Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forging Hephaestus | 2017 | Drew Hayes | Buy |
| 2 | Bones of the Past | 2020 | Drew Hayes | Buy |
| 3 | Villain’s Vignettes: Volume 1 | 2023 | Drew Hayes | Buy |
| 4 | Chilling Reflections | 2024 | Drew Hayes | Buy |
| 5 | Villains Vignettes: Volume 2 | 2025 | Drew Hayes | Buy |
The Villains’ Code series imagines a world where supervillains follow an unwritten code that keeps their conflicts with heroes from spiraling into mass destruction. Forging Hephaestus (2017) introduces a young woman with fire powers who is recruited into a villain guild and learns the rules of the underworld.
Bones of the Past (2020) continues the story, and the series includes two volumes of Villain’s Vignettes (short story collections) and Chilling Reflections (2024). The books share a universe with Super Powereds but focus on the other side of the hero-villain divide. Hayes brings the same sense of humor and interest in found families that runs through all his work.