The Mad Scientist’s Guide to World Domination

Veteran anthology editor Adams (Epic) succeeds again with these frequently lighthearted tales of villains and mad scientists trying to take over the world and get the better of the more appreciated good guys. Heather Lindsley’s “The Angel of Death Has a Business Plan” introduces readers to a vocational psychologist/career counselor whose therapeutic niche is honing villains’ monologues, ensuring they’re neither too long nor ineffectual in the moment when they announce their sinister plots. Diana Gabaldon fans will devour the Outlander novella “The Space Between,” generously allowed the most space in this fast-paced book of evil vs. good. As noted in the foreword by Chris Claremont, “the best heroes are defined very much by their villainous adversaries,” and Adams’s entertaining story introductions set the stage for villains to find their own definitions and identities. (Feb.)