Starter Villain

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John Scalzi: Starter Villain (2023, Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom)

English language

Published Jan. 7, 2023 by Doherty Associates, LLC, Tom.

ISBN:
978-0-7653-8923-7
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4 stars (7 reviews)

4 editions

A fun, fast-paced modern satire

5 stars

This was a quick and easy read, with the plot zipping along at a rapid pace and not too many characters or complicated ideas to get straight in your head.

It's a fun parody of James Bond style villains but also quite a good satire of California techbros, VC funding, and mega-billionaires. If any of that group are on your "I don't like these people" list, you'll probably enjoy this book!

Starter Villain

4 stars

A classic Scalzi one-shot novel--a fluffy snack with some good twists.

The basic setup is that down-on-his-luck Charlie Fitzer unexpectedly inherits his estranged billionaire uncle's villainous empire and now has to fend with other villains who were pissed at his uncle.

Key features:

  • volcano lair
  • jerk dolphins who want to unionize
  • zoom call power plays