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Starter Villain: A turbo-charged tale of supervillains, minions and a hidden volcano lair
10.00 JOD
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Description
‘Laugh-out-loud funny, intricately plotted and big-hearted’ – SFX
Warning: supervillain in training. Risk of world domination.
Locus and Hugo Award-winning author John Scalzi brings us Starter Villain, a turbo-charged tale of a family business with a difference. This one comes with a hidden headquarters, minions, talking cats and villainous rivals worthy of James Bond.
Divorced, broke and emotionally dependent on his cat, Charlie hasn’t been loving life. Then he finds out his recently deceased Uncle Jake has left him a top-secret, international supervillain business. And, as if this wasn’t problematic enough, Jake’s vengeful rivals ambush the funeral. Charlie must decide if he should stay stuck in his rut, or step up to take on the business, the enemies, the minions, the hidden volcano lair . . .
Even harder to get used to are the talking, computer-savvy cats – and the fact that they’re management. If Charlie says yes to his inheritance, could this lifeline become a death wish? Or could it finally be his chance to shine?
‘An enormously entertaining comedy’ – Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Service Model and Children of Time
‘You will laugh so loudly you will wish you weren’t reading in public’ – New Scientist
‘Prepare to be delighted’ – Daily Mail
Additional information
| Weight | 0.2 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 1.9 × 13 × 19.7 cm |
| By | |
| Pages | 288 |
| publisher | |
| Year Published | 31-10-2024 |
| Imprint | |
| Publication City/Country | UK |
| ISBN 10 | 1509835415 |
| About The Author | John Scalzi writes books, which, considering where you're reading this, makes perfect sense. He's best known for writing science fiction, including the New York Times bestseller "Redshirts," which won the Hugo Award for Best Novel. He also writes non-fiction, on subjects ranging from personal finance to astronomy to film, was the Creative Consultant for the Stargate: Universe television series. He enjoys pie, as should all right thinking people. You can get to his blog by typing the word "Whatever" into Google. No, seriously, try it. |
| Review Quote | An enormously entertaining comedy — Adrian Tchaikovsky, author of Service Model and Children of Time 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 labour 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 ― Financial Times Fun, short and tightly plotted ― New Scientist In this clever, fast-paced thriller, Hugo Award winner subverts classic supervillain tropes with equal measures of tongue-in-cheek humour and common sense . . . The result is a breezy and highly entertaining genre send-up ― Publishers Weekly 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 Irreverent and subversive . . . James Bond-level bad guys set in the everyday trudge of corporate life a la The Office ― Entertainment Weekly Funny satire . . . the cats are the real heroes (obviously) ― Good Housekeeping 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 humour 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 |