Books and Stories, Comics Where the Villain Wins and the Hero Loses

[BAYLOR]

Where evil or the not very nice guy, gal or whatever wins the day.

 

[Vince W]

Watchmen. No one is very nice in that one.

Revelation Space. Again, there's no one you can point to as a hero.

 

[hitmouse]

The Godfather

 

[farntfar]

In most books 1 and 2 of a trilogy, they often end with those goodies who haven't been killed already getting some sort of a respite, but really the baddies are winning for the moment.

Otherwise, many dystopia books. 1984 is a prime example.

 

[BigBadBob141]

1984.
Also "Brave New World", there is no real villain but the structured society the hero is forced to live in and that ultimately destroys him, much like the above.

 

[BAYLOR]

In most books 1 and 2 of a trilogy, they often end with those goodies who haven't been killed already getting some sort of a respite, but really the baddies are winning for the moment.

Otherwise, many dystopia books. 1984 is a prime example.

There is a sequel to 1984.

 

[Vladd67]

There is a sequel to 1984.

You should check out 1990 on DVD and books.

 

[farntfar]

1984: Dystopia in Britain (Airstip 1)

2020: Dystopia goes global.

 

[BAYLOR]

1984: Dystopia in Britain (Airstip 1)

2020: Dystopia goes global.

1985 by Gyogy Dalos .

 

[Toby Frost]

Anthony Burgess wrote a book called 1985, which is partly some (ok) commentary on 1984, and partly a dystopian story based on the political problems of the 1970s. It's aged pretty badly.

If we're talking comics, there's that very dark Star Wars story written some time in the 80s, which has a very downbeat ending, and the excellent comic The Black Monday Murders, which has a rather ambiguous, morally-compromised ending. I'm sure there are thousands, though, not even counting stories where the villain is the protagonist.

 

[BAYLOR]

Undertow by Karl Edward Wagner.

 

[paranoid marvin]

I suppose it depends on which side of the fence you sit. If you are French, then I guess every Hornblower/Sharpe novel ends with the 'baddies' winning?

 

[Danny McG]

SS. GB

 

[Ray Zdybrow]

"Above" by Megan Baffoe available here: NIGHTLIGHT: A Horror Fiction Podcast
I suppose the thread title is itself a spoiler, this one was quite a shock though

 

[Bick]

Several of the Game of Thrones books?