Starter Villain
A turbo-charged tale of supervillains, minions and a hidden volcano lair . . .
$39.50
- Hardcover
272 pages
- Release Date
30 January 2024
Summary
Locus and Hugo Award-winning author John Scalzi brings us a turbo-charged tale of a family business with a difference - as Charlie discovers when he inherits it. This one comes with a hidden headquarters, minions, talking cats and James Bond-like supervillain rivals.
Warning: supervillain in training. Risk of world domination.
Inheriting his late uncle’s business proves complicated. It’s also way more dangerous than Charlie could ever have imagined. Because hi…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781529082951 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1529082951 |
| Author: | John Scalzi |
| Publisher: | Pan Macmillan |
| Imprint: | Tor |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 272 |
| Release Date: | 30 January 2024 |
| Weight: | 468g |
| Dimensions: | 30mm x 162mm x 241mm |
| Audience Age: | 18 |
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Critics Review
Scalzi’s latest is a light-hearted story with a likeable fish-out-of-water protagonist and a lot of very smart cats. There’s also a dolphin labor dispute, some truly awful techbros, and a volcano island lair … Who could resist? – Rebecca Roanhorse, author of Black Sun
Laugh-out-loud funny, intricately plotted and big-hearted enough to touch even the grumpiest cynic, Starter Villain establishes Scalzi as SF’s leading humourist * SFX *
Prepare to be delighted and surprised * Daily Mail *
Satire aplenty … Charlie has to handle the lethal machinations of rival villains and also a pod of talking dolphins with militant trade union tendencies in a novel that gleefully skewers the vanity and inanity of a certain kind of plutocrat * The Financial Times *
In this clever, fast-paced thriller, Hugo Award winner subverts classic supervillain tropes with equal measures of tongue-in-cheek humor and common sense … The result is a breezy and highly entertaining genre send-up * Publishers Weekly *
Scalzi again examines tropes in a tale of an ordinary individual being cast into an extraordinary situation with his trademark quick pacing, clever banter, and ability to find humor in desperate situations … With a large print run and a clever premise, Scalzi’s latest will appeal to his legion of fans and draw in new ones – Booklist, starred review
This story of snark with a heart reminds readers that the logical conclusion of “dogs have owners, cats have staff” is that cats are management and never let anyone forget it … Readers of humorous fantasy are sure to love Scalzi’s latest as much as those cats; it’s also for those who enjoy seeing superhero stories folded, twisted, and mutilated and anyone wishing for a righteous villain lair surrounded by intelligent sharks. Highly recommended – Library Journal, starred review
Fun, short and tightly plotted – New Scientist
John Scalzi
John Scalzi is one of the most popular and acclaimed SF authors to emerge in the last decade. His debut, Old Man’s War, won him science fiction’s John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His New York Times bestsellers include The Last Colony, Fuzzy Nation, The End of All Things and Redshirts, which won 2013’s Hugo Award for Best Novel. Material from his widely read blog Whatever has also earned him two other Hugo Awards. He lives in Ohio with his wife and daughter.
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