• The Android's Dream

  • By: John Scalzi
  • Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
  • Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (12,549 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.
The Android's Dream  By  cover art

The Android's Dream

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.

Publisher's summary

A human diplomat creates an interstellar incident when he kills an alien diplomat in a most unusual way. To avoid war, Earth's government must find an equally unusual object: A type of sheep ("The Android's Dream"), used in the alien race's coronation ceremony.

To find the sheep, the government turns to Harry Creek, ex-cop, war hero and hacker extraordinaire, who with the help of Brian Javna, a childhood friend turned artificial intelligence, scours the earth looking for the rare creature. And they find it, in the unknowing form of Robin Baker, pet store owner, whose genes contain traces of the sheep DNA. But there are others with plans for the sheep as well: Mercenaries employed by the military. Adherents of a secret religion based on the writings of a 21st century science-fiction author. And alien races, eager to start a revolution on their home world and a war on Earth.

To keep our planet from being enslaved, Harry will have to pull off the greatest diplomatic coup in history, a grand gambit that will take him from the halls of power to the lava-strewn battlefields of alien worlds. There's only one chance to get it right, to save the life of Robin Baker - and to protect the future of humanity.

©2006 John Scalzi (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"With plenty of alien gore to satisfy fans of military SF and inventive jabs at pretend patriotism and self-serving civil service, Scalzi delivers an effervescent but intelligent romp." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about The Android's Dream

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    7,022
  • 4 Stars
    4,059
  • 3 Stars
    1,135
  • 2 Stars
    212
  • 1 Stars
    121
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    8,173
  • 4 Stars
    2,448
  • 3 Stars
    586
  • 2 Stars
    94
  • 1 Stars
    55
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    6,143
  • 4 Stars
    3,673
  • 3 Stars
    1,178
  • 2 Stars
    229
  • 1 Stars
    120

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

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

Covertly flatulent Scifi at it's best!

Fun book, listening was a gas!

A word of warning to those who might be sheepish about genetic engineering; ewe may want to Baaack away from this one.

Narrator did a nice job, not a crusher performance, but very enterprising.

Ok I'm done.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

189 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Philip K Dick meets Douglas Adams

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The first chapter is hands-down the funniest piece of sci-fi I have ever read. I agree with some critics that claim John Scalzi borrows some of his content from other great writers. Nonetheless, he does give proper homage to history (as in naming the sheep breed Android's Dream). Moreover and more importantly, his writing contains plenty of original thinking.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

113 people found this helpful

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

Absurd and a little juvenile, but an OK story.

What's your opinion on fart jokes? It's going to influence your perception of this book a lot. This book is definitely not for you if you're looking for serious literature, or really anything deeper than a beach read, but that doesn't mean it's bad. It's not trying to be deep, it's trying to be fun.

This book is funny in places, crude in places, and generally fast-paced. There's no character development to speak of, the story doesn't really go anywhere unexpected, and you have to wade through a lot of "weird for the sake of weird." Wil Wheaton does a pretty good job narrating.

It's kind of the potato chip of books. A little bit is enjoyable, but you wouldn't want to base your entire diet on them.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

81 people found this helpful

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

Very enjoyable

i bought this audiobook because i absolutely enjoyed "Agent to the Stars" by same author and narrator and i did not regret that decision for a moment.

It's like if Vonnegut, Gaiman and Pratchett had a child and dropped him on his head a few times, not forceful enough to cause any major damage, but just enough to make even fart jokes compelling and fitting, and i'm really not a huge fan of lowbrow humor.

The novel is delightfully entertaining, plot is well woven, fast paced and action-packed and full of sharp laugh-out-loud humor.

Just like in "Agent to the Stars", Wil Wheaton does a wonderful job reading "The Android's Dream". He makes the characters come alive as you would expect them to be.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

54 people found this helpful

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

Nice is Nice, but being a Bitch gets results

This is not Agent to The Stars or Fuzzy Nation. It is not terrible, but if you are thinking you are going to get as funny or as good as the above mentioned then, sorry No.

In comparing Scalzi to Scalzi, I was a bit disappointed. At times I forget I was listening to Scalzi and thought I was Listening to Nora Roberts. This really gets bogged down in the details. The plot is fairly complicated and not in a good way. Warning to all, chapter six has a high Ick factor. I am talking sex with animals.

I did like Robin, she was a funny character. I liked the bowling shoes. I also liked the satire about L. Ron Hubbard.

Wil Wheaton was good, although at the beginning of the book he sounded a little tired. He might have been arguing with Sheldon all night. Will WHHHeeedon!

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

50 people found this helpful

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

Great listen

I love this book, it was a great listen. Wil Wheaton did a great job as the narrator. I found myself laughing out load. I haven't enjoyed Sci-Fi like this since Heinlein. I will look for other books by this author.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

46 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • PF
  • 10-06-12

A Knockout from the duo of Scalzi + Wheaton

Wil Wheaton and John Scalzi were made for each other. No, not that way, you twisted people, but artistically.

I am a fan of Mr. Scalzi's works, with the occasional misgiving over the frequency of profanity; I would not hand a Scalzi work to a child, but a teenager I would have less issues. He has excellent pacing, his stories gleefully dance down a plotline with the sporadic hard twists and turns, and humor abounds even while a serious story is laid down.

I have now heard three of Scalzi's works narrated by Mr. Wheaton, and his voice fits the tone of the books like that oft mentioned glove. So perfect is the match between authorial voice and narrated voice, I find myself hearing Wheaton's delivery even while reading Scalzi's Whatever blog. Scary, eh?

I've listened to this one twice now. I think I'll have a third helping.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

39 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Vonnegut meets Harry Harrison

Wil Wheaton does a wonderful job reading The Android's Dream - a dark, cynical, absolutely hilarious novel of interstellar politics and AI love on the servers over at the Church of the Evolved Lamb. More like this, please.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

32 people found this helpful

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

Origional page turner

I liked it! This is another one I've re-listened to. Very entertaining and worth the time.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

25 people found this helpful

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

Pure Entertainment

Since listening to Agent to the Stars and Fuzzy Nation I have become addicted to Scalzi's humorous and fast paced style. The scenarios are pretty outlandish but he makes them all work. It is science fiction, in the end, and the there are no rules. Wil Wheaton reader and John Scalzi writer are a perfect duo. The Android's Dream and the others I've listened to are pure entertainment. I fully intend to listen to every book John Scalzi writes.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

22 people found this helpful