Percival Everett's 'Dr. No' is a brilliantly unconventional caper that twists the spy genre into a whimsical examination of the concept of nothingness. Mathematics professor Wala Kitu, whose expertise lies in the paradoxical study of nothing, becomes an unlikely accomplice to John Sill, an aspiring supervillain with aspirations of Bond-like grandeur. Sill’s bizarre heist plan? To steal a box of nothing from Fort Knox and use its void to erase a town from existence as a form of twisted retribution. As Wala navigates the murky waters of villainy with the aid of brainwashed scientist Eigen Vector, he uncovers the poignant, dark motivations linked to America’s past injustice, namely the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. This unexpected voyage through villainy, metanarrative, and the potent power of 'nothing' offers an audacious, insightful look at the villains within and the absurdist world they seek to shape.