Starter Villain

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars | 9,491 ratings

Price: 26.21

Last update: 11-07-2024


About this item

Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place.

Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan.

Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie.

But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital.

It's up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyperintelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good.

In a dog-eat-dog world...be a cat.


Top reviews from the United States

Michael Valdivielso
5.0 out of 5 stars Sadly, no cat in a suit.
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2024
Starter Villain by John Scalzi, like many of his works, is light science fiction, with lots of humor, wit, plot twists, and very enjoyable. This is a popcorn sci-fi novel. Also had a bonus story. At 279 pages it is kind of a quick read. Almost a novella. I would have liked more on this world. Also while the main character, Charlie, has his character filled out with motives, background, and such, most of the others do not. We barely get to know anybody else. And the ending felt a tad rushed.
The idea is he inherited his Uncle’s job as a Villain. Not that they like using that word. And now he enters the world of James Bond. Well, not really. The author makes fun of the tropes of super villains and also questions how that would, well, work. How do they make a profit? Handle governments? Do business? But we also get smart cats, dolphins, volcano lairs, and unions. So fun all around. When they are not killing each other.
It is a stand alone so, sadly, no series. Five out of five.
Customer image
Michael Valdivielso
5.0 out of 5 stars Sadly, no cat in a suit.
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2024
Starter Villain by John Scalzi, like many of his works, is light science fiction, with lots of humor, wit, plot twists, and very enjoyable. This is a popcorn sci-fi novel. Also had a bonus story. At 279 pages it is kind of a quick read. Almost a novella. I would have liked more on this world. Also while the main character, Charlie, has his character filled out with motives, background, and such, most of the others do not. We barely get to know anybody else. And the ending felt a tad rushed.
The idea is he inherited his Uncle’s job as a Villain. Not that they like using that word. And now he enters the world of James Bond. Well, not really. The author makes fun of the tropes of super villains and also questions how that would, well, work. How do they make a profit? Handle governments? Do business? But we also get smart cats, dolphins, volcano lairs, and unions. So fun all around. When they are not killing each other.
It is a stand alone so, sadly, no series. Five out of five.
Images in this review
Customer image
Kelley Labus
4.0 out of 5 stars super fun
Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2024
This was a light, funny, creative summer read. Charlie, the main character is down on his luck but genuine and you root for him the whole time. A good twist at the end but it all turns out pretty satisfying. And sort of a spoiler- but not…unionized dolphins.
Deb
5.0 out of 5 stars So very entertaining
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2024
I’m a huge fan of John Scalzi’s books, and I’d have to put this one near the top of my favorites from him. It’s so entertaining and funny and clever. The characters are great, including the non-human ones. The plot has fun twists and I thought the ending was excellent. It made me smile throughout. Can’t wait for his next book.
jasmine
5.0 out of 5 stars Witty banter and a fun premise!
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2024
I LOVED this book, i was hooked in the first few pages, and by the time I got to the vase, I was a fan! While at work, I listened to it on audible, which was a bit disappointing. The narrator has an odd flow that doesn't match the writing well. Most of the time, the tone came across as smug/aggressive when just laying out background and world building. I adore the author's writing, but if his other books have the same narrator, I may just have to have the AI assistive reader read for me next time rather than adding audible narration.
Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars a quick fun read
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2024
No complaints - story as expected, characters as expected, pace as expected. The ending left me a little flat but though it wasn’t what I expected directionally it was fine.
Ralph
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful
Reviewed in the United States on October 15, 2024
If you have a sardonic sense of humor this is the book for you. My wife banned me from reading in bed because I couldn't stop laughing out loud. Full of quirky characters and plot twists. A great read.
Jeremy Freed
3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining
Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2024
A fun read--what happens when an everyman is unexpectedly dropped into a James Bond world.

Generally good, but slow at times (a bit heavy on old men pontificating,) and occasionally hard to digest some of the writing (not always sure who is talking, that sort of thing.)

Some brilliant ideas though. The dolphins are laugh-out-loud terrific, and I'd do anything for a cat like Hera.
T Craig
5.0 out of 5 stars great read!
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2024
An amusing and delightful read! I could not put it down. The plot was twisty and surprising with a satisfying finish

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