Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: September 19, 2023

4+ stars
If sentient typing cats and sentient swearing dolphins sound up your alley I highly recommend this book! It was short, funny, and didn't take itself too seriously. Enough detail that you aren't lost but it moved quickly. It was a lot of fun.

Starter Villain was very fun to read. I enjoyed it immensely and would love to see some short stories about the dolphins, cats and whales.

Initial thought on seeing this book: I have to read simply because business cat. Now I have only read one other book by this author but between that one and this cover, I was sure that this would be a good idea.

In this book, we follow Charlie Fitzer. He is an unfortunate 30ish year old man who lives back in his childhood home. Charlie did have a career but it seems like after layoffs his life has never gotten back on track. Now he is a substitute teacher instead of a business reporter and his current life goal is to buy a pub. The description saying that made it sound just like a trivial new life goal but actually there is a sweet reasoning behind it. Charlie doesn't go through character growth too much in this book. But he does show how he is a good person overall. He trusts those who are more experienced than him and knows how to act under pressure surprisingly well. Hera is one of our important secondary characters but it would be spoilers to put that here.

The story revolves around what happened after the death of Charlie's Uncle Jake. Jake was a billionaire who had no other family. After his death, Charlie receives a visit from Morrison, who works with his uncle. She explains that Charlie has inherited something if he will only stand for his uncle at the funeral, which turns out to be a crazier task than he thought. Afterward, Charlie finds himself a new billionaire if he would accept the job of taking over the disruption business. The rest of the book is a funny ride of Charlie trying to stay alive in a world inhabited by evil corporate villains.

The "villain" aspect of the book was taken in an interesting way. To me, at least Uncle Jake sounded almost like a corporate Robin Hood. Almost because he wasn't really giving back to people as much as taking from other billionaires who would be bad. Still, he used his companies to do good work along with making money. There were morally questionable practices sure but that is with most companies on a global scale. It just seemed like there was a lot of good that could come out of his projects as well as weapons.

I really liked the way the book ended. It was super sweet and felt true to who Charlie was. Overall the book was good but it just didn't hit me with the wow of the last book. This was worth the read for the cats. Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me the ARC copy to review.

John Scalzi became an auto-buy for me. I've had so much fun with the Kaiju Preservation Society, the fun was double with this Starter Villain.
When it comes to Scalzi's books you'll know what you're going into (you'll like it or you'll hate the humor). It's fun, witty, irreverent, has clever dialogue, plot twists, and characters that we're not expecting, lots of action scenes, assassinations, betrayal, and plenty of badass-grumpy characters. I loved the main character's moral compass and his actions as he is thrown into the middle of a world of villains. I love Hera's intelligence, Seventy-three's bad mood, and Til's personality. It's as always good fun, playing with the James Bond/The Godfather kinda of villains' cliches and all tropes associated with the theme. Good old fun, perfect to relax, laugh, enjoy a thrilling page-turning adventure, and escape the seriousness of the world.
I'm ready for the next project of this author.
Thank you, publisher and NetGalley for this eARC.

Starter Villain is just as the title describes; an introduction to a Starter Villain! Charlie is a 32 year old man who’s really going through a rough patch in his life. He’s recently divorced, his father passed away, he lost his job and his estranged siblings just want him to sell his father’s house so they can get the payout. Talk about rough! When Charlie’s Uncle Jake passes away, Charlie’s life is blown up (literally) as he’s thrown into the life of villainy that his uncle left behind for him. As his heir, Charlie is now responsible for his uncle’s wealthy estate and all the insanity that comes with it.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s like a grown up version of a spin off of despicable me. Scalzi is so creative with his characters and the witty banter along with the comical dialogue had me laughing out loud multiple times. I would say this book gives off a huge amount of “Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy” vibes. This book could easily be converted into a movie and I would love it! This is my first book I’ve read by Scalzi and if his other works are anything like this then I’ll definitely be picking those up as well! Overall, this renders a 4.5 out of 5 stars for me. I highly suggest picking it up if you want something fun and a breeze to get through!

You know how your estranged uncle dies and you thought he was a billionaire because he owned parking garages but it turns out he was a billionaire because he was a certified villain? Yeah, same. Happens every day. Charlie is in a rut when this happens to him. His house explodes, his uncle’s assistant appears, his cat and the new kitten that he’s adopted are super intelligent operatives, and Charlie has to infiltrate the big gathering of villains.

This is just zany weird fun, with hijinx and cats and labor organizing. I just really vibe with John Scalzi’s sense of humor. And his love of cats. (I’m currently feeding 28 as the neighborhood strays brought us all their babies…) It is one that I’m going to come back to and read on a rainy day when I’m feeling down and need a lift.

Look it's just fun okay, doesn't take itself too seriously and is sometimes a little too relatable. It gives the people what they want, which is, specifically, cats and cartoonish supervillains.

Excellent book!! Fast paced and funny with plenty of good characters, and even more bad ones (in a villain way). I enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. To think all it took to make me want to read it was the cover. Well worth it! Delightful read!

Reminds me of the Zoey Ashe series, an adult child inherits their parent's evil empire and chaos erupts. Irreverent and well done.

Charlie, a divorced ex-journalist, doesn't have a lot going for him. He’s working as a substitute teacher, living in his father’s house with just his cat to keep him company. When his estranged uncle passes away, Charlie is the only heir to his fortune-but that’s not all he will inherit. Turns out his uncle was a supervillain with his own volcanic island and talking dolphins. Determined to carry on his uncle’s legacy as a stand-up villain, Charlie must go up against the less scrupulous villains and save the world (or at least save himself).

Though outside my usual genre, I can’t help but be captivated by Scalzi’s writing. Brimming with humor and wit, you can’t help but root for Charlie as he navigates the world of villainy. As a cat lover I also appreciated the intelligent spy cats, the perfect sidekick to any new villain in training. This is a great light-hearted book to breeze through on vacation or in the precious quiet moments as kids head back to school this fall.

I have never read John Scalzi before, which is surprising because he checks all the reading boxes for me: Science Fiction – check; Witty Prose – check; Talking Cats-check! Okay, I didn’t know I was looking for that last one but after reading Starter Villain I am solidly thinking all world building can have intelligent spy cats!

This book was fun – combining elements of Austin Powers and James Bond in the most atrociously funny ways. The dialogue is engaging and the characters well thought out and likeable. I want this to be a series but as far as this small book goes, it hits all the HEAs and leaves the reader wanting to have another adventure with Charlie and Hera!

This was my first Scalzi novel and I'm impressed! I went into it with no expectations and was a bit surprised by the amount of stupid fun I had while reading. Suspension of disbelief required, but totally worth it for this ride. Great. Will definitely recommend.

I haven't read John Scalzi before, but after "Starter Villain", he will be added to my TBR pile. The story of Charlie, a substitute teacher heavily in debt who discovers he is the heir of a parking lot magnate, "Starter Villain" offers humor, danger, and plenty of twists and turns as he enters the world of villainy, replete with island lair, lava pits, and spy satellites. Luckily, Charlie has his faithful cats, Hera and Persephone, by his side as he navigates this strange new world.

I have always wondered what my cat gets up to when I'm not around, and now I know! This is a brilliant, laugh-out-loud and charming fantasy. I think the attention to the very realistic detail, how some of us humans rely on our pet counterparts, really made this book not just smart but feel like a big hug.

Charlie is in a bad spot in his life, but when he finds out his uncle died and stands for him at a very strange wake, I begin to see the real Charlie shine through. This is a man who loves his cats, who can handle himself (mostly) in tough situations, and absolutely charmed me with his overall kindness and sincerity even in villain mode.

I can not recommend this enough. A quick read. Something I will probably reread down the road. Fantastic!

Out September 19, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!!!

**Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for the eARC of this awesome title**

I absolutely loved this one for a fun, quirky read! When Charlie’s uncle Jake dies, he finds himself thrust into the world of villainy and talking cats.

While this one was silly at times (imagine a dolphin calling you a f*ckhead,) I enjoyed the plot a lot. And at 272 pages this was a pretty quick read!

I’ve read Scalzi’s book Old Man’s War and absolutely loved it but I need to check out more of his work! Check this one out if you like scifi, hyper intelligent animals, cats, villains, volcanic lairs, and blurred lines between good and evil!

I read my first Scalzi novel around a year ago. I loved the humor, sometimes dark humor and the thriller aspect. Afterwards I bought a few more of his books. Then I saw this one. I wanted it immediately. It also has some dark humor. I didn't laugh out loud as much as Kaiju. It also had some unbelievable parts, but presented in a way that they are wildly believable. I love the characters and felt like even the dolphins were fleshed out nicely. It was suspenseful and engaging. I'm looking forward to continuing to explore more with this author.

Thanks to Tor & NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm guessing that this is a bit of a departure for John Scalzi; it's really more action/adventure than sci fi (although, to be fair, there are hyper-intelligent cats and other animals in the story). Scalzi is a pretty good storyteller and keeps the pace rolling, from Charlie's inauspicious existence as an out of work substitute teacher/aspiring barkeep to his ultimate villainhood. And it's pretty funny.

If you think James Bond meets Minion movies + cats, dolphins, and whales (throw in a stabbing henchman for good measure) sounds like a good time, you'll probably enjoy this book. There are some good present-day issues presented (fair labor practices come to mind) and it's a fun romp.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for the eARC of Starter Villain!

I was pretty much sold on this book when I saw the cover. But then I was double sold when I read it was about super villains with talking cats.

It sounds ridiculous and honestly, it is. But I think that is what I enjoy about Scalzi's books. They are perfect palate cleansers in between heavier fantasy/sci-fi reads. This book and The Kaiju Preservation Society are both still within the SFF realm while bringing levity and comedy to genres that tend to lean more towards serious.

Starter Villain is perfect for fans of classic James Bond villains with the vibes of Dr. Evil from Austin Powers. It is a short, self-contained story and wraps everything up nicely with the typical action movie flair and double crossing.

If talking cats don't convince you to read this, I am not sure what will!!

I must confess that I didn’t read Kaiju Preservation Society as neither the premise nor beginning grabbed me. But this one I was interested in immediately: a snappy title and a cat dressed in a suit and tie? Count me in! And Starter Villain did not disappoint, delivering what I consider to be Classic Scalzi: fun, funny, (yes, those are separate qualities) snarky, quirky, fast-paced, with timely topical references, some pauses for thought, and plenty of passages to highlight (I love both Scalzi’s fiction and blog writing). Oh, and, of course, one character who says “F*ck” more than even I’m comfortable with (and I cuss more than anyone I know personally), although which character has the potty mouth may surprise you…

Okay this was fantastic. So many twists were untwisted and re twisted that at times I was guffawing out loud about how I had been played.
Basically the story of a guy who inherits his uncles estate and job which happens to be villian, volcano lair included. But make it more Austen powers than James Bond.
Some of the funniest banter and most entertaining characters I’ve read in a while. Everything about the dolphins and the cats was just perfect. And a wholly satisfying ending.