“Instead, I’m here on a Caribbean island, being told I need to talk to the dolphins in the middle of a labor action about some whales that might have torpedoes, armed by a secret society of villains who want access to a storeroom full of objects probably looted from the victims of the friggin’ Nazis and who are maybe willing to blow up my volcano lair to get it.”

‘I admit it sounds ridiculous when you put it that way.”

If you laughed at that description, you  should definitely pick up Starter Villain by John Scalzi. He’s kind of hit or miss for me, but this was a lot of fun.

Charlie Fitzer is in a bad place. A former business reporter for the Chicago Tribune who found himself out of a job when the newspaper industry tanked, Charlie is living in his late father’s home, dodging his half-siblings’ demands that he move out so they can sell the place. He can’t afford anything else on his income as a substitute teacher, and his prospects are not good.

But Charlie has an uncle. A billionaire uncle. A billionaire uncle who just died and left Charlie…something. More than he has right now, that’s for sure. Charlie doesn’t know anything about his uncle’s businesses, but he know that a guy who owns a chain of parking garages does not need a volcano lair. But with the latest meeting of the Lombardy Convocation coming up in just a few days and Charlie tapped to represent his late uncle…Charlie is going to have to get up to speed quick.

It’s a world full of talking dolphins, spying cats, villain cabals, underground volcano hide-outs – a bit like a James Bond novel. Only silly. Charlie may only be a starter villain, but he just might have the knack for it. If he can stay alive long enough. But at least he has his cat, Hera, to help.

My copy of Starter Villain came from my local library. Give your local library some love.