• Agent to the Stars

  • By: John Scalzi
  • Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
  • Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (15,743 ratings)

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Agent to the Stars  By  cover art

Agent to the Stars

By: John Scalzi
Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
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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

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Superb

What a story! Lots of twists and turns and a great resolution to the dilemma of how to introduce aliens to a culture and world that is not too accommodating to those with different opinions. And the narration is superb. I thought I was listening to a number of different people.

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Quirky and Funny

An enjoyable and amusing tale! Reminds me books don't have to be so damn serious. Will Wheaton's performance is wonderful and engaging.

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Scalzi and Wheaton Rock Again!

I will get absolutely anything that Scalzi writes and Wheaton narrates! Scalzi's writing is brought wonderfully to life by Wheaton's narration, getting the tone right all the way (dry when the humor is dry, stressed when appropriate, etc). Scalzi, as usual, has taken an odd promise and made it relatable and understandable. Highly recommended!

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great book!

Wonderfully read by Will Wheaton. Expertly crafted by John Scalzi. A great listen all around! Not recommended for younger listers,. The language can be a bit harsh at times, but it's all in context.

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Mediocre Scalzi. Great Wheaton performance.

I liked the book in general. However a major plot device, a face mold, was executed completely wrong. This hindered my suspension of disbelief for a large part of the book. Just a tiny bit of research seems warranted for such a major part of the story.

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Soo Good!

Overall this book is great and the Audio version is even better. The story kept me enthralled the whole time and Wil Wheaton really brought it home. I would recommend this to people who like sci-fi, to people who like quirky humor, and to anyone who likes some light-hearted fare along the way.

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Thoroughly enjoyable read!

The Scalzi-Wheaton connection made me purchase the audiobook, but the story itself was un-put-down-able! If close encounters stories interest you, this is a MUST-read!

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Very Entertaining

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Will did a great job. This is, in fact, the third time that I've listened to it. I highly recommend it.

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well worth full price

This was a truly enjoyable listen, an experience more than the sum of its parts.

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Quickly becoming one of my favorites

This is only my second Scalzi novel and although not as good as "Redshirts"-in my own opinion-its still pretty awesome and is making Scalzi rise pretty fast in my list of favorite author.

The Yherajk are...put simply, ugly and smell like burnt garbage juice and human feet. They are huge clear "jello-like" blobs that need a way to get humans to like them. Enter Tom Stein, the Hollywood agent and eventual heroic-medium through which the Yherajk plan to use to gain the humans favor. Through scent-conversations and opaque space travelling cubes the plan comes into formation and a "Special" Yherajk is born. An amazing story that definitely makes you laugh, and Wil Wheaton just brings it home...Literally.

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