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4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
funny
medium-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book was so much fun! I was laughing out loud. The concept of a Starter Villain is actually so perfect. And the cats!!
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Fun easy read
Starter Villain by John Scalzi is a fun comedy that explores the scenario of a nice guy who inherits a criminal empire. The story has a lot of fun with the concept and portrays the criminal empire as a James Bond villain's fantasy. The volcano lair is fun visually for the reader. Scalzi has so much fun writing dialogue for the sentient cats and dolphins. The pacing of the book is rapid speed for a pretty short book at 262 pages. The book is hard to put down. My biggest complaint is the story is too short, I wanted the world a little more fleshed out and wanted more on-the-job training. The comedy works very well and made me laugh out loud numerous times. The story is a little complex with many double and triple crossings, but it is explained well, and I was not lost. There is not a whole lot of action but when there is it is intense and really fun. The intro hooked me right away for this fish-out-of-water story. The ending was perfect for the story. This is my second John Scalzi novel the first was The Kaiju Preservation Society which made it into my top ten books read of the year list, which I see Starter Villain doing this year. I read Starter Villain early thanks to Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group in exchange for a review. Starter Villain was published on September 19, 2023.
Plot Summary: Charlie is down on his luck substitute teacher who dreams of owning a local Chicago bar, but he doesn't have any money. He has just been informed that his Uncle Jack who owns parking lots all over the world has passed away and wants Charlie to perform the services for him as a dying wish. Charlie met Uncle Jack once when he was 5 and he did send him a wedding gift that predicted exactly how long his wedding would last 3 and a half years. Charlie agrees to bury Uncle Jack and is paid a good fee from his estate. When the flowers with obscene cards asking, Jack to rot in hell, and f-off and die. Charlie grows concerned that Jack isn't who he thought he was. The guests all look like hardened criminals who don't even like Jack and just really want to prove that he's dead. Charlie finds out the funeral was a test and is going to inherit his Uncle's real business villainy across the world. Charlie finds out that his uncle has been keeping track of him through his cat who can communicate and has been set up by his uncle for his protection. Charlie must fend off evil organizations hell-bent on killing him and taking over his uncle's business.
What I Liked: The humor throughout the novel is great and never stale. I love Charlie's conversations with his cat Hera after he finds out he can talk. I love the bit about apologizing for the Meow Mix which Hera likes and thinks of as chips, and admits to ordering door dash when he's out. The James Bond Villainy is great and the fact that all the bad guys have cats. The sentient dolphins that strike was a clever and good plot point that led to the conclusion. I liked that I was hooked from the beginning, it is the same setup for The Kaiju Preservation Society but it worked better in this story. I loved how well-rounded the storytelling is. Everything gets resolved in the story. I loved how everybody was let down by how a volcano's death works.
What I Disliked: The novel is too short, I think this is my first ever complaint that a story is too short, but at times it feels rushed. I wanted to see more of Charlie's on-the-job training, and all facets of the empire.
Recommendations: Starter Villain is highly recommended. if you like John Scalzi's writing you will not be disappointed. The Kaiju Preservation Society was nerdier but this one was funnier. It has some great humor that fits in with Douglas Adams meets Monty Python's.
Rating: I rated Starter Villain by John Scalzi 5 out of 5 stars.
Plot Summary: Charlie is down on his luck substitute teacher who dreams of owning a local Chicago bar, but he doesn't have any money. He has just been informed that his Uncle Jack who owns parking lots all over the world has passed away and wants Charlie to perform the services for him as a dying wish. Charlie met Uncle Jack once when he was 5 and he did send him a wedding gift that predicted exactly how long his wedding would last 3 and a half years. Charlie agrees to bury Uncle Jack and is paid a good fee from his estate. When the flowers with obscene cards asking, Jack to rot in hell, and f-off and die. Charlie grows concerned that Jack isn't who he thought he was. The guests all look like hardened criminals who don't even like Jack and just really want to prove that he's dead. Charlie finds out the funeral was a test and is going to inherit his Uncle's real business villainy across the world. Charlie finds out that his uncle has been keeping track of him through his cat who can communicate and has been set up by his uncle for his protection. Charlie must fend off evil organizations hell-bent on killing him and taking over his uncle's business.
What I Liked: The humor throughout the novel is great and never stale. I love Charlie's conversations with his cat Hera after he finds out he can talk. I love the bit about apologizing for the Meow Mix which Hera likes and thinks of as chips, and admits to ordering door dash when he's out. The James Bond Villainy is great and the fact that all the bad guys have cats. The sentient dolphins that strike was a clever and good plot point that led to the conclusion. I liked that I was hooked from the beginning, it is the same setup for The Kaiju Preservation Society but it worked better in this story. I loved how well-rounded the storytelling is. Everything gets resolved in the story. I loved how everybody was let down by how a volcano's death works.
What I Disliked: The novel is too short, I think this is my first ever complaint that a story is too short, but at times it feels rushed. I wanted to see more of Charlie's on-the-job training, and all facets of the empire.
Recommendations: Starter Villain is highly recommended. if you like John Scalzi's writing you will not be disappointed. The Kaiju Preservation Society was nerdier but this one was funnier. It has some great humor that fits in with Douglas Adams meets Monty Python's.
Rating: I rated Starter Villain by John Scalzi 5 out of 5 stars.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
An absolutely delightful read from start to finish. No notes. One of the best things I’ve read in ages.
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder