Reviews

Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi

lifepluspreston's review against another edition

fast-paced

4.0

Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi--This is a fast-paced, delightfully witty book about an agent representing some of the relatively mediocre Hollywood stars who is asked by aliens to represent them as they introduce themselves to humanity. I enjoyed the skewering of the industry as a whole, while the story itself is filled with delightful mishaps and good clean fun. Thumbs up. 

tenthrow's review against another edition

2.0

I like Scalzi, and assumed I would like this book because of that. I did not. It's rough. I hear that it was an experimental first book as a proof to himself he could do it. Well it's not good. I don't think this will color my opinions of the author much but unless you just MUST READ ALL SCALZI... you can skip this one altogether.

vlmitchell's review against another edition

4.0

I listened to the audiobook read by Wil Wheaton. I was at the point where I was ready to give up on audiobooks, because the voices of the narrators can be grating. Especially when a man tries to speak as a woman. They can make the women sound breathy, as though even saying they want pepperoni on their pizza is a flirtation.
But I LOVED Wil's narration. He's really good.

The book was great. It is an interesting take on first contact, funny and thoughtful. I'm a huge Scalzi fan anyway, and this book did not disappoint.

pattydsf's review

4.0

“What if I told you that that which makes you fundamentally human is something that you share with another people, a people so different from you that they might appear strange or frightening at first glance. A people who might terrify you from appearance alone. Could you make the jump, and understand that inside, they are not so different at all?”

This was a fun, light, wonderful novel. Hard to believe that it is the first book Scalzi wrote. I am so glad I am not his wife who got to be his first reader.

I enjoyed myself immensely. Thank you, Mr. Scalzi.

cloudiifeather's review against another edition

dark funny reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

remlezar's review against another edition

3.0

After getting behind on my yearly reading goal early, partially because I picked a few behemoth books to start the year with, and partially because things have been crazy at work and I haven't been reading as much as I'd like, I decided I needed something quick and breezy to get back into the groove of reading. This book, like most of Scalzi's I've read, was perfect for that.

The plot, which revolves around a Hollywood agent and a race of fart smelling Jello Aliens, reminded me of something that might come on in the 90's on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Like most of Scalzi's work, this didn't knock my socks off, but it was entertaining, fun, and highly readable. An easy recommend for Sci-Fi fans looking for something light.

bzodonnell's review against another edition

3.0

This is a super fun book, and an excellent audiobook (read by Wil Wheaton). The characters are a little too witty at times and there are parts that can be a bit predictable, but it definitely makes me want to read more of John Scalzi's work.

sadads's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

ericbuscemi's review against another edition

4.0

This is Scalzi's first novel, which he was unable to sell and instead self-published online. It is actually still available for free here, with an introduction detailing his process writing it, where he writes:

I offer it freely to give new readers a sample of my writing (perchance to tempt them to pick up one of the other books), and to say "thanks" to those who picked up another of my books and were curious enough about the author to find their way here. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and have enjoyed all the writing since.

The book follows the life of Hollywood agent Tom Stein and his motley assortment of clients while answering the question of whether or not we are alone in the universe (spoiler alert: we're not). While a bit raw, his talent is nevertheless on full display.

It can be easily seen how he would grow into the author that would write [b:Old Man's War|51964|Old Man's War|John Scalzi|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1346671475s/51964.jpg|50700], [b:The Android's Dream|7081|The Android's Dream|John Scalzi|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1316727567s/7081.jpg|18280036], and [b:Redshirts|13055592|Redshirts|John Scalzi|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1348617890s/13055592.jpg|18130445] -- all of which maintain his trademark humor and banter, while treating their subject matter more seriously than that tone suggests possible.

While the middle of this book dragged slightly because of some clunky expository dialogue, the imagination behind the story and the humor in its telling more than make up for those small blemishes.

Also, I should note that I did not read the online version I linked to above, I listened to Wil Wheaton's narration of the audiobook. Wheaton did a phenomenal job with said narration -- he is especially good at bringing Scalzi's material to life.

spriggana's review against another edition

3.0

A light read, a not-to-serious take on a first contact scenario.