Presenting the OwlCrate limited edition of Starter Villain!
Read on for all the sale details.
OwlCrate's Limited Edition of Starter Villain
Starter Villain, by Hugo award-winning author John Scalzi, is a funny and heartwarming rags-to-riches tale following a down-on-his-luck, unemployed, thirty-something man who inherits his uncle’s supervillain empire. OwlCrate's limited edition is perfect for those new to the sci-fi genre.
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.
Features for OwlCrate's limited edition:
- Signed by John Scalzi
- Exclusive redesigned dust jacket by @fleeting_ember
- Reversible dust jacket designed by @panjooolart
- Printed hardcover case with foil designed by @vera.drmanovski
- Foiled end pages designed by @krouya_
- Stenciled edges designed by @fleeting_ember
- Signed by the author on a page designed by @stubbornpagemage
- Author letter bound into the book
- Ribbon bookmark
- Book size: 5 ⅜” x 8 ¼“
The exclusive OwlCrate limited edition of Starter Villain will be $34.99 USD plus applicable taxes and shipping.
This is a separate order from our regular OwlCrate subscriptions and must be purchased individually through our store.
Starter Villain is a 1 (Extra Mild) on our Spice Meter.
This book contains:
- Gun violence
- Bombing
- Murder
- Excessive profanity
- Mutilation of dead body
- Death of parents (off page, but recounted)
- Discussions of animal cruelty
- Mentions of Nazis
- Discussions/mentions of suicide
- Family estrangement
Please note: The content warnings listed above don’t cover all content included in the book.
CONTENT WARNING
All active Sci-Fi subscribers will receive early access to this sale.
Please note that this sale is limited to one per person, as stock is limited.
Update: We anticipate shipping starting in January 2026.
The early access email containing the sale information and purchase link will be sent on Monday, November 10th, at approximately 11 AM PT/2 PM ET.
- Early access will begin on November 18th at 11 AM PT/2PM ET
- Remaining subscribers, newsletter subscribers, and The Nest app users will receive their access on November 19th at 11 AM PT/2PM ET
- General sale will begin on November 20th at 11AM PT/2PM ET
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