{"title":"Natalie Zina Walschots","description":"\u003cp\u003eNatalie Zina Walschots crafts gripping narratives that blur the lines between crime, thriller, and speculative fiction. Her work delves into the darker corners of human motivation, combining sharp wit with intricate plotting that keeps readers captivated.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eExpect stories charged with tension and moral complexity, where the familiar tropes of villainy are explored through fresh, imaginative lenses. Walschots’ writing challenges and entertains, offering a unique voice within the realms of \u003cem\u003eCrime \u0026amp; Thriller\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eSci-Fi \u0026amp; Fantasy\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"hench-by-natalie-zina-walschots-9780062978585","title":"Hench","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e“This book is fast, furious, compelling, and angry as hell.” —Seanan McGuire, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Boys\u003c\/em\u003e meets \u003cem\u003eMy Year of Rest and Relaxation\u003c\/em\u003e in this smart, imaginative, and evocative novel of love, betrayal, revenge, and redemption, told with razor-sharp wit and affection, in which a young woman discovers the greatest superpower—for good or ill—is a properly executed spreadsheet.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIncludes a bonus story for the paperback.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAnna does boring things for terrible people because even criminals need office help and she needs a job. Working for a monster lurking beneath the surface of the world isn’t glamorous. But is it really worse than working for an oil conglomerate or an insurance company in this economy?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAs a temp, she’s just a cog in the machine. But when she finally gets a promising assignment, everything goes very wrong, and an encounter with the so-called “hero” leaves her badly injured. And, to her horror, compared to the other bodies strewn about, she’s the lucky one.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSo, of course, then she gets laid off.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith no money and no mobility, with only her anger and internet research acumen, she discovers her suffering at the hands of a hero is far from unique. When people start listening to the story that her data tells, she realizes she might not be as powerless as she thinks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBecause the key to everything is data: knowing how to collate it, how to manipulate it, and how to weaponize it. By tallying up the human cost these caped forces of nature wreak upon the world, she discovers that the line between good and evil is mostly marketing. And with social media and viral videos, she can control that appearance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s not too long before she’s employed once more, this time by one of the worst villains on earth. As she becomes an increasingly valuable lieutenant, she might just save the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA sharp, witty, modern debut, \u003cem\u003eHench\u003c\/em\u003e explores the individual cost of justice through a fascinating mix of Millennial office politics, heroism measured through data science, body horror, and a profound misunderstanding of quantum mechanics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47380784152812,"sku":"9780062978585","price":32.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/10989953482210.jpg?v=1773292165"},{"product_id":"villain-a-novel-by-natalie-zina-walschots-9780063341364","title":"Villain: A Novel","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Boys\u003c\/em\u003e meets \u003cem\u003eAssistant to the Villain\u003c\/em\u003e in the electrifying, sharp, violent, and hilarious sequel to the highly acclaimed novel, \u003cem\u003eHench\u003c\/em\u003e. Filled with a queer and neurodiverse cast, \u003cem\u003eVillain\u003c\/em\u003e asks the question: what happens when a diabolically brilliant henchperson looks back at their already storied career and thinks, \u003cem\u003eI can be so much worse\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe hench once called Anna, now known to her colleagues and enemies as the Auditor, has carved out a wicked name for herself. Any superhero unlucky enough to cross her path knows her potential and powers. Surely, her recent success should taste sweet: she has an incredible job with lots of perks, her boss will literally annihilate anyone who crosses her, and her greatest enemy, the former hero Supercollider, has been utterly defeated—literally ground to a still-living pulp.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut the Auditor still has her sights set on a greater work: destroying The Draft, the organisation that makes, trains, and manages the world’s most powerful superheroes. These “heroes” have shown time and time again that they do more harm than good (she has the spreadsheets to prove it), and now is the time to stop the damage at its source.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eYet all is not well for the Auditor and her fellow evildoers. Her employer, Leviathan—the world’s most feared supervillain—is not coping well with Supercollider’s defeat at someone else’s hands. As their relationship deepens, her work-life balance increasingly involves navigating the feelings of someone who doesn’t believe they have any. Moreover, her unlikely ally and unexpected friend, Quantum Entanglement, has reappeared, forcing the Auditor to confront all the ways they deceived each other. Tension and uncertainty haunt the Auditor, and the fear that their triumph is about to crumble looms over all of them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Auditor soon finds herself facing down an opponent unlike any she’s taken on before—not another superhero, but someone like her, someone much more dangerous: The Draft’s Chief Marketing Officer. Their conflict isn’t a test of physical prowess, but ideas, and as their fight escalates, she'll need more than preternatural pattern recognition, data analysis, and a horrific imagination to meet this challenge. It’s guerrilla ad warfare, and the Auditor might have finally met her match.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47680596345068,"sku":"9780063341364","price":31.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780063341364-villain-a-novel.jpg?v=1779912829"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/natalie-zina-walschots.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}