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jpeirce's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
This is my first book by this author, who I’ve avoided because I thought he mostly does hard sci-fi. Now I need to read more. This was fun and complex, with interesting and well-developed characters. The plot was unexpected with more tension than I had anticipated. The alien presentation to the world was a bit thin, but not terrible. Overall, a very good read and a good reason to seek out more Scalzi.
shksprsis's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sjgomzi's review
4.0
I put off reading this for the longest time. I wasn't expecting much, this being Scalzi's first published novel, but was I ever surprised! All of the Scalzi's trademarks were here, the sarcasm and wit, the ludicrous situations, and the book made me laugh out loud a few times, but also made me shed unexpected tears near the end. And I loved the Yherjac!
leahmoncrieff's review against another edition
5.0
this was so strange but much fun, very cute and surprisingly thought provoking
buggybran's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mandyw58's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
titleistmuffin's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
A tale of first-contact that is truly American, told through the paradigms of Hollywood: the cult of celebrity and the capitalist entertainment machine. It’s captivating and will keep you glued to your seat, rich with a lot of hilarious moments and witty dialogue as is common in Scalzi novels. I knocked 0.25 off my rating because as in other Scalzi books the protagonists suffer a bit from being too perfect / not having any real character flaws, but that said there is some interesting characters work in here around the concept of melding of personalities that happens with the aliens. Overall just a really fun romp that you’ll enjoy if you’ve liked any of his other work. The absurdity of where this story ends up is somehow also completely plausible for a first-contact scenario given how whacky are we humans.
yoisik's review
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0