Agent to the Stars

By: John Scalzi

Narrated by: Wil Wheaton

Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins

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)

A stay-up-all-night-reading kind of book

This is my first book by John Scalzi, but definitely not the last. His sharp anad slightly sarcastic humor, effortless wit and narrative flow remind me a lot of "Good Omens" by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. The characters are interesting, multi-dimensional and over the top, while still believable and very much likable. The way the story weaves through the fantastic elements and the mundane elements is thrilling.

Separate tip of the hat to Wil Wheaton, an excellent narrator. His characters are very distinct, his technique is flawless and Joshua the Alien sounds like a true hipster, which, i guess is expected for a gelatinous life form.

I would recommend this book, you will enjoy it!

Excellent!

This was my first Scalzi book and I absolutely loved it. Wil Wheaton is a fantastic narrator. Agent to the Stars is funny, sharp, and unexpectedly sweet.
I would recommend this book to anyone, not just science fiction fans!

Light humorous touch from both author and narrator

Any additional comments?

Scalzi's Old Man's War series is superb, but it's pretty grim stuff. Agent to the Stars is just as good, but has a lighter tone and often (though not always) goes for the funny. Wil Wheaton's voice and voice acting matches the material perfectly. Scalzi's Fuzzy Nation is also narrated by Wil Wheaton; I'm planning to buy that too.

one of the best performances from a reader...

I usually don't write reviews, but WIl Wheaton's performance really brought this book to life. I kept getting looks from other people in the subway when i would start laughing between stops on the L train.

entertainment pure

What made the experience of listening to Agent to the Stars the most enjoyable?

excellent flow, never boring, perfectly written dialogs, not too predictable, really good humor

Who was your favorite character and why?

obviously the dog

Any additional comments?

my first scalzi novel, wont be the last one. excellent entertainment. i like easy listening audio books, this made my daily drive home instantaneous

Fun, cute, slightly sexist

Loved it, really funny with a bit of serious thrown in to catch you. He's a fun writer (I also enjoyed Redshirts). I do notice that, in the manner of many fantasy/sci fi authors, he's kind of sexist, though not enough to make me stop reading his stuff, just pretty sure he wouldn't pass the Bechdel test.

Fun and silly

What other book might you compare Agent to the Stars to and why?

It has a Douglas Adams tone to it - absurdist fun and plenty of sly asides about the human race.

Which character – as performed by Wil Wheaton – was your favorite?

Joshua, hands down. My only gripe is that Wheaton's Tom sounded almost identical to his Carl. I wish he had made a bigger effort to differentiate them, as everyone else was great.

Any additional comments?

Sometimes you just need entertainment with enough sarcasm thrown in to let you respect yourself when you're done. Not one of Scalzi's most meaningful works, but a great deal of fun. This is a first contact SF book meets Hollywood satire with a healthy dollop of Douglas Adams' absurdist humor. A really smelly alien race has come to earth and, having observed pretty much all the transmissions Earth has to offer (from Brady Bunch reruns to C.H.I.P.S. to the nightly news), they have decided that what they really need before their big reveal is an agent. A Hollywood agent, to be exact - to pave the way and script it and make sure humans are ready to meet friendly, but non-humanoid aliens. There are plenty of jokes and one-liners, a little bit of romance, lots of gentle (and not so gentle) poking of fun at Hollywood and its foibles, and a sort of sweet and feel good ending to tie it all in a bow. Also, a talking dog. If that doesn't sell you, I don't know what will.

Loved it

This is my second John Scalzi /Wil Wheaton audiobook and I am hooked. I'm not normally much of a sci-fi fan, but I really enjoy how he makes wildly improbable scenarios work out. The narrator is a really good fit for Scalzi's style. Also liked how he fit a Golden Retriever into the story. It was very funny, a little sad, and uplifting all at once. Highly recommended listen.

Entertainment at its best

What did you love best about Agent to the Stars?

The book comes together beautifully in a delightful fashion, narrated by Wil Wheaton, who provides just the right range for this whimsical story of aliens approaching life on earth carefully. That they choose Hollywood for the plan is intuitive to our culture and on the mark for a unique "they are among us" story....

What did you like best about this story?

The entirety if it. Humor can be poorly done - this is a very well written book that is not only fun but contains emotion as well.

What does Wil Wheaton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Wil brings the characters to life and masterfully keeps you engaged in the story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

yes.

Any additional comments?

I am hoping to read more from John Scalzi. Thanks for engaging Wil Wheaton to deliver this audible version of your book.

A Fun story and a masterful performance

What did you love best about Agent to the Stars?

Mixing humor with science fiction and fantasy is tough but it is well handled here.

What other book might you compare Agent to the Stars to and why?

It reminds me a bit of early (pre 1960) Heinlein in some of its tone and also a touch of the whimsy of Douglas Adams as seen in his Dirk Gently books.

Which character – as performed by Wil Wheaton – was your favorite?

Wheaton's voice and accent selection for this story were well chosen and nuanced I enjoyed the 'youngster' voice given to Joshua in particular.

Any additional comments?

Wil Wheaton has really improved as a performer of audio books and with this production he moves into the first rank of audio book stars... right up there with the readers of Pratchett's Discworld books, Nigel Plainer and Stephen Briggs.he is now in the class of Stefan Rudnicki, Fredrick Davidson, and Bronson Pichot. The mega star audible performers such as Stephen Fry and Derek Jacobi may need to look in the rear view mirror soon if he keeps improving at this rate.