The Kota

Hazen Stephenson grew up pampered, and he knows it.  But he's never had it easy. Hazen's nightmares aren't merely products of his imagination, and he wrestles daily with guilt, responsibility, and questions of fate.  Setting off across the globe, he meets people he's dreamed about and changes their lives...for better and for worse.

Then he meets Renny Nado, who never dreamed her Creative Writing degree would amount to much.  But a people called 'The Kota' say her gifts point to an important destiny, and she must convince Hazen of their purpose.

Meanwhile, the world is full of pain, hate, and political upheaval. Should they accept what the Kota say about the future and their place in it?  Or should they keep their heads out of the clouds?

Raised in an isolated Kota village, Vedanleé uses her gifts to draw magic from the ancient lands of her coastal home. The Clan Eldress, the most powerful woman in the village, has a vision about the prophesied Woman of the Void – a woman destined to wield unfathomable power. To her surprise, Vedanleé is named as this woman.

Then Thurston Olander, Lord High Commander of the Dominion global empire, comes to fulfill an old custom. The women of the clan uncover a whole new danger, and Vedanleé must go with Thurston to ensure their safety.

Living in the Dominion’s technologically advanced world, Vedanleé’s power over the void grows as she discovers the science behind her magic.  But she lives in fear, for Thurston is not what he seemed.

Will she ever become the Woman of the Void? Escape is her only option, but where will she ever be safe in Thurston’s empire?

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

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.