Fun romp with typing cats and talking dolphins - what more could you want? The dialogue between the human characters is witty, and I laughed out loud several times (which my husband says is unusual for me while reading).

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Charlie's life is a drag. Just when he thinks it can't get any worse, he finds that his estranged uncle has left him his legacy. And what is that legacy, you may ask... none other than a villain. There the story turns into a crazy mishmash of typing cats, disgruntled dolphins, bombs galore and much more. This book had me laughing out loud and enjoying every bit of it.
**I switched to the audiobook because of the fantastic reviews on Wil Wheaton's performance. The reviews are correct... he did a fabulous job!

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I was only going to read a chapter or two. I ended up reading the whole thing in less than a day! As can be expected from a book about villains, there are murders, mayhem, missile explosions, and even a deadly laser. But the violence almost seems like an afterthought. The focus is on the rather inept hero, Charlie, and his efforts to fill his recently departed uncle's shoes. As part of the uncle's villainous machinations, a line of intelligent cats was developed. Along the way, they (with some human assistants) guide Charlie on his path to villainy. I grinned, chuckled, and even laughed out loud at some of the happenings in the book. The rather banal ending has a couple of twists that I didn't see coming. Should yoiu read it? Yes!!!

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Recently my husband and I went on a weekend road trip, and he agreed to listen to an audiobook during the drive. The pressure was on for me to choose the perfect book, and we found a winner with Starter Villain by John Scalzi.

Charlie's life isn't great - he's divorced, broke, and doesn't get along with his siblings. Then an uncle he doesn't know dies and makes a very unusual bequest to Charlie, and thus begins a wild ride for him - and his cat. This needs to be adapted for the screen ASAP ... a grown-up version of Despicable Me.

My husband is a self-described super fan of comic books and nerd culture, and he loved this humor-filled super villain story. Wil Wheaton's narration was the icing on the cake, and the miles flew by as we drove across Nebraska. The story is as wacky as the cover hints and caused my husband to laugh out loud repeatedly. He loved the story so much, he finished listening the day after we returned home, and texted me his excitement when he reached the end.

I wouldn't have enjoyed this nearly as much if I read it on my own, but it was perfect for our trip, and I hope Starter Villain will be the âgateway' for my husband to listen to more audiobooks.

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