Preview
  • Agent to the Stars

  • By: John Scalzi
  • Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
  • Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (15,952 ratings)

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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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It Ended Too Soon!

This book is such fun and Wil Wheaton delivers another seamless performance. It’s one of those stories you get lost in and forget everything else. I loved it! This was my first John Scalzi experience and I love his writing style. I will definitely read more of his books. What a fun alien adventure. I highly recommend this audiobook.

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Loved it

Thank you again John Scalzi and Wil Wheaton for great fun. Wonderful writing and great narration make it to short a listen. I find that once I start listening I can't stop and the book goes by too fast. Wil is spot on with the way he reads and it engages me into the story. Loved it just as much as Redshirts.

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Great story

I love listening to Wil Wheaton, he does great voices. Really good story! Interesting sci-fi book. I definitely recommend it.

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    3 out of 5 stars

Another fun Scalzi read

Fun read and love Will Wheaton's narration, but story was a bit thin and the second half felt rushed.

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Fun listen

Well narrated (occasionally hard to differentiate characters, but still a very enjoyable voice and inflection). This was a light fun story that was all in all thoroughly enjoyable.

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what a concept

the story was so plausible, that it makes you want it to be true. It takes you from laughter to tears

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Fantastic, funny GREAT read!

Loved this book! It made my laugh and cry. Great characters that brought the story to life.

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The humorous story

I really appreciated and enjoyed the interesting and engaging and entertaining way the narrator delivered his performance

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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!

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63 people found this helpful

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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!

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10 people found this helpful