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oliviaoverthinkseverything's reviews
523 reviews
Starter Villain by John Scalzi
Charlie Fitzer used to be a married business journalist with a home. Now, he's a divorced substitute teacher, squatting in his late father's house while his older half-siblings pressure him to sell. He can't sell—not yet. Maybe not ever, if his recent meeting with a loan officer is any indication. If he can't reliably pay the power bill, there's no way he can afford rent. But when his estranged uncle passes away and a strange woman shows up to inform him that he is heir to his uncle's estate, things start to change very quickly. Who are all these strange, hostile people at his uncle's funeral? Why did someone blow his house up? And...wait...is his cat typing on a desktop computer?
As it turns out, his uncle wasn't just an eccentric billionaire with an island. He was a supervillain with a island volcano lair. (But I repeat myself.) And now, Charlie needs to step into his shoes to fight against the real baddies—multinational corporations, venture capital, and labor exploitation.
Starter Villain was published in 2023. Scalzi is a prolific writer, and his first traditionally published novel released in 2005. He's well-known for his humorous science fiction, such as Redshirts and The Kaiju Preservation Society.
I can't remember a time when I've laughed longer, louder, or more often than I did reading this book. I listened to the audiobook for most of it, and Wil Wheaton's performance is truly amazing and adds so much to this already great book.
adventurous
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
5.0
"So we're like Spotify, but for evil."
"We're much less evil than Spotify. We actually pay a living wage to the people whose work we're selling."
Charlie Fitzer used to be a married business journalist with a home. Now, he's a divorced substitute teacher, squatting in his late father's house while his older half-siblings pressure him to sell. He can't sell—not yet. Maybe not ever, if his recent meeting with a loan officer is any indication. If he can't reliably pay the power bill, there's no way he can afford rent. But when his estranged uncle passes away and a strange woman shows up to inform him that he is heir to his uncle's estate, things start to change very quickly. Who are all these strange, hostile people at his uncle's funeral? Why did someone blow his house up? And...wait...is his cat typing on a desktop computer?
As it turns out, his uncle wasn't just an eccentric billionaire with an island. He was a supervillain with a island volcano lair. (But I repeat myself.) And now, Charlie needs to step into his shoes to fight against the real baddies—multinational corporations, venture capital, and labor exploitation.
Starter Villain was published in 2023. Scalzi is a prolific writer, and his first traditionally published novel released in 2005. He's well-known for his humorous science fiction, such as Redshirts and The Kaiju Preservation Society.
I can't remember a time when I've laughed longer, louder, or more often than I did reading this book. I listened to the audiobook for most of it, and Wil Wheaton's performance is truly amazing and adds so much to this already great book.