STARTER VILLAIN | JOHN SCALZI

Here we are with another new book for September. This time it's Starter Villain by John Scalzi which is released on 21st September by Pan Macmillan & Tor.

Locus and Hugo Award-winning author John Scalzi brings us a turbo-charged tale of a family business with a difference - as Charlie discovers when he inherits it. This one comes with a hidden headquarters, minions, talking cats and James Bond-like supervillain rivals.

Warning: supervillain in training. Risk of world domination.

Inheriting his late uncle’s business proves complicated. It’s also way more dangerous than Charlie could ever have imagined. Because his uncle had kept his supervillain status a secret – until now.

Divorced and emotionally dependent on his cat, Charlie wasn’t loving life. Although they weren’t close, news of his Uncle Jack’s death didn’t help. And that was before Jake’s rivals (seriously vengeful ones) ambushed his funeral. Now 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 sentient, language-using, computer-savvy cats – and the fact that in the organization’s hierarchy, they’re management. If Charlie does say yes, this lifeline could become a death wish. Because there’s much more to being an Evil Mastermind than he suspected. Yet could this also, finally, be his chance to shine?

Okay, let's get this out of the way…. I absolutely freaking loved this book. I literally blasted my way through it coz I just couldn't get enough.

Starter Villain tells the story of Charlie. A down on his luck business journalist who is currently working as a substitute teacher. Not only that, his siblings hate him due to the fact that their father ran off with another women, had another child (Charlie) and after the death of their father they find out that they cannot collect on their inheritance due to the fact that dear old dad stipulated that Charlie can live in the house rent free. Oh, and Charlie's marriage has completely imploded.

In a bid to pull himself out of the mire, he takes himself off to the bank in an attempt to secure a loan so he can buy himself the local pub.

Soon afterwards, he learns that his estranged billionaire uncle Jake has died. Charlie has not had contact with his uncle since the death of his mother when he was little. In a funny turn of events, he soon finds out that he has been identified by his uncle that he is to be the next CEO of his business. The international villainy business.

Filled with sentient cats and foul mouthed dolphins, Starter Villain is like Despicable me for grown ups (well not too grown up). 

If you have read John Scalzi' s Kaiju Preservation Society, this book is in a similar vein, except it's way funnier and a lot faster. This book has everything, organised crime syndicates, dastardly plots, lasers powerful enough to write your name on the moon. And did I mention sentient cats and foul mouthed dolphins. 

I absolutely pissed myself laughing at this fun book. In fact there are certain parts where I think the wife was seriously thinking of having me detained under section as I was in floods of tears at various points in the books.

This was such a good romp of a book and so bloody easy to read my eyes felt like they were slipping on butter.

If you want a book that is easy to read and bloody good fun then I urge you to get this gem of a book. You won't regret it