The Android's Dream

By: John Scalzi

Narrated by: Wil Wheaton

Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Intelligent, Sarcastic, Witty, Fun!

After struggling through a recent spate of long winded audiobooks, I was beginning to wonder if I had tired of the overall Audible medium. Then along comes The Android's Dream to blast me out of the doldrums and bring enjoyment back to my literary life. Thank you John Scalzi and Wil Wheaton, your medicine was much needed! Clearly Scalzi has a writing style, almost a formula, that really appeals to me. It's a modern way of writing that basically parallels the quasi techno jargoning way we all communicate these days. He's especially good with plot twisty, high adventure, hero's journey storylines. Wil as a narrator, has always been an enigma to me - his range of vocal characterizations is very limited (especially female voices), but his delivery of Scalzi's sarcastic humor is spot on! The combination of both of them make Audible books totally worth listening to.

Thanks to The Android's Dream, I now know my cure for Audible burnout. Simply select a book from Scalzi and Wheaton, and let the fun begin!

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.

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!

No sleeping time allowed

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this to anyone with a good sense of humour who enjoys lighthearted, silly stories with lots of dialogue

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Android's Dream?

When Archie was eaten by his new found friend

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

Wil Wheaton is superb. He seems to read so effortlessly, taking the story forward at a fast pace perfectly timed for the story. Without inflicting a mocking tone, he is able to capture the full craziness of what he is reading. I enjoy John Scalzi on the written page but when he is read allowed by Mr.Wheaton, the full hilarity can bubble out - and I get to listen as I do my chores

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Lots of smiles along the way.

Any additional comments?

A fun book I would certainly recommend but not my first choice in the listings of this writer.

Hilarious

Scalzi is a master of the comedic sci-fi novel. He's right up there with Terry Pratchett. I can highly recommend this book as a great entry to his work. You'll love it.

Great Performance; mediocre story

Would you try another book written by John Scalzi or narrated by Wil Wheaton?

Yes I would but not because of this book. I did really enjoy reading Red Shirts

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Meh, I wasn't really invested in the characters.

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

Lars-win-Getag or generally the Nidu.

Do you think The Android's Dream needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, I don't think I would read it if there was

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed listening to Wil Wheaton's perfomance but I didn't really care for the story too much. There were funny parts but not to the level of Douglas Adams.

he said

cant get over how much he uses the phrase "he said" try a different adjective . I'm not sure who's more fed up, me hearing it or wil wheaton having to say it.

A fun romp, with some room for improvement

First things first, Narration by Wil Wheaton is solid narrator and enjoyable. The story is a run sci-fi romp, but honestly if you haven't encountered John Scalzi you should be listening to Old Man's War instead.

My three star rating is due to the following.
If I would immediately recommend, talk about a book a lot or want to go back to the book a couple more times it gets 5 stars. (For note Old Man's War hits this criteria).
If a book is so bad I don't finish it, it gets 1 star.

This book gets 3 stars because while enjoyable the writing tends to be rather repetitive in places which really takes away from the listening pleasure. Repetition of "[Character Name] did action. [Character Name] did action. [Character Name] did different action." and quips which feel out of place and that serve to remove one from action scenes, combined with constant "he said, she said", which works well for books, but detracts from audiobooks.

Great

fantastic book to listen to with great characters and some really good twists . really enjoyed it the protagonist was a character that was very likable, was sad to get to the end of it.

Not bad but there's so much better out there

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. Stick with Phillip K Dick if you like this style. His stuff is SO much better.

Would you be willing to try another book from John Scalzi? Why or why not?

Possibly. He was funny at times, the character interactions were ok (better than some of the trash I've been listening to) and his story had potential. It was just a little over the top.

What aspect of Wil Wheaton’s performance might you have changed?

Nothing that I can remember.

Do you think The Android's Dream needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yeah. It left things open for future developments. There definitely could be a follow, telling of the aftermath of what happens next and earth relation with the other planets.

Any additional comments?

No

A good introduction to John Scalzi for me

I enjoyed the story for the most part. Some parts dragged and the ending wasn't what I was expecting but there were parts that kept me gripped and excited to hear what happens.

Wil Wheaton is a good narrator (see The Martian too) and puts in an excellent performance. As the title says this is my first Scalzi book and I definitely be seeking more although the story wasn't special enough to make me want to devour his whole back catalog.

The ideas within here and the world he builds are really interesting and I could see an entire series written within the Common Confederation.

Good

It wasn't exactly what I was expecting. The book is not "laughing out loud" funny in any way. But it is written in not really a serious way either. Like a parody. But not really - the plot is quite adequate and good for that. I don't even know how to describe it. But - what matters here - I liked it, it was interesting and entertaining, easy going, with some smiles in the middle.

Creek said. Acuna said. Baker said.

I now understand all of the complaints other reviewers have made regarding John Scalzi books; he constantly uses 'said'. Every sentence of dialogue is ended with 'character said.' I actually quite enjoyed the story, which was unique and hilarious. But the ludicrously repetitive dialogue was incredibly grating.

I'm hoping this does not repeat in Old Man's War, which I also just purchased. Our else I may just have to put Scalzi on my 'so not read' list.

Wil Wheaton is, as per usual, a fantastic narrator.