Books Told From The Villain’s Perspective | Stories From Antihero POV

All stories aren’t told from the good guy’s perspective. However, there are some authors who have delved into the ‘bad guys’, and wrote stories from antihero POV (Point of View). There are lots of antihero we’ve rooted for – whether it’s Draco Malfoy or Dorian Gray. So today we’re making a list of the best books told from the villain’s perspective.

Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire

This is a retelling of Snow White from the perspective of the Evil Queen. This novel looks into the Evil Queen’s past and what transpired that made her who she is. Our setting is the beautiful valleys of Tuscany and our Evil Queen is Bianca de Nevada. This book is a brilliant stroke of storytelling and will make you sympathize with someone you’ve spent all your childhood despising.

The Hunter by Richard Stark

Detective novels are usually told from the perspective of the detective or policeman. But this book tells a detective story from the perspective of the one fleeing from the detectives. This novel has at its heart an ingenious, amoral criminal called Parker. Parker, in this novel, undertakes a mission to ferret out the partner who betrayed him and usurped his share of money. And when he learns that a dangerous gang called the Outfit protects this man, he decides to take them on alone. There is no sympathy you will feel for the bad guy here, but you will be so engrossed in the story that it won’t matter.

Vicious by VE Schwab

This is literally the first book in a series titled Villains, so you get the point. Plus just look at the title.  This book follows a duo of friends, Victor and Eli, who become fast friends in college and do a research project together. This research project is about adrenaline – and the ability to gain superhuman powers under crunchy circumstances. But things go wrong, and Victor ands up in prison. Ten years later, he comes out and hunts his friend turned foe down to make him repay. Meanwhile Eli is busy eradicating superpowers from the world, and this vicious battle between the villainous archnemeses will have devastating effects.

The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis

We’re talking about villains, but Lewis writes this book from the perspective of a demon! It really doesn’t get more villainous than that. This book is a satire on religion, and follows the life of Screwtape, a demon of Satan. The book is in epistolary form, comprising 31 letters that Screwtape writes to his nephew Wormwood, Satan himself and a younger demon given the task of tempting a man. This book delves into theological and moral issues, and will open your eyes to the realities of the world.

Asura by Anand Neelakantan

This book flips the mythological epic Mahabharata over, and tells the story from the perspective of the vanquished. At the epicentre of this duology is Duryodhan, whom we think of as the haughty, power hungry and evil brother to the gentle and good Pandavas. But this book portrays him as an essentially good man who made mistakes and faced loneliness, humiliation and heartbreak. This epic also delves into the lives of the other bad guys – Karna, the charitable warrior who lost everything at the moment of reckoning and Ashwatthama, who regarded knowledge above all.

Raavan by Amish Tripathi

This is the third installment in Amish’s Ram Chandra series, which delves into the Indian epic Ramayana from the villain’s perspective. The story follows Raavan, an abandoned son who forges his destiny in the island kingdom of Lanka with his beloved brother Kumbhakaran. This book explores his back story – as a learned man, arduous Shiva devotee, fierce lover, kind king and loving brother.

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

This book, now regarded as a modern classic, is a retelling of Charlotte Bronte’s  Jane Eyre from the perspective of the ‘madwoman in the attic’. Jean also injects her Caribbean roots into the story, making Antoinette Cosway a wealthy Creole heiress who falls in love with a youthful Englishman. But soon, rumours of her madness force her into an attic where she is locked up while her husband finds another woman to love.

Also Read: 7 Standalone Books For Fantasy Lovers