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.

Flight

by Sherman Alexie

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Family

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction, Magical Realism

Pubished in 2007, Flight: A Novel is Sherman Alexie's—one of the best-known and most lauded Native American writers—work of historical fiction and fantasy. Alexie—a Washington State native, like his protagonist—is a noteable poet, novelist, and screenwriter. He both wrote and produced the 1998 film, Smoke Signals, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won both the Audience Award and the Filmmaker’s Trophy.Plot Summary15-year old Zits wakes up in yet another foster home. As usual... Read Flight Summary

Game On

by Navessa Allen

Publication year 2026

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Forgiveness, Grief, Loneliness, Love, Revenge, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, The Past, Appearance & Reality, Family, Fathers, Mothers, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Safety & Danger, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Horror & Suspense

Navessa Allen’s Game On (2026) is the third novel in the interconnected dark romantic comedy series Into Darkness, following Lights Out and Caught Up. The story centers on Tyler Neumann, an underground bookie who engineers a blackmail scheme against Stella McCormick, a tattoo artist. To clear her younger brother’s massive gambling debt, Stella must pretend to be Tyler’s girlfriend and introduce him to her family’s wealthy social circle, which he plans to exploit for his... Read Game On Summary

Ghost Story

by Peter Straub

Publication year 1979

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Apathy, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Guilt, Hate & Anger, Loneliness, Memory, Regret, Shame & Pride, Revenge, Aging, Death, The Past, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Environment, Beauty, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Music, Art, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Religion & Spirituality, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies, Gender Identity, Masculinity, Femininity, Sexual Identity, Friendship, Marriage, Mothers, Siblings, Teamwork, Order & Chaos, Justice, Equality

Tags Horror & Suspense, Mystery & Crime Fiction, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Religion & Spirituality

... Read Ghost Story Summary

Gilded

by Marissa Meyer

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Loneliness, Love, Revenge, Appearance & Reality, Self Discovery, Community, Good & Evil, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Fairy Tale & Folklore

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Glass Sword

by Victoria Aveyard

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Loyalty & Betrayal, Conflict, Fear, Hate & Anger, Revenge, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance, Action & Adventure

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard (Harper Teen, 2016) is the second installment of the New York Times bestselling Red Queen YA fantasy series and follows a group of fugitives and rebels as they work to build an army to take on the powerful ruling class. Glass Sword follows Red Queen and is the prequel to King’s Cage. Aveyard grew up in western Massachusetts before moving to Los Angeles, California where she received her degree in... Read Glass Sword Summary

God of Malice

by Rina Kent

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fear, Hope, Love, Revenge, Shame & Pride, Femininity, Masculinity, Sexual Identity, Death, Family, Friendship, Self Discovery, Social Class, Community, Art, Fate, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt, Truth & Lies

Tags Romance, Horror & Suspense, New Adult

... Read God of Malice Summary

Gray Mountain

by John Grisham

Publication year 2014

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Power & Greed, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Revenge, Death, Environment, Self Discovery, Social Class, Economics, Justice

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

The legal thriller Gray Mountain (2014) is a #1 New York Times bestseller from John Grisham, an author known for his critiques of the American legal system. A former criminal defense attorney and Mississippi state legislator, Grisham draws on his legal background to craft narratives that often explore systemic corruption and social injustice. In Gray Mountain, the 2008 financial crisis serves as the catalyst for the story: After the collapse of Lehman Brothers, high-powered Wall... Read Gray Mountain Summary

Greenwild

by Pari Thomson

Publication year 2023

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Revenge, Race, Childhood & Youth, Animals, Environment, Plants, Family, Justice, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Children`s Literature

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Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane

by Suzanne Collins

Publication year 2004

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Conflict, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Perseverance, Fear, Grief, Joy, Love, Revenge, Childhood & Youth, Coming of Age, Animals, Appearance & Reality, Nature Versus Nurture, Place, Family, Friendship, Siblings, Teamwork, Self Discovery, Community, War, Equality, Fate, Good & Evil, Justice, Loyalty & Betrayal, Order & Chaos, Power & Greed, Safety & Danger, Trust & Doubt

Tags Fantasy, Action & Adventure, Children`s Literature, Animals, Science Fiction

... Read Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane Summary

Grendel

by John Gardner

Publication year 1971

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Religion & Spirituality, Beauty, Good & Evil, Art, Order & Chaos, Loneliness, Revenge, Hate & Anger

Tags Fantasy, Mythology, Postmodernism, Education, Education, Classic Fiction

John Gardner’s 1971 novel Grendel is a retelling of the story of Beowulf, an Anglo-Saxon epic poem from the 6th century, from the perspective of the villain, the monster Grendel. In Grendel, the monster Grendel is an anti-hero, challenging the conventions of traditionally heroic behavior as he tries to understand the world in which he lives. In 1982, an animated Australian film adaptation of the novel called Grendel Grendel Grendel was released in major cities... Read Grendel Summary

Ground Zero

by Alan Gratz

Publication year 2021

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Revenge, Teamwork, War

Tags 9/11, Historical Fiction, Children`s Literature, Military & War, Realistic Fiction, World History, Action & Adventure

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

by J. K. Rowling

Publication year 2007

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Friendship, Death, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Fate, Revenge

Tags Fantasy, Children`s Literature, Classic Fiction, Action & Adventure

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the sequel to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, is seventh installment in the record-breaking Harry Potter series and the highly-anticipated conclusion of the boy wizard’s story. Since the publication of the first Harry Potter novel in 1997, the series has sold over 500 million copies, and Harry Potter has become the best-selling fantasy series of all time. Released 10 years after the initial publication of the first Harry... Read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Summary

Heartless

by Marissa Meyer

Publication year 2016

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Grief, Love, Revenge, Coming of Age, Family, Friendship, Fate, Good & Evil, Power & Greed

Tags Fantasy, Romance, Fairy Tale & Folklore, Social Class, Grief & Death, Love & Sexuality, Relationships

Heartless, first published in 2016, is a contemporary fantasy Young Adult novel by Marissa Meyer. Meyer is best known for her dystopian sci-fi YA series The Lunar Chronicles, inspired by fairy tales such as Cinderella and Snow White. Set in a fantasy world, Heartless imagines the backstory of Lewis Carroll’s iconic character the Queen of Hearts from the 1876 novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Heartless is also popular among the BookTok community. This guide utilizes... Read Heartless Summary

Heavenly Bodies

by Imani Erriu

Publication year 2022

Genre Novel, Fiction

Themes Fate, Emotions/Behavior: Courage, Grief, Hate & Anger, Hope, Love, Memory, Revenge, Mental Health, Sexual Identity, Death, Appearance & Reality, Fathers, Self Discovery, Politics & Government, War, Good & Evil, Loyalty & Betrayal, Religion & Spirituality

Tags Fantasy, Romance, New Adult, Survival Fiction

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Hecuba

by Euripides

Genre Play, Fiction

Themes Revenge, War, Fate, Justice, Conflict, Hate & Anger

Tags Tragedy, Mythology, Ancient Greece, Classical Period, Grief & Death, European History, Trauma & Abuse, Dramatic Literature, Fantasy, Classic Fiction

... Read Hecuba Summary