The Villain's Guide to Better Living (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Bill Brown (illustrator) (Illustrator) "Sure, it's good to be bad, but the life of a villain is not always about blocking out the sun..." (more)
Key Phrases: many villains

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

All those aspiring ne'er-do-wells who cackled all the way to the cash register with the best-selling How to Be a Villain are ready to embrace the finer points of the evil life with The Villain's Guide to Better Living. Within lie the answers to such trying questions as: Home décor -- Gothic? Apocalyptic? Ikea? Friends -- Do I have any? Can I make them? Work -- Should I be a mad scientist or a corporate bastard? Written by the author of How to Be a Villain, this fiendish lifestyle guide is a must-have for any villain who knows more about programming TiVo than about entertaining with panache.

About the Author

Neil Zawacki is a freelance writer and the author of How to Be a Villain. He lives in a secluded lair in California and has long been interested in improving living conditions and the quality of life for evil-doers. Bill Brown is an illustrator whose work has appeared in House & Garden, Gourmet, and New York Magazine. He currently lives in Seattle, but is rarely seen in the daylight.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (September 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811856666
• ISBN-13: 978-0811856669
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #228,991 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Laugh out loud funny, November 16, 2004

By	K. Blonde (Fort Worth, Texas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you have ever thought about raising an army of the dead and have a good sense of humor, this book is for you. This is a lighthearted look at how to live better as a villain.

Its not particularly realistic, but it isn't meant to be either. This book caters to those dark days that everyone has when you feel mean, everybody is pissed at you and nothing seems to go right. The thought is, if everyone thinks you're evil anyways, put your evil to good use and really become a better villain!

I bought a copy for my boss, who prides herself on how she's perfected a maniacal laugh while rubbing her hands together greedily. She laughed her head off. We especially love the section in "Work" on how to make your un-conventional villian skill set fit normal resumés. For example, "Assassinated the King" can become "skilled at driving changes in leadership".

Very funny stuff.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely Funny., October 25, 2004

By	Simon Wickett "Simon Wickett" (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This book was hilarious. I found it at a Barnes and Noble, it's basically a self-help guide for villains who've become depressed with their lives. It tells how to decorate your lair, make new friends and throw evil parties. Very funny stuff. The illustrations were also great, I just wish there could have been more material. The section on evil dating is probably my favorite.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Villan's Guide to Better Living , March 16, 2006

A Kid's Review

The Villan's Guide to Better Living is a book for all you up and coming evil-doers. This book shows you how to do things like protect your lair and how to motivate your minions. It also covers the finer things in life like dating and how to make evil friends.
My favorite part in this book is when they went over how to protect and care for your evil abode. They went over the old-fashioned style moat and spiked fence. They also covered more in-depth approaches like casting a spell over your house to make it invisible. They also showed you easy ways to care for a lair like how to fix up a dungeons and take care of a carnivorous garden.
I would definitly recommend this book to any up and coming villan. This book has helped me in my own evil doing and it will help in yours. When I read this book it made me realize how much better my life could be. It showed me that there is a whole other side to life. Any up and coming evil villan should read this book.