Science Fiction & Mystery Annotations
Science
Fiction
Author: John Scalzi
Title: Starter Villian
Genre: Science Fiction
Publication Date: 2023
Time Period: Present Day
Geographical Setting: Chicagoland Area & Volcano Island
Pages: 272
Plot Summary:
Charlie is a divorced substitute teacher going through one
of the hardest times in his life. His father died, and he is on the verge of
losing the house he is living in. The only comfort he has is his cats. Out of
the blue he is contacted by a lady named Morrison and he is now a billionaire
due to his estranged Uncle dying. He heads to his Uncles’s Volcano Island to
claim his money. He learns that his cats are more involved in his survival than
he thought.
Subject Headings:
Cats
Villains
Murder
Genetic Intelligence
Appeal:
Pacing: Book moves fast and keeps your attention.
Tone: Science Fiction. Cats that type on keyboards and Dolphins
who can speak to humans.
Characterization: The story is narrated by Charlie’s voice.
Language: Modern English. Easy to read and understand.
3 Terms to Describe This Book:
Excitement, Suspenseful, Gripping
Similar Books:
The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi
A down on his luck food delivery driver stumbles into a new
job taking care of alien creatures. If he is not careful these creatures could
end the world.
Seavus Corax Deals with the Dead: Corax Book 1 by Tom
Holt
Corax is a salvager for battlefields. He discovers his storeroom
has been emptied out. That is where the trouble begins…
The Department of Sensitive Crimes: A Detective Varg
Novel by Alexander McCall Smith
A Swedish team try to solve unusual crimes. When normal
detectives can’t solve it, they call in the real heroes.
Mystery
Author: C.J. Box
Title: Open Season (Book 1 in the Joe Pickett Series)
Genre: Mystery
Publication Date: 2002
Time Period: Present Day
Geographical Setting: Twelve Sleep, Wyoming
Pages: 316
Plot Summary:
Introducing the new game warden of Twelve Sleep, Wyoming:
Mr. Joe Pickett. Unlike the other game wardens Joe does not take bribes to look
the other way when someone is hunting out of season. This makes Joe very
unpopular in his district. When a body turns up in his backyard, Joe must find
the murderer or risk being blamed himself.
Subject Headings:
Game Warden
Hunting
Murder
Wilderness
Appeal:
Pacing: Slow, picks up in the middle.
Tone: Mystery, keeps you guessing.
Characterization: The book is narrated by Joe and his wife
MaryBeth.
Language: Easy to follow and understand.
3 Terms to Describe This Book
Secrecy, Detective, Uncertainty
Books That Are Similar:
The Poacher’s Son by Paul Doiron
Book 1 of a series of another game warden named Mike
Bowditch. He must find his father who is an illegal poacher wanted for murder.
Track of the Cat by Nevada Barr
Book 1 of a series about a park ranger named Anna Pigeon.
She must solve the murder of her fellow park ranger.
The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman
A Navajo Tribal Police Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn must track
down a supernatural animal killing his citizens.
References
Box, CJ. (2002). Open Season. Penguin Publishing
Group.
Scalzi, J. (2023). Starter Villian. Tor Books.
I can't lie...I would definitely read Starter Villain just based on the fact there is a cat on the cover. But then finding out the cats actually have something to do with the plot, and can type...I will definitely do more research on this book to see if I should read it, even though I am usually not into science fiction books. But again...cats.
ReplyDeleteI saw the cover of Starter Villain at work one day and it has not left my mind since. The description of the book sounds incredibly interesting. I might pick it up when I have more time on my hands.
ReplyDeleteLike Emilia said - the cover got me! Good job on your annotation!
ReplyDelete