Arrow: Vengeance

Arrowverse #1

by Oscar Balderrama, Lauren Certo

Slade Wilson. Sebastian Blood. Isabel Rochev. Their actions will determine the path of a hero.

SECRET ORIGINS

Oliver Queen returns from the dead to create his persona as the Arrow. Yet others work in the shadows to fashion his downfall… and plot the destruction of all he holds dear.

Also a survivor of Lian Yu, Slade Wilson’s ultimate goal is Oliver’s doom, and he recruits Isabel Rochev, whose hatred for the Queens knows no bounds. Brother Blood, while seeking to do what is right, also finds himself inextricably tangled in Wilson’s machinations. 

This is the untold story behind the rise and fall of the Arrow

Genres: Superheroes, Fantasy, Dc Comics, Tv, Science Fiction Fantasy, Fiction, Action

448 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 31, 2015

Reviews

[Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional book!


THE ARROWHEAD OF A UNIVERSE

The Arrow TV series was the leading one to create what is nowaways a whole Televisual Universe with other three TV series: The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow and Supergirl, where they even already have a crossover storyline featuring the four TV series, and the production is thinking about other additions…

…and everything started with Arrow.

That I am truly glad that I watched since the beginning, I didn’t need to wait for the other TV series in the shared universe to be attracted to it, since I can tell you that Arrow has been one heck of a series, showing a bold and brave combination of narrative & characters.

It’s true that Arrow needed to “borrow” several concepts and characters for other titles of DC Comics to be able to work as a TV series, but don’t let that factor to make you think less of the result, since while the production as been able to develop angles with Oliver Queen and the rest of the characters taking paths and decisions, that with other characters like Batman, maybe they wouldn’t be able to go for it since the status quo of those other characters had been so tightly constructed that sometimes it’s impossible to deviate from what fans already know about them.

And even, Arrow had been able to create totally new characters like...

...Felicity Smoak,...

...just to mention one of the most popular ones, but there are others, showing that while the production needed to incorporate elements from other DC’s titles to build this TV series, they also had been able to introduce valuable fresh characters and plots, and even these TV characters are starting to be introduced in the Green Arrow comic books.


A NEW KIND OF NOVELIZATION

The Vengeance book is a new kind of novelization since usually your typical novelization about a TV series, it’s made from one popular TV episode (often a two-parter), BUT in this case, you have a novelization of a whole massive storyarc that it was developed throughout the entire Second Season of Arrow TV series (23 episodes), obviously not telling everything but it does contain the whole main arc about Deathstroke (aka Slade Wilson) and his vendetta against Oliver Queen (aka The Arrow (in second season, he still hadn’t took the Green Arrow’s name).

But that’s not all!

The Vengeance novelization not only presents in the second half of its pages the mentioned ar (shown in TV), but..

...also the book uses its first half of it, with a whole NEW AND ORIGINAL content showing where Slade Wilson went after escaping Lian Yu island but before arriving to Starling City (renamed Star City in a later season) (with a cool cameo of an eventual villain in the shared universe); also showing how Isabel Rochev met Robert Queen (Oliver’s father) and their tumultuous affair; and moreover it shows Sebastian Blood’s introduction to the Brotherhood where you’ll have a surprising character not mentioned in the TV Series that certainly is a great addition to Sebastian Blood’s background but also a quite ingenious twist angle for the character to function in the “Arrowverse”.

Deathstroke (Slade Wilson), Isabel Rochev and Sebastian Blood, each character has their own sections in the book with several chapters to develop their particular past stories and how the three of them crossed paths and made an unholy alliance with a common goal…

…to destroy Oliver Queen and his city.


ANGER, TEARS & BLOOD

Slade Wilson began as a fast friend for Oliver Queen, but sad developments in Lian Yu island turned them into bitter enemies. Slade had a shot for getting back his old life, but anger and misguided blame, making Slade to make shots against Oliver Queen and everyone else close to him.

Elena Rochev idolized Robert Queen in such high pillar that it was impossible for the real man to reach the demanding image. Robert Queen wasn’t a villain, but hardly he was what Elena imagined that he supposed to be. Elena had a chance to go on with her life, but tears and misguided expectations, making Elena to chanced a ravaging attack against Queen Consolidated and everyone tied to it.

Sebastian Blood wanted good for the Glades (a Starling City’s section full of crime and poverty), he was genuinely concerned about the ill and needed people, but sadly the path to hell is paved with good intentions. Sebastian is convinced that the real problem in Starling City are the high society. Sebastian could keep fighting through the proper political channels to seek out for help to the poor, but blood and misguided kindness, making Sebastian to fight in a different manner against Starling City and all its wealthy people.

Oliver Queen, his family and friends, Queen Consolidated & Starling City, all of them are the targets of an unholy alliance…

…with a vengeance so deadly that not all of them will survive and leaving heartbreaking scars.

Vengeance always is a nasty bloody business.

[Jim C · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is based on the television series. In fact it is the second season of the television series. We just see it thru the eyes of Slade Wilson who is also known as Deathstroke.

If you have watched the show then you know what you are in for as there is some recap of the season in this book. I looked forward to this book as I love the idea of seeing the proceedings thru the villain's eyes. The first half of the book was terrific as the story details Slade getting off the island and returning home to his family. This part was extremely well done as Slade tries to be there for his family but will his desire for revenge against Oliver be too much for him. Fans of the show will know the answer as he returns to Starling City. The second half of the book concentrates on Isabel Rochev and Sebastian Blood and for me this half wasn't as enthralling. I was yearning for more Deathstroke and my interest did wane. I did love seeing the major scenes again that we already saw in the television show.

I liked this book as it did entertain me throughout. I believe Deathstroke was the best antagonist in the show so having him as the main character was a plus. Fans of the show will enjoy this book. Readers who have not seen the show might find this book a little lacking.

[Ivy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars

Nice to have a book that ties into the Arrow TV show. Also nice to learn more about Slade's time in ASIS and his ex-wife and their son. Isabel's relationship with Robert was very interesting. Sebastian's story about how he entered the brotherhood was very sad.

Can't wait to read The Haunting of Barry Allen and A Generation of Vipers!!!!

Who's excited for the crossover episodes?

[Ken · Rating 4 out of 5]

A re-telling of events of Season 2 of Arrow from the view of Slade Wilson, It felt like enjoying some of your favorite episodes again.

[Wayland Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cover pretty much gives you all the set up you need: "based on the hit tv show." This book is part of the CW-verse, mostly the Arrow show, NOT the comics, cartoons, or graphic novels. Unusually, the heroes of Team Arrow take a back seat in this story. Most of it focuses on Slade Wilson, Isabel Roschev, and Sebastian Blood, and their grudges against various members of the Queen family.

There are lots of hints at scenes from the show, and a lot of background on all three characters. In addition to the ones you expect in this story, there are cameos by Digger "Captain Boomerang" Harkness, Caitlin Snow, and Cisco Ramone. It does give a clearer understanding of Isabel and Sebastian's motivations, so points there.

It also contradicts a few things that happen later, which I suspect is the show-runners' fault, not the authors'. At least one supporting character dies in this book who plays a big part in the upcoming season. It also revisits a few bad choices on the show.

It was nice seeing Roy Harper again, who I miss on the tv show. It was painful going through, even peripherially, Oliver's driving him away at one point. I also never understood why they took a character like Brother Blood, who is a major and powerful foe of the New Teen Titans, and made him not much more than an obsessive politician, and then tied him to Solomon Grundy of all people. Weird choices. There was also a weird slip when Slade calls the good guys "Team Arrow," which is a term that almost never gets used on the show.

Worth reading if you're a big fan of the show, but don't expect to see much of the heroes. This isn't their book.

[Dimitris Papastergiou · Rating 2 out of 5]

So this one's ok.

Been going through the whole DC TV universe chronologically and this one's basically the second season from Deathstroke's point of view and I have to say lots of moments were much much better portrayed here than in the TV show which I think it's mediocre at best.

Anyway, lots of good moments a bunch of cringy ones and overall it was ok for what it was.

You're not missing anything if you don't read the book after the second season, but if you're a hardcore fan of Deathstroke's or you're going through Arrowverse chronologically like me, then I guess, go ahead.

[Alisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a HUGE fan of Arrow, I love the show, and I love the characters. I'm so pleased they've started doing books to go with the show, this being the first one, because more Arrow! In this book, we basically see the events of season 2 of the show play out, but from the point of view of Salde, Isabel and Sebastian.

Slade was my complete and utter favourite character, I loved him and how he was with Oliver on the Island and I was so heartbroken when he went to the dark side! Part one of the book kicks off with Slade's POV and it starts from the events of the Amazo. I felt more and more heartbroken for Slade, as we went further in to his mind and what was going on. It answers a lot of questions about what happened to him after the island, how he got off it and so on.

Part two gives us all about Isabel, her past with Robert Queen, what happened, and what led her to seek revenge against the Queens. Through to the present scenes from season 2 with her and Oliver, as well as how she became involved with Slade in the first place. I always felt kind of sorry for Isabel, and I was never sure what to think of her...did she feel bad for going after Oliver? And so on, but this book kinda cleared that up for me, while I felt a bit sorry for her...she was waaaayyy more of a cow than I'd thought!

Part three gives us Sebastian, I kind of liked him. Like not in the beginning because he was being mean to Oliver, but as he and Oliver became friends and then what happened at the end of the season, I kind of liked him. This book made me feel so sorry for him. You could see what happened in his childhood, what happened with his parents and it was heart breaking. It's also no surprise he became the person he is in the show. I found his POV the most interesting because he just wanted to help the city and do the right thing and he was more moral, in his own way, than the others.

Part four gives us the events from season 2 from all three of them's POV. I'm talking key scenes that involve these characters, as well as other, brand new scenes. It was fascinating to see Oliver and scenes from the show through their eyes, and see what the characters where thinking, because Isabel in particular, was hard for me to read. Seeing their thoughts and motivations let you understand them better and changed your opinion in some cases.

Like I said, we get brand new scenes that fill in a lot of the gaps from the show. Like how exactly did Slade get back from the island? What exactly did happen to Sebastian's father? and so on. It answers a lot of questions you might have had over the course of the season and at the end. It gives you scenes the show couldn't because of time. It genuinely fills in so much, and rounds out the season and was an interesting way to go about the book, like seeing the season through new eyes. After reading this book, I felt like the season was complete.

Because of all this new content, the book was just as gripping as the show, just as fascinating and when we hit season two territory, it's key scenes as well as new, but because of the new perspective it was like an entirely new scene. The book goes backwards and forwards through the past brilliantly, maintaining a fast pace, much like the show. No surprise considering who the writers are! The book really helps to bring the show more to life, gives understanding to the villains. It's very cinematically written, again, no surprise. I also feel like the characters were carried over from the screen to the book fantastically, they where brought to life and portrayed incredibly accurately.

All in all Arrow: Vengeance is a must for any fan of the show!

[Alex Doenau · Rating 2 out of 5]

Promises to be the events of season 2 of Arrow as told from the perspective of the villains. A good concept, because at least one third of those villains was majorly underdeveloped. One might be forgiven for thinking that was for the sake of preserving the element of surprise, because when one actually reads the motivation for Isabel Rochev, you find that something has been stripped away from her already lacking depth.

As for Slade Wilson, he buys a jar of Marmite in Australia. This happens relatively early and is a good sign that the book should not be continued. At least the individual sections are cohesive, if written entirely in clichés of both composition and content. When the body of action occurs, it draws so heavily on your presumed knowledge of season 2 that you're confronted with a skeleton of a novel that Balderrama and Certo are hoping that your imagination will provide the flesh for.

Incoherent to all but well-versed fans, and offering them little insight, Arrow - Vengeance is recommended only for readers who are desperate to have something, anything, to read, that promises guest appearances from characters they ostensibly know and love. Expect disappointment.

[Steve Taylor-bryant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for fans of the show especially if you loved Slade Wilson.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like season two of Arrow read this, it is from the view of Deathstroke, Ravenger, and Brother Blood. It was an Intresting take on the Arrow.

[Scott Dieterle · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an Arrow fan, this was an enjoyable read. A good portion of it is actually covered in the series, but this fills in a lot of the backstory for Slade Wilson, Isabel Rochev and Sebastian Blood.

[Perla The IB Teen Book Blogger · Rating 3 out of 5]

If not for Oliver, and occasionally Felicity, and even Dig popping up in the story, I wouldn't have kept reading. Honestly, it didn't give me insight into the thins I wanted. If we'd gotten a chance to have Oliver's perspective, I'd have combed over every page with a fine-toothed comb. But, nope.

[JJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

TL;DR: The first ~40% of backstory is a good read for fans who've seen the show, but the back ~60% is only for die-hard completionists who need to devour every bit of Arrow media there is. And that's a shame.

This was a book that started off well but eventually succumbed to some of the worst faults of media tie-ins.

I was excited when I saw that Arrow was getting a novel, especially one centered around Season 2, which I consider to be the pinnacle of the series. And that excitement was well-founded initially. The book is split into four sections, first focusing on new background material for Slade Wilson/Deathstroke, Isabel Rochev/Ravager, and Sebastian Blood/Brother Blood, followed by the events of Season 2 from their perspectives.

The Slade Wilson content starts off the book and is easily the best it has to offer, detailing how Slade got off Lian Yu and back to Starling City. It's not ground-breaking, but it does fill in some gaps. And while I'm not totally caught up on the show, it appears that some of Slade's backstory is adapted from this material in Season 6.

By comparison, the Rochev and Blood sections are somewhat less interesting. Rochev's details her relationship with Robert Queen but hastily sidesteps the full ramifications of that exploitative power dynamic, and Blood's is probably most notable for introducing DC Comics villain Trigon in an alternate and more grounded form.

The book was an easy, breezy and fun read up to this point. But the final section, which takes up around 60% of the book, is a boring slog that rides exclusively on the fact that if you're reading it, you've seen Season 2. Characters enter and exit without introduction, major plot-driving events happen on-screen but off-page, and there isn't really any good overarching plot for our three characters beyond being shuttled from one appearance in an episode to the next. There were also a few typos/editing errors in this section (at least in my copy) that bring it down even further.

In conclusion, the first ~40% of backstory is a good read for fans who've seen the show, but the back ~60% is only for die-hard completionists who need to devour every bit of Arrow media there is. And that's a shame.

[Dovile · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't really an Arrow novel, but a Slade Wilson/Deathstroke novel, as Arrow is a secondary character, someone for Slade Wilson to hate and scheme to kill. Starting on Lian Yu and going on through to the end of the first season of Arrow, we get to see what Deathstroke was up to the whole time.
A part of the novel also focuses Isabel Roschev, aka Deathstroke's accomplice Ravager, her history and motives are fleshed out more than they were in the series.
Another part focuses on Sebastian Blood, but where Slade and Isabel are spot on their TV counterparts, Blood is entirely misunderstood by the author. It's clear from the TV series that Blood is nobody's pet politician, and he cares about only one thing - power, and not actually helping the Glades or anyone else, but himself, yet in this novel Blood is a weakling and is treated by Slade with disregard, while the series Blood would've squashed Slade like a bug just by waving his hand. Also, no mention is made of Blood's magical abilities which must take some time to learn, so his interest in the black arts must have started at an early age, yet there's no mention of it. And in the series, Blood had a wife and a teenage daughter who he must've already had at the time this novel takes place, yet he's portrayed as living alone in a crappy, untidy apartment and almost-dating Laurel Lance.

I'd recommend this novel for those who have seen at least two seasons of Arrow and want to learn more about Deathstroke. It will likely be confusing and probably unsatisfactory for anyone else.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an Arrow fan this was an enjoyable read. I loved reading each character's point of view and seeing the new scenes that weren't included in the TV show such as Slade escaping the island and what happened to Sebastian's father. It answers a lot of questions you might have had over the course of the season and at the end. It gives you scenes the show couldn't because of time. It genuinely fills in so much, and rounds out the season and was an interesting way to go about the book, like seeing the season through new eyes. After reading this book, I felt like the season was complete.

Because of all this new content, the book was just as gripping as the show, just as fascinating and when we hit season two territory, it's key scenes as well as new, but because of the new perspective it was like an entirely new scene. The book goes backwards and forwards through the past brilliantly, maintaining a fast pace, much like the show. No surprise considering who wrote the book. The book really helps to bring the show more to life, gives understanding to the villains. It's very cinematically written. I also feel like the characters were carried over from the screen to the book fantastically, they where brought to life and portrayed incredibly accurately. A must read for any Arrow fans

[Miguel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me cut to the chase: this is a terrible novel. As a person who enjoys reading, it takes a lot for me to dread the opening of pages or the flashing on of my Kindle screen. But this book delivered that dread. Reading this book was an exercise in tedium motivated only by an eerie completionist compulsion.

I'm not sure if Balderrama is entirely to blame for the novel's failings. This novel's concept reveals its assured failure. A retelling of Arrow season 2 from the perspective of the villains, this is the novel that nobody ever wanted and for good reason. The masterful character work, inventive plot twists, and kinetic story of the television show is replaced with a horrendous slog.

Slade Wilson, Isabel Rochev, and Sebastian Blood are interesting villains without the overwrought characterization of this poorly written novel. To dive into their backstories, already revealed within the context of the show, is excessive. Confining the story to the events of Arrow's second season simply takes a great story and shifts the perspective away from everything that makes it compelling or enjoyable.

This is a novel no one should read.

[Lasciel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good companion to the Arrow seasons 1 and 2, with the primary focus being on Season 2. I liked that the characters of Slade, Isabel, and Blood were much more fleshed out than in the series, but I would have liked to have more of Oliver's perspective in there.

I watch Arrow because I like how much of an imperfect character Oliver is, clearly this wanted to investigate the other characters much more, something that could be enjoyable if the perspectives were neater. The sense of empathy for these characters just wasn't built in a strong enough sense in my opinion.

There was good action and good pacing throughout - worth a read if you want to view Arrow from another perspective. If, like me, you just want into Oliver's head, you probably don't want to read this one.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea there any Arrow novels, so when I saw this at our library, I grabbed it and gave it a shot. I was actually pleasantly surprised. It helped that the book tied into Season 2 of Arrow, which is arguably the best of the show. It fills in the gap of what happened with Slade Wilson between the Season 2 flashbacks and present day. It shows how he made his original alliances with Isabel Rochev and Sebastian Blood, fleshing out both those characters even more so than the show did. I knocked it down a star for a few scenes of really bad dialogue and having Slade try to swim from the North China sea to Australia...

[Stephen Hamilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A surprisingly good and enjoyable read, this book provides the back story to the main storyline of Arrow season 2, helping to make sense of the convoluted machinations of Slade Wilson. There are a few inconsistencies, and one aspect has since been contradicted in the pilot episode of season 5. Only a few typos, although these become noticeably more frequent towards the end of the book, as if the proofreader has become bored and started to skim through the remaining pages. Recommended for diehard Arrow fans only.

[Christopher Dodds · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really well written and an original story in the Arrowverse told through out the first few seasons of arrow, but told from the point of view of Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke and him getting revenge on Oliver Queen for what happened on Lian Yu from the tv show. It was full of peril and tense moments a lot of which I saw coming and others I did not as they were from Slade's point of view and machinations.

[Gaetan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read book if you loved the second (and in my opinion the best) season of Arrow. The book tells the story of Slade, from the moment he is left for dead on the island to when he finally meets Oliver again. This book really tells his story well and gives you an inside perspective on why Slade does certain actions and it makes you relive the moments you see from the series, only now from the perspective of the villain of the story.

[Katie Comley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, but mostly because I love the TV show. If I had read this book before watching the tv series I think it would have been pretty boring with a lot of gaps. You really need the back ground story before you read the book. I like that it was written from a different point of view than the TV show

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting. It certainly helped me remember some of the earlier plot points of the TV show, as well as showing the villains' side of it, which was cool.

I can't remember how much of Rochev's past was in the show (and I've never read the comics), but her backstory here seemed incredibly cliché and poorly written. I had a hard time actually getting through it, actually.

Slade Wilson was always interesting though, so seeing his side of things was what kept me reading.

[John Hascock · Rating 4 out of 5]

For those that followed the TV series, they'll know all about the story of this book . But you get the story from another point of view and it adds more to the story.....

I really like fast paced and interesting stories like that!!

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to go ahead and give this 4 stars even though there are several instances where characters (Nyssa al Ghul and Amanda Waller, for example) drop in and pass through without introduction or prior background in the story.

[Alina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I watched the TV Show and I needed this book so much. I do not regret to buy this! I knew the story before I started the book because it is the stor from season 2 but from another perspective and I really liked it. Maybe I will re-read it.

[Rhys Causon · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I wanted to work out the story of series 2 I’d just watch series 2 of Arrow again.

But I was interesting to just focus on the villains of the series, however that does leave holes in the story that aren’t filled unless you have also seen the show.

[Nic · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a big fan of Arrow and I like that this gives you you the point of view of characters that aren’t in the lime light. You see the side of Slade, Isobel and Sebastian and it makes for a great read.

[Gabriel Mero · Rating 5 out of 5]

While the majority of this book is the second season through Slade, Isabel, and Blood's eyes, the first half gives backstories on these three, particularly how Slade got off of Lian Yu in the first place. It was an easy, fast-paced read, if not a tad disjointed in places.

[Jordan McIntyre · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of Arrow will enjoy reading this extended look at Season 2 of the show through the perspective of the villains. Deathstroke aka Slade Wilson is my personal part of this book, and recommend it to Arrow fans who want more story added to the second season of the show.