Revenge

Sir Walter Scott called revenge "the sweetest morsel to the mouth that was ever cooked in hell." We are often counseled to rise above slights, grievances, and injuries, but still, the temptation and promise of revenge remain. This thematic collection gathers texts that investigate what prompts us to hunger for revenge and where this hunger leads us.

Python's Kiss

by Louise Erdrich

Publication year 2026

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Fear, Memory, Revenge, Indigenous Identity, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Animals, Environment, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Self Discovery, Justice, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology

Tags Literary Fiction

Python's Kiss by Louise Erdrich is a collection of 13 stories ranging across time and place, from midwestern childhoods to speculative futures, linked by animal encounters, the persistence of memory, and the bonds between people who love and harm one another.The title story is narrated by a woman recalling the summer she was eight and sent to stay with her German grandparents, who run a butcher shop. A guard dog named Nero patrols at night;... Read Python's Kiss Summary

Reckless Girls

by Rachel Hawkins

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Trust & Doubt, Loyalty & Betrayal, Grief, Gender Identity, Friendship, Social Class, Equality, Justice, Revenge

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction

... Read Reckless Girls Summary

Red Rising

by Pierce Brown

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge

Tags Science Fiction

Red Rising begins Pierce Brown’s book series of the same name. This science fiction novel, set in a dystopia on the planet Mars, was a New York Times bestseller as well as a critical success. It was originally published in 2013; this guide refers to the 2014 Del Rey paperback edition. Brown followed Red Rising with the sequels Golden Son, Morning Star, Iron Gold, and Dark Age, respectively. Plot SummaryBrown sets Red Rising on the planet... Read Red Rising Summary

Red Sparrow

by Jason Matthews

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Politics & Government, Revenge, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Nation, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction

Jason Matthews’s debut novel, Red Sparrow (2013), is an espionage thriller that launches a trilogy of the same name. The story is set in the 2010s against the backdrop of a renewed rivalry between Russia and the West, introducing two intelligence officers on opposing sides: Dominika Egorova of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and Nathaniel Nash of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). After Dominika’s promising ballet career is violently cut short, her manipulative uncle... Read Red Sparrow Summary

Renegades

by Marissa Meyer

Publication year 2017

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Death, Family, Self Discovery, Social Class, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Justice

Tags Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action & Adventure

... Read Renegades Summary

Riders of the Purple Sage

by Zane Grey

Publication year 1912

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Gender Identity, Femininity, Masculinity, Justice, Safety & Danger, Loyalty & Betrayal, Good & Evil, Religion & Spirituality, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Revenge, Regret, Shame & Pride, Fathers, Friendship

Tags Classic Fiction, Western, Historical Fiction, Gender & Feminism, Religion & Spirituality, American Literature, World History, Romance, Action & Adventure

Riders of the Purple Sage is a novel by western writer Zane Grey. Set in 1871, the novel follows the story of Jane Withersteen, a Mormon woman being persecuted by her church leaders for refusing to become the third wife of church leader, Elder Tull, as well as her fondness for non-Mormons, or gentile, settlers in the area. The novel first appeared as a 19-part series in the magazine, Field and Stream, in January of... Read Riders of the Purple Sage Summary

Rise To Rebellion

by Jeff Shaara

Publication year 2001

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Hate & Anger, Hope, Revenge, Mental Health, Death, The Past, Place, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Teamwork, Social Class, Colonialism, Community, Economics, Globalization, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Power & Greed

Tags World History, American Revolution, Historical Fiction, Military & War, US History

... Read Rise To Rebellion Summary

Rock Paper Scissors

by Alice Feeney

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Mothers, Fathers, Friendship, Love, Hate & Anger, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Good & Evil, Truth & Lies, Daughters & Sons, Fear, Loneliness, Apathy, Marriage

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction

... Read Rock Paper Scissors Summary

Run, Rose, Run

by Dolly Parton, James Patterson

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Shame & Pride, Love, Revenge, Justice, Fame, Good & Evil, Music, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Music, Trauma & Abuse, Relationships, Modern Classic Fiction, Romance

... Read Run, Rose, Run Summary

Saltwater

by Katy Hays

Publication year 2025

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Conflict, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Regret, Memory, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Aging, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, Future, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Plants, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Self Discovery, Social Class, Economics, Globalization, Politics & Government, Art, Beauty, Fame, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense

Published in 2025, Saltwater is a literary thriller by Katy Hays, author of the New York Times bestselling novel The Cloisters (2022). Like her debut, which is in development as a television series, Saltwater blends suspense with a richly detailed, atmospheric setting. The novel follows the wealthy Lingate family on their annual trip to Capri, an island that holds the dark secret of playwright Sarah Lingate’s mysterious death 30 years prior. Sarah’s husband, Richard Lingate... Read Saltwater Summary

Satan's Affair

by H. D. Carlton

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loneliness, Revenge, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Appearance & Reality, Good & Evil, Justice, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Romance, Horror & Suspense, Fantasy, Contemporary Literature

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Scarred

by Emily McIntire

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Love, Revenge, Family, Politics & Government, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Truth & Lies

Tags Fairy Tale & Folklore, Fantasy, Romance, New Adult, Horror & Suspense, Historical Fiction

... Read Scarred Summary

Scion

by James Islington

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Conflict, Perseverance, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Regret, Revenge, Language, Death, Environment, Place, Friendship, Mothers, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Social Class, Economics, Equality, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Horror & Suspense

... Read Scion Summary

Sexing the Cherry

by Jeanette Winterson

Publication year 1989

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Forgiveness, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Memory, Nostalgia, Revenge, Disability, Femininity, Gender Identity, Indigenous Identity, Language, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Aging, Birth, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Death, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Climate, Environment, Plants, Nature Versus Nurture, Objects & Materials, Place, Space, Daughters & Sons, Family, Fathers, Marriage, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Globalization, Immigration, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Art, Beauty, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Literature, Order & Chaos, Religion & Spirituality, Safety & Danger, Science & Technology, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Historical Fiction, Magical Realism, LGBTQ+, Postmodernism

Jeanette Winterson’s Sexing the Cherry (1989) is a work of historiographic metafiction that blends fantasy elements with the historical backdrop of 17th-century England. The novel is primarily told through the alternating perspectives of the Dog-Woman, a powerful giantess, and her adopted son, Jordan. Rescued from the Thames as an infant, Jordan grows up to become an explorer, embarking on both literal sea voyages and fantastical journeys of the mind in search of an elusive dancer... Read Sexing the Cherry Summary