• Agent to the Stars

  • By: John Scalzi
  • Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
  • Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (15,751 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Agent to the Stars  By  cover art

Agent to the Stars

By: John Scalzi
Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.95

Buy for $24.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Editorial reviews

Wil Wheaton, a Star Trek: The Next Generation alum, is a canny choice for narrator of this intersection of science fiction and Elmore Leonard-esque Hollywood farce. In addition to being a rather prominent footnote in sci-fi history, Wheaton’s also got a great voice — sonorous, with an inflection similar to a late-night radio DJ who’s bemusedly sharing an anecdote on air between tracks. His voice also carries a hint of that lilt peculiar to many native Angelenos, which comes in handy when he exaggerates it to Valley Girl-proportions to portray starlet Michelle Beck, former cheerleader and current box office draw.

Hollywood agent Tom Stein is the book’s hero, and when the story begins, Michelle is his most important client. That is, until Tom meets Joshua, an extraterrestrial whose alien race hires Tom and his boss, superagent Carl Lupo, to represent them. The Yherajk have decided their best hope for a peaceful first contact between their race and all of humanity is to out themselves via the movies, and they know if they want to make it in Hollywood, they need good representation.

Wheaton’s voicing of Joshua, who has traveled to Earth as the Yherajk’s representative, is another highlight. Joshua, like his kinsmen, looks like a gelatinous blob, gives off a noxious odor, and slithers around amorphously. He’s also incredibly educated when it comes to human pop culture, having logged countless hours watching sitcoms. Wheaton delivers Joshua’s line, “We look like snot. And we smell like dead fish,” in a nasally deadpan that suits a one-liner-delivering alien to a T.

Even when Scalzi veers into semi-philosophical territory — as when he explores why an alien race would choose a Hollywood debut over staging their premiere in Washington — Wheaton keeps the narration moving with his just-right character voices. Look out for the both silly and spot-on sounding Quebecois accent he uses to portray Roland Lanois, an art-house film director with a critical role in the novel, and for his Buddha-like turn as Gwedif, a Yherajk storyteller. —Maggie Frank

Publisher's summary

The space-faring Yherajk have come to Earth to meet us and to begin humanity's first interstellar friendship. There's just one problem: They're hideously ugly and they smell like rotting fish. So getting humanity's trust is a challenge. The Yherajk need someone who can help them close the deal. Enter Thomas Stein, who knows something about closing deals. He's one of Hollywood's hottest young agents. But although Stein may have just concluded the biggest deal of his career, it's quite another thing to negotiate for an entire alien race. To earn his percentage this time, he's going to need all the smarts, skills, and wits he can muster.

©2005 John Scalzi (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Narrator Wil Wheaton animates the slapstick text with a tone that is appropriate for the story of a young Tinsel Town agent whose other clients are either equally deranged or aren't making him much money.” ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Agent to the Stars

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9,040
  • 4 Stars
    5,053
  • 3 Stars
    1,340
  • 2 Stars
    208
  • 1 Stars
    110
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    10,883
  • 4 Stars
    2,782
  • 3 Stars
    511
  • 2 Stars
    81
  • 1 Stars
    44
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7,676
  • 4 Stars
    4,630
  • 3 Stars
    1,556
  • 2 Stars
    298
  • 1 Stars
    115

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Clever premise and pretty funny

This is the second book I have listened to narrated by Wil Wheaton (Ready Player One being the other) and I must say I am very impressed. The story here is quite good but in my opinion it was wrapped up a little too neatly in the end.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Witty, intelligent sci-fi

Well written, moves at a brisk pace, great observations of human behavior and earthly culture, and very similar to the way I would handle things if I were put in charge of the e.t.'s debut at the earthly ball.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Goo from Space

This was a great book and I had a lot of fun listening to the reader. The only issue I had with the book was the last chapter was rushed. John does a great job at keeping the story going the entire time and then goes to a fact sheet to finish the loose ends. Kind of a bummer but overall not a huge deal considering how much fun the rest of the book was.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very funny and interesting, not what I expected.

This was almost not what I would call science fiction. Obviously it is because it involves aliens, but it seemed more like a character study. Very witty and some interesting insights into how we view the universe. Wil Wheaton gave a great performance. I really enjoyed it, but don't expect voyages to strange new worlds or flashy laser battles. It was more about people and how we deal with something we have never seen before.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This book is SO funny!

Being an 'agent to the starts' takes on a whole new meaning with aliens, even funny, weird and strange aliens with highly moral codes. And really stinky breaths. Told well with rich characters and a twisty story. I also had the kindle but I think the audio is a much better choice. Highly recommend.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely phenomenal! Laughed my ass off

OK, so it's official, I love Scalzi books that highlight humor and quirkiness rather than hardcore science and technology. I've said it over and over: absolutely loved OMW, but I know now that's because it had a generous helping of laughs. To date, Agent to the Stars is one of my all time favorites, right up there with Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy. If you like his funny and witty side, pick up this Scalzi title and get ready!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

so very funny!

The first couple of chapters had me wondering if this purchase was a mistake. Then came the aliens and they brought the humor with them! Now I know that Wil Wheaton could be so much funnier when he cameos on the Big Bang Theory. His character voices were wonderful - especially Joshua of course.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Hilarious and moving, wonderfully narrated

As in Red Shirts, Scalzi can swing from farce to serious thought provoking ideas faster than any writer alive. The narration by Wil Wheaton has made me retroactively downrate many previous narrators. This book is highly recommended.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Too Darned Funny!

Would you consider the audio edition of Agent to the Stars to be better than the print version?

Sorry, didn't read the print version.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Joshua, of course!

Have you listened to any of Wil Wheaton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

This one was great - just as good as Fuzzy Nation, which is my favorite of Wheaton's. He used different voices for most of the characters and it was extremely entertaining.

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

Laughed CONSTANTLY. This was a great story.

Any additional comments?

Read this one - you won't be disappointed!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Don't pass up this little gem!

Overwhelmingly engaging, I found all the characters delightful. Who knew a Hollywood agent could be so likable? Wil Wheaton brings all his acting talents to bear on this incredibly funny and often profound story. Absolutely brilliant!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful