Such a delight for another quick and funny ready from Scalzi. Coming off of my first Scalzi being The Kaiju Preservation Society, (which I heartily recommend!) to now another irreverent humorous comedy, I am loving this author and his works.

Our narrator, Charlie, gives us a firsthand account of life behind the curtain of villainy. A view at what the real big baddies are actually life, and while is exactly what you expect (murder, exploitation of workers, governments still in a quasi-Cold War standoff), there’s also a lot of heart. There’s also intelligent clones of animals that are spies, soldiers and weapon deployment vehicles.

I thought the whole world building to be focused on the broader details, which considering this is a shorter book clocking under 300 pages, that may be excused. However I thought the ending was a little too quickly forced. Everything wrapping up with too perfect a bow. I still loved it, and personally it’s a 5 star. Objectively, I think it’s 3.75 stars, and I’m rounding up to 4.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an e-arc of Starter Villain in exchange for an honest review. Honestly, I loved it!

Rating: 3.75; goofy, chaotic, witty: Starter Villain was a comedic (light) sci-fi that was refreshingly amusing and bonkers.
Charlie is a struggle bus: his dad recently died, he’s divorced, and his greatest wish is to quit substitute teaching to own a bar in his small hometown. The one perk in his life is he has a great cat. His (very rich, but estranged) uncle dies, and suddenly Charlie is inheriting a supervillain business. His uncle’s enemies are now his enemies… but at least the cats and (to an extent) the dolphins are smart?
Starter Villain had the wit of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the absurdity of Cats and Dogs, and the villainy of Despicable Me. It’s a quick read, perfect if you’re in the mood for some laughter and absurdity.
It’s very tongue in cheek; Scalzi picks fun at what people choose to use their billions of dollars on and how that affects the world. The supervillains Charlie must deal with fit a mix of techbro and old-school mobster in a delightfully funny way. Just because you have a lot of money doesn’t mean you have a lot of brains, which makes for great antagonists.
There were some big laughs with the dolphin union and the dudebro contest; also some fun with scheming and counter-scheming. If you want a deep cut villain story, this isn’t for you. But it’s great for something refreshing that doesn’t take itself too seriously. This is my first John Scalzi book, but I’m hoping to pick up more in the future.
Thank you to Tor Publishing Group and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. Starter Villain was such a trip! Talking cats, dolphins and whales! Who want to unionize too, just an FYI. This was such a darkly comedic book. It was such a fun read.

Wanted to try something out of my comfort zone and unfortunately was left feeling kind of underwhelmed.

Obviously, the cover of this book was the huge draw for me but my overall enjoyment of the book left a bit to be desired. This isn’t my usual genre so don’t take my word as GOSPEL and I did think this book was wildly funny, but I just don’t think it was written for me. However, I do think it will be for a lot of other people! If you loved the movie ‘Cats & Dogs’ I think you may jive with this book!

STARTER VILLAIN by John Scalzi
Publication: 9/19/2023 by Tor Publishing Group
Page Count: 256


Whoa!… What a fun read. John Scalzi, highly acclaimed science-fiction writer, best known for his “Old Man’s War” series, treats us to an enjoyable sf-fantasy romp, complete with scoundrels plotting to control the world’s commerce and sentient cats, dolphins and whales able to intelligently think and communicate. This fun cinematic caper tale is all dessert, without vegetables or greens. Charles Fitzer was previously a successful business journalist, before the Covid pandemic caused the collapse of printed journalism. Being laid-off eventually figured in his ultimate divorce. He found himself working as a substitute teacher to make ends meet. He was living in his recently deceased father’s house, with his other step-siblings harping on him to move out so they could sell it and reap the profits. On the television he learns that his multi-billionaire uncle, Jake Baldwin has died … who he hasn’t seen since age five. He is contacted by his Uncle’s estate planner and requested to represent the family at the funeral. And, before he realizes is drawn into the devious and underworld dealings of his uncle. This is the world of super villains that apparently his uncle was part of. He soon learns that his adopted cat, Hera, is sentient, and can communicate with the computer by typing, and was actually spying and watching over him, at the request of his Uncle Jake. At the funeral Charlie notes floral arrangement with hostile messages and one of the mourners actually tries to stab the corpse … to make sure he’s dead. Charlie is Jakes’ sole heir and expected to take over the family enterprise. He must do this and face a cadre of rival villains seeking his demise …. if he doesn’t succumb to their blackmail and trickery. He must also deal with a vulgar-spewing group of “striking” dolphins and attacking sentient whales.
With Scalzi’s usual humor oozing through each page, he weaves a fantastical tale of intrigue and mystery culminating in an unexpected and humorous denouement. Will Charlie be able to cope and outwit these unscrupulous villainous , so-called businessmen? Nothing deep .. but yet enjoyable in this whimsical tale. Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Publishing for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review. Can’t wait for Scalzi’s next effort.

I laughed so many times while reading this one. Between the cats, the dolphins, the attitude of the main character, and the sheer absurdity of things placed side-by-side to normal frustrations not related to supervillainy, I had an immensely wonderful time reading this book. Scalzi does it again!

I tried, got to about 56%, but just could not force myself to go on. This is definitely not my kind of book despite really anticipating a new title by this author. I had really enjoyed The Kaiju Preservation Society and thought this would also be entertaining.

The plot seemed so juvenile, and the narrative is almost completely dialogue. Perhaps you also really need to be a cat-lover. I don't mind them, but I am not a cat person.

Anyway, marked it DNF. On to something else that is more my cup of tea.

I keep looking at my cat waiting for her to start typing...

Starter Villain by John Scalzi just may be one of the best Science Fiction books I've read this year! Scalzi's writing completely pulls you into this world and doesn't let go until the story is finished. My favorite aspect of this book has to be the humor that is sprinkled throughout the book. I cannot count how many times my coworkers and husband have asked what I was giggling so hard at---nothing like reading about unionized dolphin's who have such a way with words. The story is well paced and the MC's development and story arc was so smooth, slowly gaining confidence and allowing himself to prove just how capable he can be. This book is truly clever and is perfect for fans of Cozy Sci-Fi/Fantasies...and cats!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I had A LOT of fun during this book. Like, snorting-out-loud kind of fun. What would any of us do if we were suddenly thrust into super-villainy?

Between the unlikely protagonist inheriting an evil empire, a foul-mouthed pod of dolphins trying to unionize, and a race of hyper-intelligent cats - plus all sorts of big, bad villain shenanigans - this book is a riot.

The writing was light-hearted and sharp, making it very easy and incredibly enjoyable to read. And it had moments that were also quite touching, and impactful.

There are plenty of twists and turns throughout, and while I was entertained about 90% of the time, I will say the book slightly fell apart for me in the end. Whether that was a product of editing/tying up the storyline - I’m not sure - for me personally, the pacing and tone of the ending didn’t fit the rest of the book. I wanted more.

Overall, this was a super quirky and exciting read, and I’d gladly recommend it to anyone looking for a humorous sci-fi/fantasy.

The depth of a puddle, but gosh this was a fun read. A mild-mannered but quick-witted down-on-his-luck former business journalist inherits his estranged billionaire uncle’s villain empire. Hijinks, including labor activist dolphins and spy cats, ensue. My first but absolutely not my last Scalzi.

Charlie Fitzer is pretty close to rock bottom. He's lost his job as a journalist, his wife has divorced him, and he's resorted to living in his childhood home, which doesn't actually belong to him. The best thing he's got going for him are his two cats. When an estranged bazillionaire uncle dies and leaves Charlie his business, things start to look up. Except for the assassination attempts and a whole ridiculously fun chain of events involving a cabal of supervillains -- all nepo babies with cool cats of their own. Turns out, cats kinda rule the world, which is no big spoiler considering Starter Villain's cover art. But also dolphins. I loved this novel, with its nods to Bond films and their villains. Fun, funny, ridiculous. Also far-fetched. Or. Is it? By the way, Will Wheaton performs the hell out of the audio version. You can tell he loves every word he's narrating, every character he's voicing.

[Thanks to Tor/Forge and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

Charlie Fitzer is at a low place in his existence...substitute teacher since his journalism job ended, with the demise of most newspapers; divorced and living in the house he grew up in, owned not just by himself but also his three other half-siblings, who do not like him. He wants to buy a pub, but no one will lend him the money. Then, his Uncle Jake dies. Uncle Jake owns parking garages, a lot of them. His assistant, Matilda Morrison, shows up on Charlie's doorstep to inform him he has inherited Uncle Jake's businesses, all of them. All he has to do is show up at Uncle Jake's funeral and she will take it from there. Charlie does show up and prevents one of the attendees from stabbing his uncle. As it happens, Uncle Jake had faked his death before and everyone wants to ensure he is really dead this time. Then Charlie's house blows up. Turns out Uncle Jake was a villain, a supervillain, with a lair on a Caribbean volcanic island. Also, Uncle Jake had developed intelligent cats and dolphins, all of whom work for Charlie now. Charlie's two cats, Hera and Persephone, have been monitoring him for years, reporting back to Uncle Jake. Between labor negotiations with the dolphins and trying to survive more assassination attempts, Charlie's life is very busy as a starter villain. Scalzi's writing is always entertaining with occasional laugh-out-loud moments. Recommended.

John Scalzi is usually an author I can expect to open his books, read them, laugh a bit through the story and in general have a good time. Most of his stand alone books have been an interesting and have some connection to a show of concept everyone is semi familiar with. Red Shirts was Star Trek, The Kaiju Preservation Society had ties to Godzilla and now Starter Villain is a play on James Bond and Inspector gadget. While it has a little bit of silliness, it is also a really good time if you ever wanted to see how they live on the bad guys side of life.

Charlie's life sucks. He lost his journalism job, then his marriage and came home to take care of his father before he lost him too. Isolated and alone, he just has his cat for company and a dream of buying the local bar/restaurant down the street now that his journalism career is basically over. One problem he can't afford it and he doesn't have any collateral to secure a loan for it. Charlie finds out about the death of his estranged billionaire Uncle and his life changes forever. For one, the uncle he barely knew has a request for him to stand for him at his funeral where Charlie finds out that while yes he might have made money on parking garages but that wasn't his true empire. Charlie's dead uncle was a supervillain and his team has come to help Charlie take over that empire.
"Your uncle is in parking garages because they fund his more important work,”Morrison said. “Which is to seek out, fund and create the sort of technologies and services that bring disruptive change to existing industrial and social paradigms, and offer them, on a confidential basis, to interested businesses and governments.”
“That’s a great mission statement,”I said. “But it doesn’t say what he actually did.”
HE WAS A VILLAIN, Hera typed.

This had a lot of great stuff in it. The computer savvy cats in management acting as spies, lair on a volcanic island, other supervillains and their attempts to oust Charlie from his new position etc. Charlie is in for a big awakening of his mind and all the things in the world he really didn't know existed. Charlie also has never had anyone really want him dead before so now just trying to stay alive while all of the other supervillains try to kill him is a new adventure in his life he never expected. It is definitely a journey and a funny one at that, I enjoyed my time in this bond-verse type story seen from the other side.
“How dead do you think Gratas wants me?” I asked her.
“You mean on a scale of one to ten, where one is ‘live and let live’ and ten is ‘murder you slow, bury your corpse in the woods, then dig you up to shit on your skull’? Maybe an eight.”

Overall if you are familiar with Scalzi's other stand alone novels I think you will find more of what you liked in those. If you have never tried a Scalzi novel, this really is a great jump in spot. Who isn't familiar at least a little with movies and tv shows like James Bond, Austin Powers and Inspector gadget? I will say if you are a cat person also then there is a bit more to love with the sentient strain of spy cats.

I thoroughly enjoyed this light-hearted story with its likeable MC, Charlie. At times, Starter Villain had me laughing out loud with its absurd humour and witty writing. All Charlie wanted to do was to buy his local pub. Instead, upon learning about his uncle's death, he is whisked away into a world of villainy complete with a volcanic lair, swear-y security dolphins who are threatening to strike, and hyper-intelligent spy cats. Will Charlie make it as the new Boss in this cut-throat business? Will the assassination attempts ever stop? Can he make a deal with the dolphins to avoid a strike?
For readers who root for the "bad guy," and like a good laugh, Starter Villain is a whole lot of fun!

John Scalzi imagines that there is a convocation of super villains hidden in our world since the Boer war. Charlie Fitzer, divorced ex-reporter living with cats, knows nothing of this until his uncle, Jake Baldwin, dies of cancer. Then his house blows up with an FBI agent inside, and his cats lead him to another house, where he learns his cats are intelligent, and his uncle was a super villain. After a test, he is told that he will inherit his uncle’s business as a Starter Villain (hard from TOR) but first he has to deal with the Convocation who demands billions, the talking dolphins who are on strike, and a hidden trove of Nazi treasures. Lots of fun and I had a grin the whole time I read it.

This was a fun read. The story was more complex than I inititally thought it would be, and the diaglogue was very funny. It is nice to find a light hearted book with some depth.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Tor for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I mean you can't exactly go wrong with a cover like that.

Starter Villain by John Scalzi is a science fiction novel, about a evil business solely run by cats. 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.

I honestly loved this book so much. It was a nice read to have between the thick fantasy novels I've been binging as of late. It was a perfect blend of laughs in villainy and hilarity. Honestly if you loved Scalzi's The Kaiju Preservation Society, you'll sure love this one.

Starter Villian, by John Scalzi, is a quick, humorous read. I wonder if he'd consider writing middle school novels. Other than the language, I can see secondary school students really enjoying this one. Just read to enjoy and don't overthink the absolute ridiculousness of certain parts.

Entertaining and fun, Starter Villain definitely felt like a quick and humorous read that helped me creep out of a reading slump!

A perfectly acceptable Scalzi book: some entertaining dialogue (very good zoom meeting; very good pitch meeting at Supervillain Shark Tank), an acceptably convoluted plot, profane cetaceans, and overall an enjoyable, undemanding way to spend an afternoon or two. Nothing groundbreaking, but a reliable installment of the Scalzi brand that neither astonishes nor disappoints.