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Wanda Pedersen's Reviews > Starter Villain
Starter Villain
by
by
Wanda Pedersen's review
bookshelves: mad-scientists-and-evil-geniuses, speculative-fiction, public-library, halloween-bingo-2023, read-in-2023, if-i-could-talk-to-the-animals
Sep 28, 2023
bookshelves: mad-scientists-and-evil-geniuses, speculative-fiction, public-library, halloween-bingo-2023, read-in-2023, if-i-could-talk-to-the-animals
Halloween Bingo 2023
If you like John Scalzi’s writing, you will like this latest novel. I had a juvenile book lined up as my Evil Genius book for Bingo and was absolutely thrilled when my library came through with Starter Villain so promptly. I switched faster than a speeding bullet! Scalzi has a great time taking a person who is down on their luck and plunking them into an incredible situation in which they can find some success. He did the same thing in the The Kaiju Preservation Society, which I also enjoyed inordinately.
Every possible Super Villain cliché is used with great gusto. Plus, if you have ever lived with a cat and realized that you are not the boss, you will identify with the sentient, language using, computer saavy cats. There's a reason that every villain has a cat! Charlie adjusts to the cats much more quickly than to the other aspects of the villain lifestyle.
Fun and fast, I can see myself rereading it at some future point. I like Scalzi's generally optimistic outlook, that regular people are generally kind and want to be fair with those around them. Even if they've inherited an evil empire.
I read this to match the Mad Scientists and Evil Geniuses square on my bingo card.
If you like John Scalzi’s writing, you will like this latest novel. I had a juvenile book lined up as my Evil Genius book for Bingo and was absolutely thrilled when my library came through with Starter Villain so promptly. I switched faster than a speeding bullet! Scalzi has a great time taking a person who is down on their luck and plunking them into an incredible situation in which they can find some success. He did the same thing in the The Kaiju Preservation Society, which I also enjoyed inordinately.
Every possible Super Villain cliché is used with great gusto. Plus, if you have ever lived with a cat and realized that you are not the boss, you will identify with the sentient, language using, computer saavy cats. There's a reason that every villain has a cat! Charlie adjusts to the cats much more quickly than to the other aspects of the villain lifestyle.
Fun and fast, I can see myself rereading it at some future point. I like Scalzi's generally optimistic outlook, that regular people are generally kind and want to be fair with those around them. Even if they've inherited an evil empire.
I read this to match the Mad Scientists and Evil Geniuses square on my bingo card.
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Reading Progress
October 27, 2022
– Shelved
September 28, 2023
–
Started Reading
September 28, 2023
–
6.44%
"I didn't need another cat. At this point in my brilliant career as an itinerant educator I could barely afford to feed myself. But then, no one ever needs a cat these days. That's not why we have cats. We have cats because they amuse us and because otherwise our clothes would lack the texture only cat hair can provide."
page
17
September 28, 2023
–
39.39%
""But we also offer a subscription for full access to all of our services."
"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.""
page
104
"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.""
September 28, 2023
–
73.86%
""I mean, I need to have a video conference where I'm belittled and threatened first," I said. "But after that I'm free.""
page
195
September 28, 2023
–
Finished Reading
