Charlie has no idea what his Uncle Jake has been up to. He has not heard from him since Jake sent a wedding gift predicting the exact day of his divorce. Living alone with his cat, Charlie deals with the humdrum miseries of life as a substitute teacher and the fun unique ones that come from his absent siblings pushing him to sell his father’s house, the only place he can sort of afford to live. When a mysterious woman shows up with news of his uncle’s death, Charlie’s entire life changes. He finds himself inheritor, not to a jumble of parking lots, but to a new life as a super villain. This new life is hardly all spy cats and talking dolphins though, other villains smell blood in the water and Uncle Jake’s old enemies are numerous. Charlie may not know what he is doing, but the only way to win might be to play by his own rules.

John Scalzi's Starter Villain is one of those books that I know how I feel about it, but not how to talk about it without just rambling. The writing is quite good. The humor is on point. And there is this delightful thread of what feels like very real anger towards the kind of people who would use their money and influence to change the world for their benefit and their benefit only with no thought to the harm that it would bring others that, to be fully honest, reminds me that I need to read more Terry Pratchett.

There is a contrast between Charlie, our fish out of water substitute teacher turned super villain with a heart of gold and quite a lot of confusion, and the villains of the Lombardy Convocation, a collection of the sorts who inherited wealth and power and throw their weight around grasping for more, thinking themselves quite clever while they do so. Charlie is just some guy who lucked into all of this. And that is what makes him work as the protagonist. He is just some guy, but he is clever and kind and tries to do right by people regardless of if they happen to be human or not. He is the first one to actually listen to the dolphins and their unionization demands. He worries about what his cats think about him after finding out they have human intelligence.

Charlie is everything that the Lombardy Convocation guys could never be because they are so separated from the rest of humanity by their wealth and power. He can work out a union deal with the hyper intelligent dolphins despite their anger at everything because he cannot help but see them as people, because while he has not been in their exact position, he has been through similar. He goes from being broke as a joke, barely able to pay the bills on a house that is only a quarter his while trying to keep himself and his cats fed to inheriting his uncle's multi-billion dollar villainous venture and all that it entails, but he stays just some guy.

The setting is also a delight with the very deliberate James Bond pastiche to Charlie's uncle's volcano base and the requirement that all Lombardy Convocation members have a cat. The acknowledgements that hyper intelligent animals would necessarily have differences to their normal counterparts and, likewise, needs beyond those of standard animals. The sheer ridiculousness of a villain convention hidden in plain sight and yet so very like an exploitative reality tv show on the inside. It is an elseworld built to the side of what regular people would see, not through magic but through influence and the sheer power of money.

I like Starter Villain quite a bit. Charlie is clever and caring and very human in a book full of spy flick characters and deliberately corporate villain types. I find myself less wanting to chew on the setting than wanting to see a four-part miniseries set in it, show me all the cracks in the villains’ set up half as well as Scalzi does and I would be a very happy watcher. And the book is funny to boot, again, unionizing dolphins and spy film style super villains. It is decidedly different from a lot of what I read, but I also just like Scalzi’s writing. Five out of five, Starter Villain is definitely worth the read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

A quirky and amusing read that fans of John Scalzi will enjoy. I admit this was a little more out there in terms of concepts but it was a quick, easy read that made me laugh. I loved Hera and the dolphins, they were 100% my favorite characters. Charlie grew on me quite a bit but he really cemented a place in my heart during the Zoom meeting. That was certainly a highlight. I think if anything I was a but saddened to learn that Charlie doesn't in the end take over the villain empire.

This isn't the life Charlie had imagined for himself. He had been a business reporter and then business magazines and newspapers had hit a wall and made massive cuts. Charlie is back home in the house he grew up in, taking whatever work he can find to keep body and soul together. Plus feed his cat Hera, his best and sometimes seems only friend.

Then Charlie gets a phone call from a lawyer. His rich uncle has died and left Charlie a legacy. Charlie knows that his uncle had scads of parking garages and that he was rich but he didn't know he was a billionaire. Or that his real empire hid behind the legitimate garages and that he was a super villain, making money from technology and government grants and foiling other villains.

Now Charlie is supposed to take over. He goes to headquarters, which is an island built on a volcanic system. There he finds talking dolphins and cats who are spies, one of which happens to be his cat Hera. There is a cohort of villains who hated his uncle and now they want to take out Charlie and get all the money. Can Charlie foil their plans and stay alive?

This is one of the best books I've read lately. John Scalzi is known for his science fiction, having been a past president of the Science Fiction And Fantasy Writers Of America. His work has won a Hugo and several works are in development as television series. This work is much lighter and Charlie is a hero that the reader will fall in love with. There is lots of treachery and double-dealing but Charlie remains the good hearted person he always was. This book is recommended for fantasy readers.

We ended up getting signed copies of this, but it was a hardsell because it was an expensive novella essentially. I am really loving Scalzi's funny fantasy/sci-fi books. There is a niche market for dapper animals though ;)

I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this book! STARTER VILLAIN is my third book by Scalzi and I liked it just as much as the other two (REDSHIRTS, THE KAIJU PRESERVATION SOCIETY). He has definitely become an auto-buy author for me at this point, especially for comedic books. He has the perfect balance between plot and an interesting world with humor that really works for me. The best way that I can describe STARTER VILLAIN is that its like Despicable Me but for adults. It is fast-paced with laugh out loud humor and is perfect for a brain break.

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted eARC!

The moment Starter Villain introduced talking dolphins who swear like most thirteen-year-old boys who have discovered the f-word, it had me.

But given that leading up to that we'd had a funeral in which everyone showed up to make sure the deceased really was deceased (including stabbing the body) and cats who can communicate by typing out their thoughts, I guess you could pretty much say I was into John Scalzi's novel early. It helps that his latest novel taps into the same absurdist fun as his Hugo-winning Red Shirts did.

After being laid off from his journalistic job, Charlie struggles to make ends meet as a substitute teacher while living in his deceased father's home. After he's turned down for a loan to purchase his local bar and run it, Charlie finds himself at loose ends, until he gets news that is rich uncle has passed away and wants Charlie to take over his business. What Charlie doesn't know is that business is the villain business and Charlie's uncle was a major player.

Oh yeah, and there are sentient cats who can communicate via keyboard and he's got to negotiate a labor dispute with the dolphins who, again, like to swear a lot.

I found myself laughing out loud at multiple points during Starter Villian. And yet in the laughter, Scalzi takes time to make a few interesting points and observations about the world and the people we're putting in charge of things, the state of technology, and multiple other issues I won't necessarily delve too far into here. But what Scalzi does so well is entertain first and foremost -- the scene where various wannabe villains present their evil plots and are either rewarded with the thumbs up or sent flying via a giant spring into the sea is just one example of this in a book packed full of them.

And in a world where it feels like far too many genre entries are going for a multi-book saga, it's nice that Starter Villain can be enjoyed on its own. I wouldn't necessarily mind spending more time with the various players in this story (again, the dolphins) but the novel wisely ties up everything by the time the final page is turned.

One of the more satisfying novels I've read lately and highly recommended.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Absolutely loved it. Smart and witty. I couldn't put it down. Scalzi always brings the fun in his writing. Fans of spy movies with dark humor mixed in will love this one.

This book has everything: Spy Cats, Volcano Lairs, a Cabal of Evil Men trying to rule the World from the shadows, foul mouthed blue collar dolphins. And thrown into the deep end of all this hilarious mayhem- Charlie, a former finance journalist now part time teacher, who just wants to buy the local pub and live a quiet life. However, when his rich uncle ( who he barely knew growing up) dies and an associate of his shows up with a request for him to stand up for the man at his funeral, Charlie figures , what could possibly go wrong? What follows is a wild ride that hits all the right buttons for anyone looking for a laugh with a bit of treachery and Villainy thrown into the mix!
**Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this ARC! **

“Charlie’s life is going nowhere fast. Then his long-lost uncle dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie.”

Well, this was a delight.

Moustache-twirling villains, and super-intelligent animals, and snark. Oh, the snark!

Was the character development a little shallow? Sure. Was this story more Tell than Show? Probably.

But the premise, and the banter, and the potty-mouthed dolphins more than made up for it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for this irreverent ARC.

In a new format of sarcasm and wit, John Scalzi has written one of my favorite books. In an odd format of typing cats and vocally aggressive dolphins, we meet Charlie who is thrown into a world of villains. Yet, as a middle school substitute teacher (which I think is a great preparation for his new role), he is not excited about the prospect of being assassinated at every turn. With a few people and cats by his side, he is the perfect protagonist to expose the futility of big business and the reproductive rights of dolphins. Highly recommended and would be appropriate (save the dolphin language) for our high school library.

John Scalzi is quickly becoming one of my very favorite authors. Come for the interesting premise, stay for the fast pace, banter, and jokes. You're sure to be pleased!

Witty, pacy, and super fun, as Scalzi always is. Also very contemporary-feeling; I'm not sure if that will age well but it was very entertaining now (the Zoom call made me really laugh). Extra points for the cats and the dolphins.

Starter Villain is another wild and wacky comedic romp from Scalzi, following nicely in the wake of Redshirts and The Kaiju Preservation Society. It's about a very non-villainous and non-heroic guy who inherits a criminal empire that was set up in the James Bond tradition. I'll avoid spoilers, but here's a quote from page 207: "...I'm here on an island in the Caribbean, being told I need to talk to the dolphins in the middle of a labor action about some whales that might have torpedoes, armed by a secret society of villains who want access to a storeroom full of objects probably looted from the victims of the friggin' Nazis and who are maybe willing to blow up -my volcano lair- to get it." It's a fun, fast read!

John Scalzi’s Starter Villain is a quick and fun read, perfect for those who enjoy their fantasy with a large dose of humor…and talking cats.

When we meet Charlie Fitzer, his life is a shambles. He’s divorced, broke, working occasionally as a substitute teacher, barely getting by while living rent free in his father’s house (to the frustration of his older siblings who are eager to sell the property and take their share of the estate). He’s a 32-year-old writer “working on his novel” while dreaming of owning the neighborhood pub. Charlie is lonely. He has no social life, and his only friend is a cat.

Then his long-lost Uncle Jake dies, and Charlie is asked to serve as family representative at the memorial service. At the funeral home, Charlie discovers that all the “mourners” are only in attendance to be sure that Jake is really, truly dead. It turns out that Uncle Jake was not just rich. Uncle Jake was a Villain.

Soon after the bizarre funeral, Charlie is swept up into Jake’s deadly circle of associates, all vying for domination. Can naive Charlie survive the threats and manipulations of the world’s biggest super villains?

Full of twists, turns, explosions, double crosses, and asshole dolphins, Starter Villain is a delight!

This was my first book by John Scalzi, but it will not be my last. There are a ton of reviews out there on this one, but I will share that it was one of my favorite books of 2023, and you should definitely pick it up - even if you think it's not your thing/not your genre. It also makes me want to get a cat.

Many thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me. All thoughts are my own.

The best cover! This was so dang funny. Perfect length. Not much more to say. I loved it. Will recommend to everyone

This book was pure escapism and I loved it. Talking spy cats, cantankerous cursing dolphins, plans to be the world's greatest villain-what's not to love!

Charlie Fitzer is broke, living in his old home, and trying to scrape up enough equity to buy the local bar so that he can feel he has control of something. But then his Uncle Jake died and he find that he is his heir. But not just to his parking garage empire, but to his super-villain business empire that comes with a cool Caribbean hideout on a volcanic island! But he now has rival villains out to get him. Thankfully, his side has hyper intelligent cats, talking dolphins forming a union, and a very competent assistant who has everything under control. All Charlie needs to do is show up and not get killed. But that is a bit hard when houses get bombed, missiles tossed around and threats of destruction are handed out like candy. Will Charlie survive is the major question! So come for the hi-jinks, the twists, and the over-the-top fun of this fast paced romp!

3.5
A perfectly enjoyable, but unexceptional, story about a struggling substitute teacher and failed journalist who inherits a giant criminalish enterprise.

This book succeeds purely on its premise. The story itself is very so so. Personally, I think it's a premise that would be better suited to a short story because there really isn't enough to propel it for a full novel--at least in its current state.

It isn't bad. It's fun and pretty much what I expected, but I can't help but wish it was more.