Charlie seems like an average guy, having given up his career as a journalist for substitute teaching that barely pays for groceries and cat food. He’s kind and sweet, a sucker for a cute cat or two. His current dream is to buy a landmark pub, although it’s unlikely the bank will approve the loan. To make matters worse, his siblings want to sell the house they jointly own. Then his long-lost Uncle Jake dies, and before Charlie realizes what’s going on, he finds himself heir to a supervillain business and the target of his uncle’s rivals, a cabal of rich, soulless multinational predators. Along the way, Charlie discovers a knack for negotiating with wisecracking sentient dolphins who threaten a strike if their demands for better working conditions aren’t met, intelligent spy cats who communicate via typewriters, and a terrifyingly competent henchwoman.

It's all brilliantly witty but with an undercurrent of thoughtfulness. Again and again, Charlie demonstrates how logic, common sense, and an utter lack of deference to bullies can and do prevail. The dialog is top-notch, as are the reversals and plot twists. Having grown up in a union family, I heartily cheered for dolphin workers’ rights.

Fun reading for you and your cats.

Overall

I would be lying if I said the cover wasn’t a large reason I originally decided to pick up Starter Villain. To be fair, I kept passing it by, because who has the time for reading all the books? But then there’s that cat . . . just looking snazzy in its fancy suit . . . totally judging me for not picking this book up. (And make no mistake, it is 100% judging me.) Once I read the synopsis, though, I absolutely knew this book was for me, and I’m so glad I decided to give it a chance!

Starter Villain is an action-packed romp through what happens when an average man inherits a villainous legacy. As it turns out, the answer is chaos, hilarity, plot twists galore, several explosions, and many unexpected surprises.

As my very first John Scalzi book, I can say without a doubt that I’ll be going back for more. While a bit over-the-top at times, Starter Villain was a ridiculously fun romp from beginning to end, and it left me wanting more (not in a bad way, but in a please don’t rip me out of this world just yet sort of way). This is a book that doesn’t take itself too seriously, and neither should you. Just sit back, enjoy the ride, and prepare to laugh . . . often!

My Thoughts

✿ Charlie puts the “sarcastic” in sarcastic narrator in this irreverent, witty satire of a villain novel. To be fair, it’s not entirely his fault. You’d be sarcastic, too, if your uncle you didn’t know died and left you his supervillain empire . . . along with all his enemies. Of which there are many. Any of which could have murdered Uncle Jake. All of which sure would have liked to. Especially if the series of attempted murders at his funeral are any indication. Charlie behaves exactly the way you would expect an average person to when they suddenly find themselves in way over their head. Mostly, he panics. Lucky for him, there are people around him that can guide him into his uncle’s shoes and, hopefully, keep him alive in the process. Much more qualified people (and animals). Which is handy, because everything Charlie thinks he knows about the world is about to be called into question.

✿ I feel it should go without saying that Charlie isn’t exactly qualified to run a supervillain empire. I mean, he’s a divorced substitute teacher, living in his parents’ former house, which his siblings are pressuring him to agree to sell so they can get their cut. If you looked up “successful” or “qualified” in the dictionary, Charlie’s face would be nowhere near that mess. Not that he isn’t trying. More that he just can’t quite catch a break. All he wants is to open his own pub, for goodness’ sake, not get caught in battles of wit with people who have much more experience than he does. That’s not to say that Charlie can’t hold his own. Because he does. Mostly because he has to. You’d be amazed what a person can learn if it’s adapt or death. I enjoyed seeing Charlie evolve over the course of the book, as he gains his footing and becomes at least passably competent. While it’s pretty clear he’s never going to be the elite supervillain that his uncle was, the proverbial apple didn’t fall too far from the tree to get the job done.

✿ The side characters in Starter Villain do a lot of heavy lifting: from the slightly terrifying but entirely delightful Morrison, to the highly intelligent (unionized) dolphins, right down to Charlie’s cat. Because what’s a villain without his minions? I believe Gru taught us that. I don’t want to give too much of this away, because part of the fun of this story is discovering all the weird little idiosyncrasies along with Charlie. Needless to say, there are talking animals . . . and they have a lot to say. Not always politely. I promise, they’re absolutely delightful. As I said, the people around Charlie are, thankfully, entirely competent . . . albeit of dubious loyalty. After all, Uncle Jake earned his position and kept his employees closely under thumb. Well . . . mostly. I mean, he did end up dead, didn’t he? Unfortunately, Charlie has none of his connections and isn’t sure who he can trust. Or if he should trust anyone. Dare I say that their wavering (and sometimes questionable) allegiance is part of what makes the secondary characters fun?

✿ This satire pokes fun at the villain genre, playing with common tropes, chewing them up and spitting them back out in ways that are as surprising as they are fun. Think of it a lot like Minions for adults, but without that creamy center of wholesome goodness. Starter Villain isn’t exactly heartwarming, though it is extremely funny, full of plot twists, and every bit what you would expect from a novel about villains. The plot is fast-paced and chock full of actions, explosions, weapons, death threats, and fluffy (albeit not cuddly) cats. Having read other Scalzi books, I can confidently say that his classic style of humor really shines in this work. It’s a combination of dry, tongue-in-cheek, and absurd that works so perfectly with this sort of topic. It’d fit in comfortably alongside things like Austin Powers and Kingsman: The Secret Service. Just when you think you know where this plot is going, it takes a sharp turn into new territory. I kept thinking I had it figured out, but then a twist would catch me by surprise. Usually, it was something completely unexpected that I hadn’t dreamed would happen in a million years.

Cat on the cover: +
Scalzy as author: +
Villain as the center: +
but this one just fell short of the mark. The plot is thin and telegraphed in advance. I expected more.

My favorite aspect of the novel is just how satirically corporate all of this modern day villainy is presented as being. The most evil characters in the book will be recognizable to anyone familiar with the current generation of lame ass billionaires, captains of industry, and crypto bros. If you enjoyed Glass Onion, you’ll be right at home with Scalzi’s take on the brilliant/idiot dynamic present in a lot of these characters.

This book was funny, weird, unexpected, and at times downright bizarre. I had a blast reading it and recommended it to a few people. My main issue was the characters individually lacked their own personalities so I had a hard time connecting to them.

Starter Villain was the most fun I've had reading a book. What would you do if you found out your estranged relative was a super villain and left the entire enterprise to you when they passed? I don't know what I would do, but the events of this book give me a good idea. The characterizations were spot on, and turning villain after living a mostly normal life seems to be a challenge. I thoroughly enjoy the way Scalzi takes on science fiction and gives us unique stories like this.

Scalzi is always great at creating a world I can envision and want to see more of, Starter Villain is one of his best. The characters are great and engaging, and I didn't want it to end. I've recommended this book to many friends, everyone has loved it.

What a blast! Every time I thought I knew where this story was going it took a left turn, but what a delightful ride it was. I was laughing the whole book and loved this cast of crazy characters. Will definitely be reading more Scalzi books.

Starter Villain is about what happens when a regular person inherits his estranged uncle's villain business. You know, your common everyday scenario.

In a time of speculative fiction full of heroes and villains with superpowers, I enjoyed Scalzi's take on what an actual real life superpowerless villain might be like, and how they might run their villainy business. It's a clever social commentary and maybe-not-quite satire of how things actually are nowadays.

As a cat lady, the whole cat situation was super fun to me, but I thought the dolphins were the best and most hilarious part of this novel. I wish we, the people, had as much guts to fight for our rights as the dolphins Who Gives a Shit, Don't Care, Burn it Down and Eat the Rich. I also very much enjoyed the whole Pitch and Pitch scene, and I thought TaaS (Testicles as a Service) was actually brilliant and someone should probably look into that!

Overall, the whole story was pretty low-stakes and lighthearted, and not much actually happened, but I had fun reading it. If you need a beach read for this summer, this is it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the arc.

This book was hilarious. The cover sold me but the story inside was just stellar. It was light and funny and everything I needed from it. Definitely enjoyed it!

Starter Villain is a clever blend of science fiction and wit with interesting social commentary sprinkled throughout the story. I knew going into this that I was in for a humorous, over-the-top reading experience. I would have liked a little bit more substance from the characters. Charlie never really grows as a character, and it feels like he exists on the periphery of the actual story. After the initial charm of the humor wore off I found myself pretty indifferent towards the rest of the story.

I absolutely loved this book. Scalzi has mastered well-written SciFi that doesn't take its self too seriously. If I wasn't already down for the premise, the talking spy cats and dolphin labor disputes would have convinced me.

I really thought I would enjoy this book. The premise was so unique and immediately drew me in. I will say that the fist 30% or so was very strong. It kind of fell apart after that, though. This book was not nearly as fun as it could have been.

I love Scalzi's ability to infuse so much crazy into an improbable story. Loved the ending as well, and the ability of the main character to stay human and sane even in the midst of a great villain arc.

Rating of 4.5.

John Scalzi is an outstanding science fiction author who has produced some intriguing and thoughtful books over the years. Best known for his Old Man’s War series that followed the science fiction adventures of old human military volunteers whose minds are transferred to younger, genetically modified body, Scalzi is a highly inventive writer who creates some elaborate and powerful scenarios. While he has written some very compelling science fiction series, I best know Scalzi from his standalone books where he and turns some outrageous ideas into wonderful tales of humanity. My favourite is Redshirts, a fantastic and very clever Star Trek parody that imagines life aboard an Enterprise-esque ship from the point of view of the expendable lower-decks crew. I also had a ton of fun with Scalzi’s 2022 novel, The Kaiju Preservation Society, which showcased the intriguing adventures of an organisation dedicated to preserving kaiju in a parallel universe. All these books were very fun, which is why I made sure to grab a copy of the 2023 release, Starter Villian, which had a great plot behind it.

This was a highly entertaining novel from Scalzi, who provides his own unique take on supervillains in all the best ways. Starting off with a very comical funeral scene, Starter Villain only gets better from there as the protagonist, Charlie, finds his life unexpectantly changed when he inherits his uncle’s supervillain business and associated wealth. Scalzi provides a fantastic introduction to the unique new world of super science and sinister business practices, and you are soon caught up in Charlie’s unlikely rise to the top. The first half of the book is loaded with intriguing scenes as Scalzi lets his imagination run wild, and you have a fantastic time learning about sentient cats, crude talking dolphins constantly going on strike, and the other unlikely inventions and people that now make up Charlie’s life. This compelling introduction to the world works well in setting up the second half of the story, as Charlie meets a cabal of similar uber-rich supervillains who all seek to exploit him. When a series of events outside of his control force him into a battle of survival against these supervillains, Charlie needs all his new allies and his own unique ideas to win the day, even if victory isn’t quite what he imagined.

Starter Villain was such a lovely and impressive read, and I loved seeing Scalzi utilise his humour into something more terrestrial, yet still out of this world. Featuring the author’s typical fast pace, Starter Villain hits the ground running and throws you right into the middle of Scalzi’s fantastic and memorable ideas. The resulting story is clever, addictive, and features some amazing twists, all of which is very awesome to see unfold. While there is a lot of mad science, Scalzi does try to ground the supervillain antics, and I loved the author’s thoughts on how such an organisation could exist in the modern world and what sort of nefarious actions they would participate in. Naturally this means corporations and the uber-wealthy, which is depressingly accurate if you consider recent events, although this does mean that the antagonists are very easy to dislike and entirely unredeemable. The author loads in so much clever humour around the general supervillain scenario, and I loved the fantastic jokes about the profession, the inventions that are being created, and the unusual ways they stay in power. A lot of jokes about supervillains also provide some excellent commentary on current society, which cynical people like me will enjoy (a joke about a potential Australian recruit to the supervillain cabal hit close to home, which was just perfect). This is a hilarious and well-put together read that expertly showcases the author’s inventive spirit.

I also want to mention the fantastic range of complex and eccentric characters featured throughout Starter Villain, who helped to make the story even more unique and funny. Most of the book’s focus goes around the protagonist, Charlie, who finds himself thrust into a new world of dangerous rich elites and supervillain logic. Charlie proves to be a great central figure for Starter Villain’s plot, mainly because he plays a great everyman character whose reaction to the narrative’s crazy events mirrors that of the reader. While slightly bland compared to the other outrageous characters, Charlie does experience some excellent growth, especially as he learns to take responsibility and to appreciate the life he has. I also enjoyed how Charlie, despite being new to the supervillain lifestyle, was able to work out solutions to his organisation’s big problems often by being his typical thoughtful self. The rest of the characters in Starter Villain are all allowed to go wild due to having Charlie as the perspective protagonist, and I loved the array of talking dolphins, unusual scientists, murderous goons and rich manipulators that Charlie had to either work with or overcome. My favourite figures were easily the highly intelligent sentient cats, who really run the company and who have been manipulating Charlie his whole life. Scalzi has a lot of fun showcasing the cunning cats in charge, and I felt this whole awesome crew of characters helped to turn Starter Villain into an extremely fun read.

Overall, Starter Villain was an amazing read from John Scalzi that proves impossible not to love. Featuring the author’s infectious humour and love for inventive scenarios, Starter Villain was such a great book, and I deeply enjoyed the author’s take on supervillain fiction. Clever, unique and so much fun, Starter Villian is an exceptional read, and I really wish I had written a review for it sooner. I will have to pick up my Scalzi game in the future, and not only have I got a copy of Old Man’s War to read at home, but I am eagerly awaiting his next book, When the Moon Hits Your Eye, which features a very, very interesting sounding story about the moon literally transforming into cheese, an idea I have so much love for and cannot wait to check out.

An abridged review of this book also ran in the Canberra Weekly on 21 September 2023:
https://unseenlibrary.com/2024/12/26/canberra-weekly-column-mixed-genre-21-september-2023/

For other exciting reviews and content, check out my blog at:
https://unseenlibrary.com/

First off, this cover. Perfection. Worthy of a frame. Will appeal to Venture Bros fans for sure-- engaging action and super sharp humor.

*Starter Villain* by John Scalzi is a witty and satirical take on the superhero and villain genres, blending humor, sharp social commentary, and a fast-paced plot. The story follows a man named Chet, who unexpectedly inherits a villainous legacy and must navigate the complexities of his new role as a “starter villain.” Scalzi’s trademark humor and irreverent writing style shine through, as Chet grapples with the realities of being bad in a world full of larger-than-life heroes. The book balances action with clever dialogue, making it an entertaining and refreshing read. While not as deep as some of Scalzi's other works, *Starter Villain* offers a delightful, fun escape.

This is too perfect of a cat book. It’s silly, funny, ludicrous, no romance! So we have Charlie and his trillionaire uncle (who he hasn’t had contact with since he was 5 years old) dies and guess who inherits his “supervillain” business? Yup, that would be Charlie. Charlie is whisked off to a secret villain lair along with his two cats where he finds out that his cats are super intelligent and were spies for his uncle. This book honestly reads like a love letter to cats. Sure the humor is weird. It’s a very niche humor, it’s not going to work for everyone but pick it up for the talking cats alone and just for all the villain shenanigans.

This is a funny book about an everyman character named Charlie who inherits his estranged uncle's villainous businesses. Sentient cats and dolphins and fun action scenes make this a delightful adventure.

3.5 stars

Starter Villain is absolutely bonkers. The plot makes absolutely no sense, the characters are all over the place, and almost every animal can talk and has its own mission. If you suspend all disbelief, though, it's a great read.

Starter Villain doesn't take itself too seriously but that doesn't mean it doesn't tackle some serious issues. With some laugh out loud moments and some morally ambiguous ones, it covers the full range. If you're looking for something a bit strange and way out there, look no further.