Self-help for villains, wise words for the evil, lessons in evility (civility’s counterpart), and more characterize this fun short book by Joseph J. Bailey. The format is the same as all those other self-help books on the shelves—sarcastic questions, amusing answers, snippets of well-worn wisdom in a pleasing new guise. After all, it’s not easy being the villain of the piece—not easy for an author creating a villain; not easy for a villain creating his own evil life; or for the not-quite-villain looking for find his or her place in the world. Wherever you fall on the spectrum of evil, you’ll find some evil laughs here, entertaining names to give your alter ego, wise advice on forming friendships and keeping secrets. Nuggets of profundity slip through the pages, encouraging readers to set higher targets, believe in themselves, rise above failure, and more. Humor both cerebral and slapstick, asides in neat footnotes, wisdom in short lessons (some very short), and a plethora of enticing names, monsters and ideas make this a quick fun read, enjoyable to share, and even quietly intriguing to ponder. Don’t miss the glossary at the end; it’s filled with a fascinating A to Z of monsters, names and curious imaginings—great fun for all.

Disclosure: I was given a free ecopy and I offer my honest review. ( )