Psycho-/Sociopath books

[Aphantos]

Was wondering if there were any good books that follow psycho- or sociopathic characters, without trying to make the reader feel disgusted with the character.
And prefferably not through the view of a detective or alike.

(Note: Not scientific books of what traits mark a psycho- or socipaths, have no interest in those.)

[suciul]

Was wondering if there were any good books that follow psycho- or sociopathic characters, without trying to make the reader feel disgusted with the character.
And prefferably not through the view of a detective or alike.

(Note: Not scientific books of what traits mark a psycho- or socipaths, have no interest in those.)

The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell (won tons of prizes including the Prix Goncourt since it was originally published in French in 2006); my top book of the 00-09 decade so far

[Barefoot]

American Psycho is right up there.

[Chuffalump]

Not sure if it's exactly what you are looking for but Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman follows the struggle of an 'evil genius' as he tried to take over the world.

[Aurian]

I am Not a Serial Killer was a fun read.

[Aphantos]

Thanks for the tips, I'll be sure to check them out

[Sfinx]

Also highly recommended and very much in sync with your requirements:

Stone, by Adam Roberts.

Cheers,

Sfinx.

[Hitmouse]

The Black Dahlia Elmore Leonard
The Final Programme Michael Moorcock
Most of JG Ballard's lead characters
Blood Meridien Cormac McCarthy

TV and film are particularly good for this sort of thing:
Dexter (the TV series) Dexter
The Sopranos (TV) Tony Soprano and others
The Wire (TV) various characters
Deadwood (TV) Ian McShane et al
Taxi Driver (film) Travis Bickle
No Country for Old Men

[algernoninc]

The Third Deadly Sin by Lawrence Sanders is one of my favorites. It has the POV of a serial killer, alternating with the one of the detective.

[DurzoBlint]

American Psycho is right up there.

Perfect example, didn't care for the book but it is what you are looking for.

[BreakLater]

The best book from the point of view of a sociopath that I've ever read was definitely The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks. It's first person and you really get inside the head of a messed-up youth who believes he can prophesy the future by torturing insects. And that's just the tip of the iceberg with this kid's delusions. The book really moves and I couldn't put it down.

[Randy M.]

The Black Dahlia Elmore Leonard

Not Leonard. It's by James Ellroy.

No Country for Old Men

The novel by Cormac McCarthy is excellent.

There's also,
Psycho by Robert Bloch
The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson
Finishing Touches by Thomas Tessier
The Face that Must Die by Ramsey Campbell
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

(As I recall, the last three have fairly extensive sections told from the point of view of the psycho-/sociopath.)


Randy M.

[SugarFolk]

The best book from the point of view of a sociopath that I've ever read was definitely The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks. It's first person and you really get inside the head of a messed-up youth who believes he can prophesy the future by torturing insects. And that's just the tip of the iceberg with this kid's delusions. The book really moves and I couldn't put it down.

I second that. The story's quite disturbing at times, yet really moving too. It's really one of a kind.

[algernoninc]

I'm surprised nobody mentioned yet The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and its sequels by Stieg Larsson.
It features one of the most interesting functional paranoid / anti-social heroines I've read about, and in the first book a serial killer that I will not spoil the identity of.

[B5B7]

Two books that immediately come to my mind, both excellent in my view, are Theodore Sturgeon's 'Some of Your Blood' and Adrian Mitchell's 'The Bodyguard'.