Scan barcode
matthewwester's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. This is very silly science-fiction. There's a planet of dogs who feel attacked by earth's music so they send bombs that are so smart they question their own destructive mission. It took me a while to finish this book (it's a longer one) but overall it was a good read.
skybalon's review against another edition
4.0
Of all the author's [a:Tom Holt|9766|Tom Holt|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1246502762p2/9766.jpg] books that I've read so far, this is my favorite. In some ways it felt derivative of both Doug Adams', Hitchhiker series and the cult movie "Dark Star", but even if everything isn't completely original, it is still enjoyable and worth the read.
allerner's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sirlancelot2021's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
bmahaffy's review against another edition
4.0
Well, that was *great* fun. Not quite along the lines of Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams but still a warped sense of the world in terms of what might be if we allow our imaginations to run wild. The cast of characters are all loveable and irresistibly charming in their own ways.
acaleyn's review against another edition
3.0
A bit of a rehash, but I think he took some interesting bits from Barking. Still meh, but the more bearable side of meh.
theartolater's review against another edition
3.0
A... humorous(?)...sci-fi novel about a planet's inhabitants that want to blow up Earth due to noise pollution. It has a strange twist at the end and some questionable humor overall. Didn't love it, thought it was somewhat overlong, but not significantly terrible, either. It just kind of was.
zivan's review
4.0
Holt is a strange writer, on one hand for most of the book nothing seems to hold water, on the other hand at the end things make perfect sense.
However, Holt is about effect not about accuracy. If the Aliens are Dogs and their pets are Humans, the humans will act like dogs catching sticks with their mouths and the Dog world wouldn't have any mention of devices, furniture, fittings or anything else suited to dog anatomy.
But I forgive all of this because Holt makes me laugh and thats why I read him.
However, Holt is about effect not about accuracy. If the Aliens are Dogs and their pets are Humans, the humans will act like dogs catching sticks with their mouths and the Dog world wouldn't have any mention of devices, furniture, fittings or anything else suited to dog anatomy.
But I forgive all of this because Holt makes me laugh and thats why I read him.
smcleish's review
2.0
Originally published on my blog here in October 2010.
Tom Holt's latest novel seems to follow in well trodden footsteps. An advanced alien civilization finds itself threatened by the Earth's broadcasts through space, as music (not a concept previously known to them) is addictive to the Ostar. They send an intelligent bomb to destroy the Earth, only to loose contact; Blonde B ombshell concerns their second attempt, to find out what the Earth's hidden technology which put paid to the first bomb could possibly be, and carry out the destruction mission. All gung ho, the second bomb arrives, and sends down a probe, putting a copy of its mind in a human body created for the purpose. While it realises that "Mark Two" would not be an acceptable name for human culture, it decides that "Mark Twain" would be - a slight variation on the choice of "Ford Prefect" as the name used by the alien guide researcher in [b:The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy|11|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1)|Douglas Adams|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327656754s/11.jpg|3078186] (albeit one which is likely to go out of date less quickly).
Holt's writing generally relys on characters who are fish out of water to provide much of the humour, and Blonde Bombshell is no exception. Here, there are both machines trying to pass as human and the Ostar relationship with people: they are shaped like dogs, and keep pets who are like humans, and the inversion is a natural source of jokes. But the jokes are all essentially the same, and this lack of variety palled for me quite quickly. In essence, the problem I had with Blonde Bombshell is that I didn't find it very funny. Some Tom Holt books do strike me this way, including [b:Wish You Were Here|1125844|Wish You Were Here|Tom Holt|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1181199462s/1125844.jpg|2504722]. This one is not as bleak, being instead a tired repeat.
I like Holt's work, but not in this case.
Tom Holt's latest novel seems to follow in well trodden footsteps. An advanced alien civilization finds itself threatened by the Earth's broadcasts through space, as music (not a concept previously known to them) is addictive to the Ostar. They send an intelligent bomb to destroy the Earth, only to loose contact; Blonde B ombshell concerns their second attempt, to find out what the Earth's hidden technology which put paid to the first bomb could possibly be, and carry out the destruction mission. All gung ho, the second bomb arrives, and sends down a probe, putting a copy of its mind in a human body created for the purpose. While it realises that "Mark Two" would not be an acceptable name for human culture, it decides that "Mark Twain" would be - a slight variation on the choice of "Ford Prefect" as the name used by the alien guide researcher in [b:The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy|11|The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, #1)|Douglas Adams|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327656754s/11.jpg|3078186] (albeit one which is likely to go out of date less quickly).
Holt's writing generally relys on characters who are fish out of water to provide much of the humour, and Blonde Bombshell is no exception. Here, there are both machines trying to pass as human and the Ostar relationship with people: they are shaped like dogs, and keep pets who are like humans, and the inversion is a natural source of jokes. But the jokes are all essentially the same, and this lack of variety palled for me quite quickly. In essence, the problem I had with Blonde Bombshell is that I didn't find it very funny. Some Tom Holt books do strike me this way, including [b:Wish You Were Here|1125844|Wish You Were Here|Tom Holt|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1181199462s/1125844.jpg|2504722]. This one is not as bleak, being instead a tired repeat.
I like Holt's work, but not in this case.
jaybatson's review
5.0
Yeah, I do enjoy an unusual pleasure: Humorous Sci-Fi.
If you're a fan of HHGTTG, or Mercury Falls, the Murderbot Diaries, or even the total beach-read Sherlock Mars, you'll like the Blonde Bombshell.
In the Bombshell, the blonde has taken over the world commercially, but has a surprising secret that she's been trying to forget. Literally. The guy is trying to save the world, but isn't sure he ought to. The Bombshell is ... well, there are several - real, and metaphorical, all trying to figure out how to blow things up, but encountering obstacles. Throw in a few dogs - man's best friend, of course (or, not?) - an alcoholic scientific genius saddled with inability to cope (who brings Marvin the Paranoid Android back to mind), dirt, a couple of bumbling secret agents and of course a budding love (???) interest among the ostensible heroes, and you've got all the ingredients for mischief, humor, and world-ending or world-saving story.
For me, this is the kind of book I don't want to put down because sometimes you just need an escape. Tom Holt is now an author I'm likely to return to regularly over the next few books. I enjoy his wit, and levity. I'll read one more right away, because I'm not done with levity. Seriousness is being read in parallel, and I need something to lighten the conversation.
Five stars because of the second reason in my 5-star rating rules.
If you're a fan of HHGTTG, or Mercury Falls, the Murderbot Diaries, or even the total beach-read Sherlock Mars, you'll like the Blonde Bombshell.
In the Bombshell, the blonde has taken over the world commercially, but has a surprising secret that she's been trying to forget. Literally. The guy is trying to save the world, but isn't sure he ought to. The Bombshell is ... well, there are several - real, and metaphorical, all trying to figure out how to blow things up, but encountering obstacles. Throw in a few dogs - man's best friend, of course (or, not?) - an alcoholic scientific genius saddled with inability to cope (who brings Marvin the Paranoid Android back to mind), dirt, a couple of bumbling secret agents and of course a budding love (???) interest among the ostensible heroes, and you've got all the ingredients for mischief, humor, and world-ending or world-saving story.
For me, this is the kind of book I don't want to put down because sometimes you just need an escape. Tom Holt is now an author I'm likely to return to regularly over the next few books. I enjoy his wit, and levity. I'll read one more right away, because I'm not done with levity. Seriousness is being read in parallel, and I need something to lighten the conversation.
Five stars because of the second reason in my 5-star rating rules.