Starter Villain
by John Scalzi

My rating: 3 / 5
Genre: Sci-fi

Sentient cats and volcano lairs may sound exciting, but being a villain is not all it’s cracked up to be, as Charlie discovers when his uncle dies and names him heir to his secret villainy business.

I wanted to love this book. A reluctant heir to a villain’s empire and sentient cats? Sounds like fun! Plus, I have enjoyed several Scalzi books in the past. But this one could have been better. Despite the fun set-up, it was not as entertaining as I expected. There was a lot of talk about how businesses are run, how billionaires don’t really have the money they’re supposedly worth due to not having liquid assets or whatever, and just…lots of financial talk that was over my head and/or dry. I’m used to sci-fi world-building being a bit difficult for me to follow, but this was real-world stuff, and I just didn’t care that much.

The cats are a bright spot in the story, though, and the plot did keep me guessing. In the end, it wasn’t super complicated, but I still didn’t expect some of what came about by the end. The book isn’t all that long, and Scalzi’s mostly simple style makes for a fairly quick read. I don’t know that I’ll re-read it some day, but I’m glad I read it in the first place. As for recommendations, if you’re a Scalzi fan and/or the plot sounds interesting, I think it’s worth giving a try. Other reviews are mostly positive, so maybe check those out too.

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