hard to predetermine). I liked the concept and for some time I certainly found the book interesting, but by the time I was done I couldn’t help feeling there was a lot missing.

First of all, I can understand author V.E. Schwab’s appeal as a writer: she has a flashy style that emphasizes action without being visceral. It’s meant to be dark but not overly serious, as adventurous but not exuberant. I was torn, for instance, if the twin plot lines helped or hurt the book. VICIOUS (like so many other novels) divides every other chapter into some aspect of the present and some aspect of the past, ranging from ten years ago to “Last Night” or “A Few Days Ago” or “Last Fall.” Here, though I found its erratic nature often left me not so much confused as lacking immediacy.

While I had no overwhelming problem with the blurring of the lines between the protagonist Victor and antagonist Eli -- these are bad people, certainly -- i did find it difficult to really get behind either one of them. I have no problem with people who have faults. But characters who have almost no redeeming traits? I found it almost impossible to get behind Victor...the only way I could root for his side was to concentrate on the others who aligned with him: Mitch and Sydney. Similarly, while I understood the conflict between Victor and Eli, I could not see the rationale or motivation of Sydney’s sister, Serena, to turn against her sister. It just, well, happened.

Another bothersome trait of Schwab’s is something I can only ascribe to laziness: she has a habit of leaving out details that should either be omitted entirely or brought out in some fuller fashion. Late in the book Eli, the antagonist who possesses a power to immediately heal himself, is described as having had a run-in “with an earthshaking EO three years ago” who has made him leery of leaving his car in a parking garage. Really? Nothing more on this? Similarly, two different bank robberies by an EO are handled in newspaper format if at all. Yet time and again we get needless details of protagonist Victor Vale’s inking out of almost all the text from the psychology books his parents authored. Interesting? Okay, but not all that much.

In the same vein, I found the concept of the EO in the very first place to be intriguing, but we only get a glimpse of them. While we know Eli has set his sights on eliminating the very creatures he has “invented” (a la Victor Frankenstein), we get almost no information on all of the diverse characters who must have sprung into existence over the intervening decade. I’m not interested in names -- but can’t we hear of some of the EO characteristics that he must have been pitted against?

In short, I guess that I found VICIOUS interesting, but it -- much like characters Victor or Eli -- just didn’t come to “live” anywhere close to what I hoped it might have.