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)

Hilarious!

Well written, clever, hilarious. Perfect pace by Wil Wheaton. But what happened to Ralph? Guess we’ll need a Book II. lol

Audible we need a .9 speed option.

If you read John Scalzi you know he's clever, but some books are more equal than others. This is a good one. Collapsing empire is better (really. Amaze.) I've listened to maybe 10+ books read by Wil Wheaton. He reads wayyyyyyy too quickly in this particular piece.
Audible, please please come out with a .9 speed. That would be useful for many books. There is no native speaker in this world who uses .75 speed ...although in many places? You really can use .75 for 5 minutes at a time in places and he eases down from warp 9 to normal speaking speed. Really, I had to stop and rewind repeatedly because the director didn't check his flow. Is my irritation showing?
Other than that, Wil Wheaton is really funny. He and Scalzi make a crack team.

Not at all as expected--Laugh Out-Loud Funny

What did you love best about Agent to the Stars?

I had no expectations going in but if I had, I'm certain they wouldn't have even come close. The narration was wonderful and hit every note just right. I would say the story was abzolutely so over-the-top unbelievable but, hey, the story does take place in hollywood....So why not?!

Witty, ascerbic, charming at times, but the big pay-off was that the agent gets to do and say all the things we would all like to do and say to all those annoying clients, customers or even family and "friends" if we thought we could get away with it.

Yes, the ending does come together nicely (Remember this is set in Hollywood, after all), but it's still a great ride.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Agent to the Stars?

They all involve the come-uppance of some character that is way too full of himself (or herself) and you find yourself thinking it's good to be a fly on the wall of this story.

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

Joshua--hands-down! The flat delivery of sarcasm with an alien twist, even in a moral conundrum, makes Joshua the perfect straight man.

Wheaton is so adept at narrating this story that every character is uniquely their own. There is no hesitation for the listener to immediately identify which character is speaking,

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

Yes! --And I did. Good thing my kids like pizza delivery. (Imagine this said in a flat and sarcastic alien tenor.)

Any additional comments?

I'm so glad I acted on a whim.

The ONE thing I wish is that the language was toned down and completely without the dropping of F-bombs. I would have loved to share it with my kids.

Laughed outloud over this one

Thoroughly entertaining and creative listen. I encourage you to take a chance and just enjoy this story.

pretty good..

I only enjoyed one book more.. ready player one.. but then again I'm sure most do.. I love wil weaten as a narrator

Wait... it's over!?

The conclusion of this book felt so rushed that it left a bad impression. The story was well read but I'm not exactly sold.

More than what I was expecting

This book is much deeper than a story of an agent representing extraterrestrials. Scalzi writes a story about the Holocaust without ever having to dig terribly deep into the gruesome details. My only complaint is that the last half an hour or so is difficult to get through. This is not due to the subject matter but the fact that it is mostly composed entirely of news blurbs and clips. It does pick up again for the last ten minutes or so. In my opinion, it is a good and worthwhile read.

Wil Wheaton rocks!

Great Listen! The story and narration kept me glued to the playback. I very surprised and impressed at Mr. Wheaton's performance.

Fun story

Very light hearted and fun story. Quick and easy read. I would recommend to a friend. It was classic Scalzi.

Amusing

Where does Agent to the Stars rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

About midway. It was amusing and entertaining, but rushed, cold, and predictable in the brief closing chapter.

What did you like best about this story?

It was easy to follow and it was had some twists and turns I didn't see coming.

What about Wil Wheaton’s performance did you like?

Yes, he did a fine job.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Just like my morning coffee, it gets ice cold before I've finished it

Any additional comments?

The closing of the story was a mess; it was hurried and thoughtless. The author turned and went all "and they lived happily ever after" to close and I was sorely disappointed.