I confess! It was the cover art for me.

But really, the premise is alluring, too. Inheriting an evil empire from a distant relative (in practice, if not in the family tree sense)? I'm down for that. Hasn't happened yet, but now that I've read this, I feel better equipped to deal when it does. Communicating with genetically enhanced animals, including cats? Oh, I'm there all right.

The execution had moments of The Incredibles meets Percival Everett's Dr. No (highest possible praise, there). Now, this book does not have quite the surgically scalding effectiveness of Everett's prose, but the spoof of the villain trope is still well done. Scalzi mobilizes a style that owes a lot to scriptwriting: much witty banter and laugh-out-loud verbal jousts. I'm not saying it's not a fun read, I'm saying it feels a little familiar, a little packaged-for-your-enjoyment. And enjoy it I did, though I wouldn't say it's book club material.