Starter Villain: A turbo-charged tale of supervillains, minions and a hidden volcano lair . . . (Hardback) - John Scalzi

Inheriting a family business is never easy, especially when it involves underwater volcanoes, minions, talking cats - and supervillains. Starter Villain is another page-turning adventure from New York Times bestseller John Scalzi.

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.

'Starter Villain establishes Scalzi as SF's leading humourist' - SFX

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 Jake'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?

Praise for John Scalzi:

'Hugely enjoyable, intelligent and good-humoured fun' - The Guardian

'Sheer geeky pleasure from start to finish' - Financial Times

'An escapist delight' - The Times

About the Author

John Scalzi is one of the most popular and acclaimed SF authors to emerge in the last decade. His debut, Old Man's War, won him science fiction's John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His New York Times bestsellers include The Last Colony, Fuzzy Nation, The End of All Things and Redshirts, which won 2013's Hugo Award for Best Novel. Material from his widely read blog Whatever has also earned him two other Hugo Awards. He lives in Ohio with his wife and daughter.