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.

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

Shadow of Night

by Deborah Harkness

Publication year 2012

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Forgiveness, Grief, Guilt, Love, Regret, Revenge, Femininity, Gender Identity, Birth, Death, The Past, Fathers, Self Discovery, Community, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Religion & Spirituality, Historical Fiction, Romance

Shadow of Night (2012) is a historical fantasy romance novel by Deborah Harkness, and the second book in the All Souls Trilogy, preceded by A Discovery of Witches (2011) and followed by The Book of Life (2014). A prequel novel, Time’s Convert (2019), follows the origin story of Matthew’s son Marcus, who is a minor character in Shadow of Night.Harkness holds a PhD from the University of California, Davis and teaches early modern European history... Read Shadow of Night Summary

Silver Elite

by Dani Francis

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Loneliness, Love, Revenge, Gender Identity, Coming of Age, Future, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Equality, Justice, Truth & Lies

Tags Science Fiction, Romance, New Adult

... Read Silver Elite Summary

Six of Crows

by Leigh Bardugo

Publication year 2015

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge

Tags Fantasy, LGBTQ+, Action & Adventure

Published in 2015, Leigh Bardugo’s young adult fantasy novel Six of Crows, the first in a two-part series, received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, VOYA, and Kirkus Reviews. A fantasy heist story, the novel shifts between the alternating points of view of five teenagers who team up to pull off the ultimate prison break.Six of Crows begins in Ketterdam, an invented version of 17th-century Amsterdam, and the novel’s main characters hail from the seedy criminal... Read Six of Crows Summary

Skyshade

by Alex Aster

Publication year 2024

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Perseverance, Guilt, Loneliness, Love, Regret, Revenge, Coming of Age, Place, Self Discovery, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Fantasy, Romance

... Read Skyshade Summary

Slob

by Ellen Potter

Publication year 2009

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Apathy, Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Forgiveness, Grief, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Trust & Doubt, Safety & Danger, Justice, Science & Technology, Equality, Truth & Lies, Wins & Losses, Appearance & Reality, Food, Gender Identity, Mental Health, Family, Siblings, Friendship, Mothers, Teamwork, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Self Discovery, Community, Education

Tags Modern Classic Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Humor, Children`s Literature, Coming of Age, Bullying, Grief & Death, Trauma & Abuse

... Read Slob Summary

Small Mercies

by Dennis Lehane

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Mothers, Revenge, Justice

Tags Mystery & Crime Fiction, Horror & Suspense, Race & Racism, Trauma & Abuse, Civil Rights & Jim Crow South, World History, Historical Fiction

... Read Small Mercies Summary

Some Desperate Glory

by Emily Tesh

Publication year 2023

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Revenge, Gender Identity, Language, Sexual Identity, Coming of Age, Future, Space, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Community, Nation, Politics & Government, War, Justice, Power & Greed, Science & Technology

Tags Science Fiction, LGBTQ+, Fantasy

... Read Some Desperate Glory Summary

Someone We Know

by Shari Lapena

Publication year 2019

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Loyalty & Betrayal, Trust & Doubt, Good & Evil, Marriage, Mothers, Conflict, Revenge, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Family, Justice

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Parenting, Trauma & Abuse, Modern Classic Fiction

... Read Someone We Know Summary

Spunk

by Zora Neale Hurston

Publication year 1925

Genre Short Story, Fiction

Themes Masculinity, Loyalty & Betrayal, Revenge

Tags Harlem Renaissance, Women`s Studies, American Literature, Historical Fiction, Classic Fiction, Modern Classic Fiction, US History, Arts & Culture, Black Lives Matter, African American Literature

“Spunk” is a short story by Zora Neale Hurston published in 1925. Set in the rural Southern United States, “Spunk” follows the conflict that ensues when one man pursues another man’s wife. The story’s publication helped establish Hurston as a significant literary voice during the Harlem Renaissance. In 1989, George C. Wolfe adapted the story, along with content from two others by Hurston, into a play by the same name. Citations in this guide correspond... Read Spunk Summary

Starling House

by Alix E. Harrow

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Family, Truth & Lies, Power & Greed, Revenge, Memory, Social Class

Tags Fantasy, Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Trauma & Abuse, Gothic Literature, Romance, Religion & Spirituality

... Read Starling House Summary

Starside

by Alex Aster

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Hope, Loneliness, Love, Regret, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Sexual Identity, Death, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal

Tags Fantasy, Romance

Starside (2026) is a romantasy novel by Alex Aster, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Lightlark saga. Aster is a notable figure in the BookTok literary phenomenon, where her viral social media pitch for Lightlark catapulted her from a rejected author to a bestselling sensation. As the first installment in a new series, Starside builds on the author’s established brand of high-stakes fantasy, fast-paced action, and romantic tension. The novel is set... Read Starside Summary

Steelheart

by Brandon Sanderson

Publication year 2013

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Revenge, Fathers, Shame & Pride, Order & Chaos, Fear

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Action & Adventure

Steelheart, a 2013 young adult sci-fi/fantasy novel by Brandon Sanderson, is the first installment of The Reckoners trilogy. The story takes place in dystopian Chicago, dubbed “Newcago,” which is overrun by evil superhumans called Epics and ruled by a functionally invulnerable tyrant named Steelheart. David Charleston, an 18-year-old boy whose father Steelheart killed 10 years before, joins a rebel group called the Reckoners hoping that they will help him take revenge on Steelheart. Borrowing elements... Read Steelheart Summary

Stone Mattress

by Margaret Atwood

Publication year 2014

Genre Short Story Collection, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Aging

Tags Victorian Period, Modern Classic Fiction, Fantasy

Stone Mattress: Nine Wicked Tales is a 2014 collection of nine short stories from Canadian author Margaret Atwood. While Atwood has published fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, she is probably best known for her dystopian novel, The Handmaid’s Tale. Other works by this author include Cat’s Eye, The Testaments, and Oryx and Crake. Atwood often tackles the power of the written word in her work. Many of the characters in Stone Mattress: Nine Wicked Tales are... Read Stone Mattress Summary