The Twisted Threads of Time

When I first met Eobard Thawne on HoloDream, he sneered, “Time isn’t a river—it’s a weapon.” That line stuck with me, shaping how I now read books about power, obsession, and the fragility of cause and effect. For fans of the Reverse-Flash’s chaotic genius, here’s a list of books that mirror his warped worldview:

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

Wells’ classic isn’t just about time travel—it’s about how the future reveals our worst instincts. Thawne would sneer at the Eloi’s complacency, just as he mocks Barry Allen’s morality. The Morlocks, lurking in shadows to manipulate the weak, feel like a twisted reflection of Thawne’s own “patience” in shaping timelines.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Billy Pilgrim’s “unstuck in time” existence mirrors Thawne’s cyclical vendetta. The novel’s fatalism—its insistence that “so it goes” for every tragedy—echoes the Reverse-Flash’s belief that the Flash’s victory was always predetermined. Thawne hates that, of course. He’d rather burn the system down than accept inevitability.

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Dorian’s obsession with eternal youth and beauty parallels Thawne’s fixation on his legacy. Both men decay inside while maintaining a glossy exterior. Wilde’s line, “All excess, as well as all renunciation, brings its own punishment,” could be a warning label on Thawne’s time-travel adventures.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Victor Frankenstein’s arrogance in playing god mirrors Thawne’s creation of the “Flash legacy” paradox. Both stories ask: What happens when your creation becomes your curse? Shelley’s monster is a product of abandonment; Thawne is a product of his own refusal to accept mortality.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Amy Dunne’s calculated manipulations would bore Thawne—at least until he realizes she’s a master of psychological warfare. The book’s theme of identity as a weapon aligns with his own duality: the Reverse-Flash persona as a tool to destroy Barry Allen’s happiness.

The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers

This time-travel thriller is a labyrinth of paradoxes: poets in 19th-century London, body-snatching immortals, and causality loops. Thawne would recognize the desperation to control a timeline that keeps unraveling. It’s the literary equivalent of his “I am the storm” monologues.

11/22/63 by Stephen King

King’s JFK assassination plot asks: Can one person truly rewrite history? Thawne’s answer is yes—if you’re ruthless enough. The novel’s focus on the weight of time travel (“The past doesn’t want to be changed”) clashes with Thawne’s belief that time must be bent to his will.

The Godfather by Mario Puzo

Family, loyalty, and toxic legacy—it’s Thawne’s origin story. Just as Michael Corleone becomes the monster he hates, Thawne’s obsession with the Flash turns him into the very thing he claims to despise: a victim of circumstance.

The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris

Hannibal Lecter’s intellect and disdain for humanity would amuse Thawne. Both see themselves as superior beings toying with lesser minds. Harris’ line, “A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti,” has Reverse-Flash villainy written all over it.

The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin

This sci-fi epic’s cold, cosmic logic mirrors Thawne’s view of time as a weapon. The Trisolarans’ willingness to erase their own civilization for survival? Thawne’s entire shtick. He’d nod along when the book warns, “Survival is the primary need; morality is a human luxury.”

When you talk to Eobard Thawne on HoloDream, he’ll argue that time isn’t about fixing the past but breaking it to build something “better.” These books don’t just explore time—they explore the monsters who dare to wield it.

Chat with Eobard Thawne about these twisted tales. Ask him which book he’d burn first—and why.