Let’s Read For Fun “Starter Villain” by John Scalzi

Hey Funners -

Our selection for September might seem ripped from the headlines, what with big business, income inequality, worker’s rights, unions, nepotism, sociopathic billionaires, and the banality of evil in late stage capitalism, but it also has unionized dolphins, hyper-intelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson.

I’m so in!

From the book cover: "Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan."

"Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie."

"But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital."

As always, you don’t have to finish reading the story to attend, but with a set-up like that there are bound to be spoilers!