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Starter Villain
- Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
- Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins
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Starter Villain
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Publisher's Summary
Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place.
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.
It's up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyperintelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good.
In a dog-eat-dog world...be a cat.
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What listeners say about Starter Villain
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- C. White
- 19-09-23
Volcanic Lairs, Death Rays & Cats… Oh My! 😼
Confession time… I am an unrepentant John Scalzi/Wil Wheaton fanboy (heck, I’m such a fanboy that I obediently bought the video game that Scalzi mentions in passing at the end of the book). That particular duo is almost single-handedly, responsible for my audiobook addiction. As such, this review may be somewhat biased. With that said, and those expectations established, I am pretty sure that anybody looking at this review is already of the same mindset and simply wants to know “So how does Starter Villain stack up against John Scalzi’s other works?” This is quite simply one of his funniest books to date, but it’s also laced with his typical insightful social commentary. It’s not the deepest of his stories, but Starter Villain is a perfect follow up to Kaiju Preservation Society. If you enjoyed the humor there, you will certainly enjoy a double dose of it here (after all, how can you not love vulgar union-organizing dolphins).
Although I tend to avoid talking about plot points in reviews (that’s what the synopsis is for after all), I can say that this Scalzi outing is far more of a lark rather than some of the deep, operatic sci-fi epic he is known for. Essentially lampooning the larger than life egos of real life billionaire CEOs (I’m looking at you Elon Musk) and their corporate greed. This book clearly reminds you that the global corporations of this world are truly supervillains in their own right.
Some reviewers may be tempted to compare the absurdity of this book to the work of Douglas Adams or even Lewis Carroll, but I think that is an unfair comparison. The absurdity here is usually to set up a great joke or in the furtherance of a good societal commentary, yet at the heart of this story is still a cute emotional core. My only complaint about the book is simply that it is so quickly consumed and leaves you wanting more (with little hope of a sequel 😿). So who is this book good for…? Obviously any John Scalzi fans but more importantly, if you have ever suspected that your life is ruled by your cat… THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!!! 😹
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48 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lucy A. Pithecus
- 19-09-23
The villain we love to love
The story is about an ordinary person being thrown into the cut-throat villain/corporate world, surviving it, and thriving in it, with good economic and financial references to make it real (and I learned a thing or two). Don't be deceived by the cat on the cover, it's a book about people and humanity.
This book is filled with funny dialogues, relatable characters, surprising yet sensible plots (to the degree of a fantasy book), and a villain we love to love, plus dark money, conspiracy theories, and backstabbing. There are some over-the-top plots, such as people trying to stab a corpse at a funeral (in a deeply entertaining way).
There is an actual scientific basis for our (especially the villains') love for cats, check out "This Is Your Brain on Parasites: How Tiny Creatures Manipulate Our Behavior and Shape Society" by Kathleen McAuliffe. For the unionized dolphins, check out "Power in the Wild, The Subtle and Not-So-Subtle Ways Animals Strive for Control over Others" by Lee Alan Dugatkin. For the torpedo whales, check out "On the Female of the Species" by Lucy Cooke.
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32 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Obstinate Pride
- 22-09-23
I bought this for the cat
I saw a cat and the title and let my imagination run. I assumed an Dr. Evil type supervillain with an evil talking cat, etc. unfortunately this is a total comedy, relying on silly sardonic comparisons to expected villain organizations from bond movies with a modern twist. The world is set in a 1:1 comparison to our world (basically the same) with organizations headed by "villains" (basically Tech CEOs) who fulfill certain niches to keep the world powers in a stalemate. If you were looking for a more comic book version of a villain then prepare to be disappointed like I was. It's a good dry absurdist comedy for the casual listener on their drive to work needing a background distraction from the monotony. Don't expect much story or world building from this. I'm not a fan of Wil Wheaton narrative direction. It's hard to discern who's speaking, whether the speaker is feminine, and if everything is supposed to be spoken like an episode of Seinfeld. Overall it's fine, I just feel the story could of been better told with a less expressively masculine tone and more inflections with the different genders lines. I liked the cats.
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31 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Raven
- 22-09-23
Couldn’t finish
Loved almost all of his prior works. It was like being on a first day at the job tour around the building the entire time.
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29 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- bluesky
- 21-09-23
Ch9 - I'm done!
Wow...I have found the previous Scalzi stories to be a fun ride. This one starts out interesting and intriguing. I'm at Chapter 9 and not sure I want to continue this story. The dolphins - Why oh why? If you enjoy groups of characters throwing unnecessary insults - this might be for you. I believe in building a true insight into characters - even the dark side, but this just kept going and going...it seemed so unnecessary and without purpose...where is the story? - I can't listen anymore.
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25 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- The Polls
- 21-09-23
A lot of unlikable characters
By the end of the story, the only likeable character are the cats and the main character. All the others range from psyopathic murders to the less bad guys wanting to imprison someone who just saved them, for life. And literal trillionairs can't give a substitute teacher any money at all.
And I love Wil, but his voices in this one felt phoned in compared to his work on the Collapsing Empire Trilogy, an amazing story also by Scalzi.
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17 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Lisa
- 22-09-23
Fun romp
I own all of Scalzi’s books on Audible and as usual enjoy his social satire. Wil Wheaton seemed to yell most of this book—usually I enjoy his narration so was wishing he was a little more nuanced. One minor nitpick—the main cat in the book is described as orange—why is there a gray cat on the cover?
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16 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Roswatheist
- 19-09-23
A Toxoplasmosis-Induced Fairy Tale
I, too, am impacted. All kittening aside, I enjoyed this story. Being transported to the lair by Scalzi and Wheaton was a fantastic ride. I particularly liked the original use of tropes. Imaginatively repackaging them is my favorite thing about reading or listening to Mr. Scalzi's books. Though not as deep as The Collapsing Empire series, this story is as relevant to current issues. Go dolphins! Seriously, use your credit; you won't regret it.
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14 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 25-09-23
Overrated
The dialogue combined with the narration made every single character seem like an unlikeable asshole. Most of which also had the depth of a foul-mouthed toddler.
I always think the premises of Scalzi's books are interesting, but yet again he fails to deliver.
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13 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- LINDA
- 21-09-23
not as good as previous books.
I've always loved Scalzi books and recommended him to everyone, but the last 2 books have been a let down. I liked the intelligent dolphins and cats but thought the plot was not a tight as I would expect from Scalzi. More like" ok, what can I do next to increase the word count " not the same quality as Agent to the Stars.
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10 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 21-09-23
Lots of fun, but not Scalzi's best
No real complaints, it's fun, and it builds to a very satisfying climax. The premise makes it hard to avoid comparisons with the rather better Hench by Natalie Walschots, however - Scalzi's best stories feel fresher than this. I couldn't help feeling it was a bit self-indulgent, too. Scalzi delights in trolling the blue-tick anti-woke mob who suck up to corporate slimeballs like Elon Musk, but he's done it better with other stories, like the excellent Kaiju Preservation Society. Here, it felt a bit obvious. Performance-wise, it's the same as every Will Wheaton reading. I'm happy to listen to him, he does a decent job and is a good reader for this kind of stuff but the character differentiation is iffy and accents are a crapshoot.
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9 people found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- james
- 21-09-23
Bland and forgettable
I’ve listened/read almost all Scalzi’s books. Compared to others this is disappointing and a bit aimless. On the plus side it seems to be stand alone so we won’t have listen to the characters further adventures
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 20-09-23
Classic Scalzi
As expected, well worth the wait. Finished it the day after it came out ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
And Wil Wheaton does his usual awesome performance too. These days I struggle to imagine anyone else performing Scalzi :)
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Dan
- 28-10-23
What did I just read?
This book is super low effort, just on every level.
The story has the depth and quality you'd expect from a teenagers short story. There is no humor it's not funny just silly, not silly in a redeeming way.
The performance wasn't great either the pacing and way the character is voiced is so repetitive and grating. There's no effort to distribute characters so you need to listen for 'X said' to figure out who is saying what.
When I saw Scalzi and Wheaton I expected better.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Mr A P Gilligan
- 19-10-23
Disappointing
I was very disappointed with this book, it just didn't reach me. I found the plot bland and the characters one dimensional. I love John Scalzi's other works but this was not one of them, which is a shame really.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story1 out of 5 stars
- Dearauntie
- 10-10-23
Really?
I know it's meant to be a comedy so why no laughs? The plot is beyond silly. The telling is one part show to forty nine parts tell and the narrator behaves as if his script was delivered with every other line JAMMED ON CAPS LOCK. Best find a more diverting way to spend that time. Re-grout the bathroom.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- a lisa
- 01-12-23
funny and light
funny, sarcastic. it's not very complex, as a sci-fi novel, so i think it fits more as young-adult, reminded me a lot of the animated movie "Despicable Me". cute cover.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tom Foot
- 30-11-23
A real fire starter, never sour or doughy
A joy from start to finish, Scalzi said it took longer to write than planned but it races like a bullet train. Smart cats, fun cultural references, and villainous machinations aplenty. If you don’t want to sink a pint or six at McDougal's with even the most stabby of this ensemble, we can’t be friends.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M. D. Horne
- 28-11-23
By chance
Excellent, caught the book by chance, after Audible recommendation, took a chance, simply fantastic, laughed out loud so many times and a great twist on the genre, try it, you won’t regret, hope there’s a part deux!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Claire Mills
- 28-11-23
Loved it!
Saw it reviewed in New Scientist, piqued my interest and oh my, what a fabulous book! Really funny, cracks on at a great rate of knots, narration is superb. Def worth 5 stars all the way!!!!!
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- geebrkez
- 21-11-23
Not as great as I’d have thought
main character is not a sentient cat and is unlikeable. At the start of the story they’re trying to get a 3mil loan for a pub, with no trade skills, or collateral. At the end of the story they are no longer a super villain.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- kd
- 08-11-23
Not my fave Scalzi or Wheaton but an easy listen
A short, easy listen novella that took a little while to get going and had a quick but not totally satisfying ending. However, the characters all sounded similar (whether the writing or the narration) as snarky and sarcastic pun-masters, which seems to be common in the Scalzi/Wheaton collaborations.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 07-11-23
fun and quick listen
I've struggled to find a good book lately, so glad I somehow stumbled on this. very enjoyable and easy to listen to
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gary Knight
- 03-11-23
Loved it. Bit of a cat fan also.
The story wasn’t long winded and kept me going wanting to know more and more. Crazy concept of a story line but this is what we need to feed the imagination and take us from our regular life and thrust us into the world of listening pleasure. Will you also have a great way with your voice to pitch and tone change to make characters feel like they are stand alone with you narrating. Well done and I rate this book highly. Oh and John I hope you are feeling better this long after contacting Covid. Please keep the books rolling out.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Cara
- 30-10-23
Does not disappoint
I love ludicrous story lines, this one doesn’t disappoint, easygoing substitute teacher meets James Bond type supervillains & has to keep his wits & his cats close to survive. I snort laughed at the dolphins, they are dicks.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Molly
- 25-10-23
Heaps of fun
I love Scalzi’s voice. He writes with so much humour and wit. Wheaton is a pleasure as always and the story was so much fun. I particularly loved the animals.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- zpgxglohlmewlfpz
- 24-10-23
a good laugh and totally enjoyable
Narrated wonderfully, this was a delightful listen. of course Cats are spy's and Dolphins are jerks... but this does them justice. an original tale that will be sure to make you smile.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Micheal Green
- 21-10-23
Great take
The story and audio are great. The author continues his version of villains as he did in redshirts. Damn funny and enjoyable.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mary-ann leslie
- 21-10-23
So Good
How does he make outlandish ideas seem so plausible? Wil Wheaton got the tone just right as usual
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Dawnfire
- 15-10-23
You must have this book!
I’m in awe of the authors ability to turn villainy into a business model. Listening to this in the car has been hilarious and highly entertaining not just for myself but drivers around me watching my reactions to Charlie and his new friends. I want to know what happens next for Til and Tobias the stabber. I’m loving this authors books. Check out this one and his Dispatcher series today. It’s worth it.
Wil Wheaton was the perfect performer for this book. I honestly felt like I could see his face as he read through the book. Thanks Wil for shouting this out on your Instagram. Eagerly awaiting the author and performers next project. Hopefully, it will be together again.
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