Villain
A Novel
$64.10
- Hardcover
464 pages
- Release Date
29 September 2026
Summary
The Boys meets Assistant to the Villain in the electrifying, sharp, violent, and hilarious sequel to the highly acclaimed novel, Hench. Filled with a queer and neurodiverse cast, Villain asks the question: what happens when a diabolically brilliant henchperson looks back at their already storied career and thinks, I can be so much worse.
The hench once called Anna, now known to her colleagues and enemies as the Auditor, has carved out a wic…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780063236936 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0063236931 |
| Author: | Natalie Zina Walschots |
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers Inc |
| Imprint: | William Morrow |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 464 |
| Release Date: | 29 September 2026 |
| Weight: | 610g |
| Dimensions: | 33mm x 152mm x 229mm |
| Series: | Hench Series |

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Critics Review
“Walschots’ plotting dazzles and devastates, with rollicking, high-stakes action punctuating scenes of unflinching introspection and fraught interpersonal drama. Via Auditor’s snarky yet vulnerable first-person narration and keenly rendered characters, Walschots sensitively explores issues of agency, self-identity, morality, and grief while entertaining readers from the jump.” — Kirkus (starred review)“Fans of Hench who desperately wished for more will be thrilled by this long-awaited sequel. Recommend the series to readers who enjoyed Hannah Nicole Maehrer’s Assistant to the Villain or the TV series The Boys.” — Library Journal (starred review)“Villain is a cynic’s treat and a grim delight - packed with big drama, intricate plots, and the expected wild shenanigans from Anna, our favorite tortured anti-heroine.” — Sunyi Dean, internationally bestselling author of The Book Eaters“Witty and inventive … the pleasure of the novel is the slow rollout of the rules. Creating a universe involves inventing lots of little problems, and the solutions here don’t disappoint.” — New York Times on Hench“Hench is an engrossing take on the superheroic. It’s smart and imaginative; an exemplary rise-of-darkness story, one I won’t soon forget…I honestly can’t wait to see what Natalie Zina Walschots does next with the genre.” — NPR Books“Walschots playfully pokes at both office politics and comic book absurdity while offering gripping action and gut-wrenching body horror. The inventive premise, accessible heroine, and biting wit will have readers eager for more from this talented author.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Hench“A fiendishly clever novel that fizzes with moxie and malice.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) on Hench“In this refreshing, subversive, and darkly humorous debut novel, poet and journalist Walschots slowly reveals the nuances of her superpower-filled world, keeping readers guessing. Hench reads like a comic without the illustrations and is packed with subplots and rapid-fire wit. With a diverse and inclusive cast of characters, Walschots’ original tale performs a brilliant and exciting variation on the superhero trope and is not to be missed.” — Booklist (starred review)
Natalie Zina Walschots
Natalie Zina Walschots is a freelance writer, community manager, and bailed academic based in Toronto. She writes everything from reviews of science fiction novels and interviews with heavy metal musicians to in-depth feminist games criticism and pieces of long-form journalism. She is the author of two books of poetry.
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