Natalie Zina Walschots

Natalie Zina Walschots is a novelist working in superhero and science fiction. Her debut novel, Hench (2020), follows a temp worker for hire by supervillains who, after being maimed by a superhero during a botched job, builds a data-driven case against the hero-industrial complex and turns to villainy herself; published by William Morrow, it was praised by outlets including The New York Times, NPR, and Kirkus Reviews for its patient pacing and its unusually human take on supervillainy, disability, and workplace exploitation. The novel was a featured pick on Canada Reads 2021, championed by actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. Walschots continues Hench's story in the sequel Villain, expanding the world of freelance villainy and superhero-adjacent bureaucracy she introduced in her debut.