Year Zero

A Novel

By: Rob Reid

Narrated by: John Hodgman

Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

An alien advance party was suddenly nosing around my planet.

Worse, they were lawyering up....

In the hilarious tradition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Rob Reid takes you on a headlong journey through the outer reaches of the universe - and the inner workings of our absurdly dysfunctional music industry.

Low-level entertainment lawyer Nick Carter thinks it's a prank, not an alien encounter, when a redheaded mullah and a curvaceous nun show up at his office. But Frampton and Carly are highly advanced (if bumbling) extraterrestrials. And boy, do they have news.

The entire cosmos, they tell him, has been hopelessly hooked on humanity's music ever since "Year Zero" (1977 to us), when American pop songs first reached alien ears. This addiction has driven a vast intergalactic society to commit the biggest copyright violation since the Big Bang. The resulting fines and penalties have bankrupted the whole universe. We humans suddenly own everything - and the aliens are not amused.

Nick Carter has just been tapped to clean up this mess before things get ugly, and he's an unlikely galaxy-hopping hero: He's scared of heights. He's also about to be fired. And he happens to have the same name as a Backstreet Boy. But he does know a thing or two about copyright law. And he's packing a couple of other pencil-pushing superpowers that could come in handy.

Soon he's on the run from a sinister parrot and a highly combustible vacuum cleaner. With Carly and Frampton as his guides, Nick now has 48 hours to save humanity, while hopefully wowing the hot girl who lives down the hall from him.

©2012 Robert Reid (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Fans of Douglas Adams will rave about this smart, funny satire. Debut novelist Reid, founder of Listen.com, has crafted a masterly plot that deftly skewers the American obsession with music, money, and power. Fast paced and original, this is highly recommended." (Library Journal [starred review])

"Witty and original - I loved it. A biting satire of the record business and those who run it...and ultimately ran it into the ground." (Cliff Bleszinski, creator, Gears of War)

"With chess master precision, the refreshingly ray gun-free novel wittily plays with the possibilities of its fantastical plot. It mixes airtight point-and-counter point rounds of arguments with wild travails to distant worlds. The careful cohesion of Year Zero is a marvel given its star-hopping digressions." (Buffalo News)

Sci fi comedy and copyright law= amusing

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes - while year zero has a very specific kind of humour to it, relating to a particular sub-set of tech/nerd culture it wont appeal to everyone - but it really did to me.

If you appreciate the likes of hitchhikers guide to the galaxy and absurd premises that happen to include a great deal of focus on actual copyright law and music piracy then Year Zero is both entertaining and a little informative.

Would you be willing to try another book from Rob Reid? Why or why not?

Yes - his humour is dry, intelligent and more than a little silly and as such enough to make me interested to read/listen to more of his books

Which character – as performed by John Hodgman – was your favorite?

While I enjoyed the narrators portrayal of Nick, the central characer, I also really enjoyed his readings of Carly and Frampton and a number of the books smaller, outlandish characters. Hodgman is a great performer and had brought a wide range of characters to life.

Was Year Zero worth the listening time?

Yes- a relaxed, easy listen with plenty of humour and amusing characters who make up for the occasionally wavering plot. Year Zero is a genuinely fun listen that got me through a number of long commutes to and from work. Would definitely reccomend

Any additional comments?

Year Zero is the kind of book that will appeal to a specific group of people, and while not everyone will appreciate the subject matter and humour, those who do will get a great deal of enjoyment out of it. Year Zero is easy to listen to tech/nerd/sci fi humour

Don't miss this book!

Fantastic writing and reading. Came here from Rob's great podcast. Love the Windows jabs all along the way.

Pretty Funny

I resist books that claim to be similar to other books, but I took a chance on this one despite the claim that it was like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. The premise for the book is funny, which is true of Hitchhiker. The opening chapter is funny, which is true of Hitchhiker. Also like Hitchhiker, the humor and the quality of the writing is uneven, and it bogs down in the middle. But it's a good story, and worth the time to listen. Again, the premise is hilarious.

Hilarious and fun!

I really enjoyed the humor in this book and found myself laughing out loud many many times. Saw an earlier review saying it was in the vein of hitchhikers guide to the galaxy (which is why I listened) and I would agree.

Great for music lovers, aliens, and readers

Where does Year Zero rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Year Zero is amongst my top 3 SF/Humor novels - the writing is snappy, the dialog is witty, and the content is clearly informed by the writers experiences in the industry. Sadly, I also identified far too much with the main characters experiences when it comes to interacting with the opposite sex, but I don't really think that was the fault of "Year Zero".

What other book might you compare Year Zero to and why?

So it's obvious to compare this one to Hitchhiker's Guide, and no less true for the obviousness, but I'd also compare the dialog to being somewhat similar to Oscar Wilde or H H Munroe (Saki)

What about John Hodgman’s performance did you like?

Although I was plagued by images of him debating this novel with his "Mac" counterpart, the reading was clear and I could easily differentiate the characters. His tone of voice picks up on, and conveys, subtleties of the writing I might have missed otherwise.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I wondered at the beginning if I was going to like it (similar to how I felt about Hitchhikers) but once it got rolling I didn't want it to end.

Any additional comments?

If you haven't seen it, you might wanna watch the author's Ted talk - it acts as a pretty good introduction to the text! Google search is your friend.

Funny as a Sci-Fi book can be

Year Zero is a hilarious and engaging read. I recommend it for any one who enjoyed The Hitchhiker ‘s Guide or other tongue-in-cheek fantasy.

Fun quirky pointless adventure

This original, quirky, dry humor “space” adventure had me entertained beginning to end. Rob Reid creates a believable universe in Year Zero. So much so it’s undoubtedly how it’s all held together in the greater universe. Looking forward to the next adventure...Meow house better be involved!

absolutely amazing

OMFG! This book blew me away. It really is up there with Bobiverse, Hitchhiker's Guide. Funny, enthralling, nice flow, fun characters. I also enjoy the lowkey jobs at our political corruption and absurd legal framework.

reminds me of hitchhikers guide

this was a super funny book. I loved each time a new plot twist popped up.

Hard to follow

The story has a lot going on. The narrator is good but doesn't have enough inflection between the voices to easily pick up the different characters.