Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
New York : Tor, 2006.
Description
To avoid an interstellar incident, ex-cop and hacker Harry Creek searches for a rare type of sheep to be used in an alien race's coronation ceremony, following a trail that leads to pet store owner Robin Baker, whose genes contain traces of the sheep DNA.
Media reviews
From the title I was expecting some Bladerunneresque cyberpunk noir and instead what I got was a tense political thriller written by a futurist with ADHD.
User reviews
LibraryThing member beserene
I love John Scalzi. Let me just say that right now. From his (in)famous blog to his convention crack-ups to, yup, his novels, the man manages to make me laugh every single time. What’s more, his is not a sloppy humor – [The Android’s Dream] is tightly plotted, well-developed in terms of
Scalzi's first chapter is a masterpiece of political toilet humor, if such a thing can exist. The rest of the novel follows up with moments of both brilliance and hilarity, and sometimes the two at once, but that first chapter is what sets the reader’s mood for the entire novel. If you cannot appreciate sarcasm or have never found a fart funny, you may not appreciate that first chapter enough to let its tone buoy you all the way to the end of the book, but you might be rescued by the other clever conceit of the novel – that the fate of the world rests on the wooly back of a sheep.
Except that the sheep in question doesn’t turn out to have a wooly back at all, but I’ll stop there so as not to spoil one of the finer moments in the story. Any writer who can take a ridiculous twist and twist it back around on itself the way Scalzi does here is my kind of fella. Essentially, this book is smart fun – Scalzi must have had a great time writing it and anyone with even the least appreciation of science fiction will have a great time reading it.
Postscript: I read Philip Dick’s [Do Android’s Dream of Electric Sheep?] shortly before reading this one – the title of Scalzi’s novel is an obvious homage and there are several other connections in the book – including one direct allusion that made me laugh out loud – but you don’t have to have read PD’s book to like this one – just know that it exists.
Show More
circumstance and character, and could stand up against any number of respected classics of science fiction – it also has a first chapter that is so funny, I almost peed myself by the last page. Scalzi's first chapter is a masterpiece of political toilet humor, if such a thing can exist. The rest of the novel follows up with moments of both brilliance and hilarity, and sometimes the two at once, but that first chapter is what sets the reader’s mood for the entire novel. If you cannot appreciate sarcasm or have never found a fart funny, you may not appreciate that first chapter enough to let its tone buoy you all the way to the end of the book, but you might be rescued by the other clever conceit of the novel – that the fate of the world rests on the wooly back of a sheep.
Except that the sheep in question doesn’t turn out to have a wooly back at all, but I’ll stop there so as not to spoil one of the finer moments in the story. Any writer who can take a ridiculous twist and twist it back around on itself the way Scalzi does here is my kind of fella. Essentially, this book is smart fun – Scalzi must have had a great time writing it and anyone with even the least appreciation of science fiction will have a great time reading it.
Postscript: I read Philip Dick’s [Do Android’s Dream of Electric Sheep?] shortly before reading this one – the title of Scalzi’s novel is an obvious homage and there are several other connections in the book – including one direct allusion that made me laugh out loud – but you don’t have to have read PD’s book to like this one – just know that it exists.
Show Less
LibraryThing member seitherin
The book was a hoot. I think this is my favorite Scalzi to date. It has politics, religion, war heroes, computer geeks, and genetically altered sheep. What more could you want from a book?
LibraryThing member fyrefly98
Summary: After a disgruntled diplomatic employee manages to kill one of the visiting alien Nidu using, erm, ingenious methods, Earth's only hope to avoid war (and likely annihilation) is to procure one of the rare electric blue sheep of the Android's Dream breed that the Nidu use in their
Review: This book, as I expected, was good, solid fun. Scalzi's certainly capable of writing more serious stuff, but I think "zany romp" is what he does best, and this is about as zany as it gets. I didn't go into it expecting too much - I didn't know much about it, other than it was one of his earlier books, that it was stand-alone, that I hadn't read it yet, and that it apparently had something to do with androids. (Which it totally doesn't, by the way. Just sheep. And not that Scalzi's books are usually super tech-heavy to begin with, but this one felt a little lighter on the sci-fi technobabble than usual.)
But I had a lot of fun with this book, probably more than I was expecting. It's one of those books that makes me want to use words like "madcap" (and "zany", apparently; see above). It's a thousand things going on at once, all of them wacky. (There's another of those words.)
While that did make it a little hard to keep track of everything - especially since Scalzi's characterizations are not particularly deep, so some of the supporting characters felt a little interchangeable and thus a little confusing - everything does eventually tie together more neatly and more logically than I was expecting it to, which is quite a feat and which I always appreciate. Actually, in that way, it reminded me quite a bit of Connie Willis's Bellwether... and although the sheep connection probably helped solidify that link in my mind, it's not the only thing they have in common.
On the whole, I enjoyed listening to this book quite a bit. I find Wil Wheaton's voice to be a great match for Scalzi's dry sense of humor, and he was as good here as ever. This book didn't have a lot of deep characters or subtle themes or lovely language, but it did have a fast moving plot, plenty of jokes, and an unexpected yet satisfying ending. Good times. 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: I'm having a hard time coming up with read-alikes other than Bellwether, so I'm going to use the same recommendation I made for that one: Fans of Scalzi’s sense of humor will for sure enjoy it, as will most readers of lighter sci-fi, as well as anyone who likes the style of comedy where all sorts of crazy things happen but somehow they all fit together into a bigger picture by the end.
Show More
coronation ceremony. The job lands with Harry Creek, who is part war hero, part cop, and part hacker. With the help of an AI based on the brain scan of his childhood best friend, they get to work tracking down the sheep. But they're not the only forces at work: someone is killing off all the Android's Dream sheep, so the only one Harry can find is Ms. Robin Baker, a pet store owner with traces of sheep DNA in her genome. Now Harry has to keep Robin safe, since not only are there assassins out to stop her from ever reaching the Nidu, there's also members of the Church of the Evolved Lamb who are working very hard to make sure their prophecies - which were originally made up by a mediocre sci-fi writer, and may or may not involve Robin - come true.Review: This book, as I expected, was good, solid fun. Scalzi's certainly capable of writing more serious stuff, but I think "zany romp" is what he does best, and this is about as zany as it gets. I didn't go into it expecting too much - I didn't know much about it, other than it was one of his earlier books, that it was stand-alone, that I hadn't read it yet, and that it apparently had something to do with androids. (Which it totally doesn't, by the way. Just sheep. And not that Scalzi's books are usually super tech-heavy to begin with, but this one felt a little lighter on the sci-fi technobabble than usual.)
But I had a lot of fun with this book, probably more than I was expecting. It's one of those books that makes me want to use words like "madcap" (and "zany", apparently; see above). It's a thousand things going on at once, all of them wacky. (There's another of those words.)
While that did make it a little hard to keep track of everything - especially since Scalzi's characterizations are not particularly deep, so some of the supporting characters felt a little interchangeable and thus a little confusing - everything does eventually tie together more neatly and more logically than I was expecting it to, which is quite a feat and which I always appreciate. Actually, in that way, it reminded me quite a bit of Connie Willis's Bellwether... and although the sheep connection probably helped solidify that link in my mind, it's not the only thing they have in common.
On the whole, I enjoyed listening to this book quite a bit. I find Wil Wheaton's voice to be a great match for Scalzi's dry sense of humor, and he was as good here as ever. This book didn't have a lot of deep characters or subtle themes or lovely language, but it did have a fast moving plot, plenty of jokes, and an unexpected yet satisfying ending. Good times. 4 out of 5 stars.
Recommendation: I'm having a hard time coming up with read-alikes other than Bellwether, so I'm going to use the same recommendation I made for that one: Fans of Scalzi’s sense of humor will for sure enjoy it, as will most readers of lighter sci-fi, as well as anyone who likes the style of comedy where all sorts of crazy things happen but somehow they all fit together into a bigger picture by the end.
Show Less
LibraryThing member SaintBrevity
The book starts out with a diplomat attempting to cause an incident by farting during delicate negotiations; it's much funnier than you expect, and perhaps less puerile. The book merely gets better from there, and one gets the idea that John Scalzi giggled to himself approximately every twenty
A good book, all in all, with some issues here and there that aren't major enough to be worth detailing, but were enough to distract me while reading. Highly recommended.
Show More
seconds while typing.A good book, all in all, with some issues here and there that aren't major enough to be worth detailing, but were enough to distract me while reading. Highly recommended.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kaleissin
I like this style better than what we were served in the "Old man's war"-series.
The first chapter was rather boring but once past that, things really took off. His best yet.
The first chapter was rather boring but once past that, things really took off. His best yet.
LibraryThing member Friday74
Really enjoyed this book - I was actually looking for "Old Man's War" as I had the free e-book from Tor and had read the first bit (I don't have an e-book reader, but reading them in PDF form works great for the first chapter or so to see if it's worth laying down cash on it - I still prefer the
Show More
good old paper format) - I ran across this book right beside it and it sounded really intriguing. I wasn't disappointed - a number of familiar themes in there, but presented in a heck of an entertaining way. I found it well worth the money I spent. Show Less
LibraryThing member felius
Reading The Android's Dream is like reading the literary equivalent of the movie The Fifth Element. I'm not the first person to make the comparison, but that's because it's particularly apt.
This is a fun ride - a blistering pace and laugh-out-loud funny at times (with many nods to geek culture),
This is a fun ride - a blistering pace and laugh-out-loud funny at times (with many nods to geek culture),
Show More
but the sci-fi elements are well looked after too. Show Less
LibraryThing member ronincats
I enjoyed Scalzi's voice in his first two books, Old Man's War and The Ghost Brigade, within the subgenre of military sf. When I picked up this book, I was expecting more of the same. What a pleasant surprise! This tongue-in-cheek romp produced more laughs than I've had in a long time! In feel and
Show More
style, it is much like Connie Willis' Bellwether, another favorite book, but in scope and impact, the finale just blows you away. Thank you, John Scalzi, for creating another favorite book, due to be reread regularly, for my library. Show Less
LibraryThing member d4ni
Strangely enough, I picked this book up randomly at an airport before I had read the Old Man's War series. My decision was purely based upon the referential title and the jacket information, and I wasn't disappointed. The book is light-hearted, with a healthy dose of the satirical narration style
Show More
that Scalzi is well known for. This is a solid, entertaining read for anyone who enjoys Scalzi's other books and is generally interested in sci-fi. Show Less
LibraryThing member jjackunrau
The Android’s Dream by John Scalzi is light, funny and action-packed. I think I liked it better than Old Man’s War because I’d rather see his hyper-competent wise-cracking characters not be casually murdering people by the hundreds. Maybe only half a dozen people die at the hands of the
Oh and yes it has to do with an electric sheep but it is nothing at all like a PK Dick book. Nothing at all.
Show More
friendly diplomat whose job is to deliver bad news in this book. I think it bothers me when the characters I’d hang out with are killers, even when the alien/competing government agent started it. To be clear I’m not looking for A-Team style shooting or ridiculous amounts of near misses in order to save lives; I’d just like the main characters to be a little less “badass killer but it doesn’t really affect anything else about me.”Oh and yes it has to do with an electric sheep but it is nothing at all like a PK Dick book. Nothing at all.
Show Less
LibraryThing member grizzly.anderson
I've recently come across Scalzi and enjoyed both his books and his blog, so I picked this one up expecting something different from his Old Man's War books. I wasn't disappointed.
Any book that starts off with a character deliberately trying to derail international (stellar) trade negotiations by
The Android's Dream is a reference to Philip K Dick's novel, but not much more than that. Instead we're treated to a lot of dry wit, satire, and a little political intrigue in a story that moves along at a brisk pace. Along the way Scalzi takes a number of digs at Scientology as well.
The plot relies on some surprises and probably won't stand up to careful analysis or multiple readings. It did keep me entertained for a couple of days and make me chuckle.
Any book that starts off with a character deliberately trying to derail international (stellar) trade negotiations by
Show More
farting is obviously taking a different tack than the more serious and adventure driven OMW books. Scalzi is letting his wit run free with this one.The Android's Dream is a reference to Philip K Dick's novel, but not much more than that. Instead we're treated to a lot of dry wit, satire, and a little political intrigue in a story that moves along at a brisk pace. Along the way Scalzi takes a number of digs at Scientology as well.
The plot relies on some surprises and probably won't stand up to careful analysis or multiple readings. It did keep me entertained for a couple of days and make me chuckle.
Show Less
LibraryThing member stubbyfingers
It took me a couple of chapters to get into this, but once I did, it was a lot of fun. This is a comedy-action-adventure story, kind of along the lines of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but not quite so goofy. This is set a couple hundred years in the future where aliens abound but Earth is
Show More
still pretty low in the interstellar pecking order. Long story short, a specific and rare breed of sheep that only lives on Earth is essential to keeping the peace between Earth and a neighboring interstellar power. The race is on to find and control one of these sheep. Very entertaining and fun. My only complaint really is with the editing. This book is chock full of typos and missing/extra words. Was somebody in too much of a hurry to get this published to bother with proofreading? Show Less
LibraryThing member FicusFan
This was a read for a RL book group. It is a stand alone and quite a lot of fun.
The premise is that aliens abound, and in fact are part of a galactic empire. Earth is pretty low on the rung, and has made an alliance with another species that is also pretty lowly in status. The Nidu are much more
The Nidu are involved in export quota negotiations with Earth. The human diplomat manages to kill the alien diplomat by use of a specifically mixed chemical fart - don't ask how that works. The aliens communicate among themselves using scent, and very susceptible to odors. There is bad blood between the two diplomats, although only the human diplomat is aware of it. He is avenging a family injury from the past. The human becomes so aroused by his victory that he dies of a stroke. No, really.
The government dealing with the aliens (USA) then has to try to avert disaster, placate their anger, and try to pretend it wasn't premeditated murder. The departments of State, Commerce (Trade), Defense are all trying to find out what the others know, what the aliens want, and what really happened. There are government functionaries, Secretaries, and agents tripping all over each other.
Turns out the aliens will only be placated with a specific gift. It is needed for the upcoming coronation of the new alien king. It must be part of the ceremony. It is a sheep.
And not just any type of sheep but a specific breed called Android's Dream, which has electric blue wool. Humans created it for the aliens and only the Nidu have the right to own it. Problem is that there are other aliens who are Nidu, but a different clan than the present royal family, and they wish to stop the coronation so one of their members can become the king instead. These opposition Nidu have killed all the Android's Dream sheep being held by the Nidu.
So now the official Nidu want the humans to search the world and find a DNA match for this rare breed of sheep.
The POV character, Harry Creek is a low level State Department employee whose job is to be the bearer of bad news to Aliens: your wife's visa was denied, your car was used in a hit and run. The aliens start to see him as the Angel of Death.
He is tapped to run the secret search for the State Department, who are trying to stay ahead of Defense, and the anti-Alien private group who is also sniffing around. On top of that some of the agents are working for more than one agency/group. One group no one knows about is a rational religious group called The Church of the Evolved Lamb. They don't believe in a higher power, just in themselves making their scripture happen.
The book is a satire on many facets of modern life. It is funny, and quite a good adventure read. There are twists and lots of excitement. The characters are cool, and the settings are interesting. Good writing and a fast pace.
The premise is that aliens abound, and in fact are part of a galactic empire. Earth is pretty low on the rung, and has made an alliance with another species that is also pretty lowly in status. The Nidu are much more
Show More
technologically advanced (read better firepower) though, so humanity doesn't want to piss them off.The Nidu are involved in export quota negotiations with Earth. The human diplomat manages to kill the alien diplomat by use of a specifically mixed chemical fart - don't ask how that works. The aliens communicate among themselves using scent, and very susceptible to odors. There is bad blood between the two diplomats, although only the human diplomat is aware of it. He is avenging a family injury from the past. The human becomes so aroused by his victory that he dies of a stroke. No, really.
The government dealing with the aliens (USA) then has to try to avert disaster, placate their anger, and try to pretend it wasn't premeditated murder. The departments of State, Commerce (Trade), Defense are all trying to find out what the others know, what the aliens want, and what really happened. There are government functionaries, Secretaries, and agents tripping all over each other.
Turns out the aliens will only be placated with a specific gift. It is needed for the upcoming coronation of the new alien king. It must be part of the ceremony. It is a sheep.
And not just any type of sheep but a specific breed called Android's Dream, which has electric blue wool. Humans created it for the aliens and only the Nidu have the right to own it. Problem is that there are other aliens who are Nidu, but a different clan than the present royal family, and they wish to stop the coronation so one of their members can become the king instead. These opposition Nidu have killed all the Android's Dream sheep being held by the Nidu.
So now the official Nidu want the humans to search the world and find a DNA match for this rare breed of sheep.
The POV character, Harry Creek is a low level State Department employee whose job is to be the bearer of bad news to Aliens: your wife's visa was denied, your car was used in a hit and run. The aliens start to see him as the Angel of Death.
He is tapped to run the secret search for the State Department, who are trying to stay ahead of Defense, and the anti-Alien private group who is also sniffing around. On top of that some of the agents are working for more than one agency/group. One group no one knows about is a rational religious group called The Church of the Evolved Lamb. They don't believe in a higher power, just in themselves making their scripture happen.
The book is a satire on many facets of modern life. It is funny, and quite a good adventure read. There are twists and lots of excitement. The characters are cool, and the settings are interesting. Good writing and a fast pace.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bluesalamanders
The Android's Dream is a humorous science fiction story about a man and a woman, along with aliens, sentient computer programs, made-up religions, various government agencies, a visit to a mall, a space cruise, and, of course, sheep. The first chapter is rather crude humor, but don't let that throw
Show More
you; it is a hilarious and wonderful book. Show Less
LibraryThing member BruderBane
Although reminiscent of a number of Peter David novels from the past, “The Android’s Dream” by John Scalzi is an entertaining and excellent sci-fi novel. Taking place at some point in the not too distant future Mr. Scalzi breathes life into a host of interesting characters with secret and
Show More
not-so-secret pasts all the while poking fun at many of our current conventions. And although I felt the plot felt a bit rushed and mottled towards the end, I thoroughly enjoyed this one shot comedic adventure. Show Less
LibraryThing member tjsjohanna
One of my favorite types of sci-fi - futuristic, but still quite familiar. I enjoyed the story but there was a considerable amount of cursing - specifically the "f-word". Always detracts from my reading enjoyment. Would like to read more by this author but not sure if I will due to language
Show More
concerns. Show Less
LibraryThing member Shrike58
This is essentially a shaggy dog story disguised as a Washington political thriller set in a space-opera universe, as Scalzi sends his protagonist, and the woman who is his charge, on a mad-cap scamper to keep one step ahead of the aliens who want to stage a coronation ceremony that it's pretty
Show More
clear the gal will not likely survive. This is all delivered in the droll but bloody minded tone that Scalzi reserves for his satirical commentary, and just remember that the groan that escapes your mouth at the climax is a feature, not a bug. If I have a particular reason to mark down this book is that the woman who is at the center of Scalzi's comic inferno doesn't rise much above the status of McGuffin; I would have liked to have seen the story a bit more from her point of view. Show Less
LibraryThing member holly_kench
Reading this novel was like watching a fender bender in action: You really want to look away, mostly because you feel embarrassed on behalf of the driver, but also because there isn't much to look at, and yet, you can't help staring.
I was drawn to it, intrigued by the Philip K Dick reference, but
I was drawn to it, intrigued by the Philip K Dick reference, but
Show More
found it completely boring and ridiculous. Still, I was unable to stop reading, even though I really REALLY wanted to. Quite seriously, every single male character was the same, with the same pathetically sarcastic sense of humour, despite the clear implication of division between good and bad. So... boring. As for the women, well, there were only two - one half sheep lady and an artificial intelligence, and still they were pretty much indistinguishable from the men. As for the plot... well, I can't bring myself to wonder where to begin. All the same, rating this book is hard, considering the masochistic side of me that couldn't drag herself away. It was stupid, and I didn't like it, but it was strangely captivating. Show Less
LibraryThing member SR510
There's a convoluted plot that depends upon an impressive amount of handwavium with regard to computer science and diplomacy; one of the characters gets a relevant law of kosher exactly backwards, which might be explained as demonstrating the character's cluelessness, but it doesn't come across as
That said, it generally maintains a light tone, and it has its fun bits.
Show More
being intended that way; and I can't quite decide whether it's a good thing or a bad thing that I was thrown out of the book by the contortions employed to keep us from knowing the gender of one minor character. (Perhaps it's a good thing, in that it foregrounds the fact that it shouldn't matter. And yet... the lack of knowledge doesn't fit the point of view, and this tactic doesn't really fit the style of the book in general. I'm still going back and forth on this.)That said, it generally maintains a light tone, and it has its fun bits.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Karlstar
A great, funny book! Despite the title and cover there are no androids, and not many sheep either. This is a fun, James Bond type science fiction story about how a sheep can determine the fate of the rite of succession of an alien race, and how that can be very bad for the human race. This is very
Show More
tongue in cheek, funny, and pokes fun at quite a few science fiction classics. Very enjoyable. Its not hard core science fiction or a serious at all, but still fun to read. This is more like 'Pulp Fiction' than it is typical Scalzi. Note that guys may find this more enjoyable, but make sure you keep reading past the first 2 chapters before you decide. Show Less
LibraryThing member bragan
An SF novel that's half a complicated tale of action and interstellar intrigue, with various factions either trying to prevent or provoke a diplomatic incident and/or interfere with an alien species' political succession, and half a work of absurd humor. I don't think this works quite as well as it
Show More
could: the plotty stuff is a bit long on exposition, variable on world-building, and high on ridiculousness, while the humor varies randomly from embarrassing fart jokes to some really clever and intelligent satire. But it's reasonably fun, and probably worth reading just for the three or four funniest bits alone. Show Less
LibraryThing member TonyOlivero
Loved this book!
Not only was the story compelling and interesting, but parts of it made me laugh my tail off. Perhaps I'm morbid and horrible, but the assassination scene was way funnier than it should have been.
Not only was the story compelling and interesting, but parts of it made me laugh my tail off. Perhaps I'm morbid and horrible, but the assassination scene was way funnier than it should have been.
LibraryThing member JenneB
I dunno, it just wasn't really my thing. Too many fart jokes.
LibraryThing member comixminx
Much enjoyed - tightly, cunningly plotted, with plenty of jumps and surprises. I was slightly disappointed with one aspect of the dénouement, however, though it's a bit nit picky.
(spoiler)
There's a bit where it is explained / shown to Brian, the artificial intelligence, that the only way to cut
(spoiler)
There's a bit where it is explained / shown to Brian, the artificial intelligence, that the only way to cut
Show More
through the Gordian knot of the big historical battle would have been to have surrendered en masse; and the way that the surrendering resolved that situation is logically complete in itself (the human soldiers fighting would have survived as they'd surrendered, the aliens behind the war would have been unable to commit the planetary devastation that they did, as their human allies would still be in situ, and the real losers would have been the war-mongering aliens who pushed for the invasion in the first place). Fine, so the AI is told that in the current situation, surrender is also the way for the humans to, counter-intuitively, win. And indeed it is, but only because of something that is not told to us until page 369' less than ten pages before the dénouement - by which time, I'm afraid, it can only count as a deus ex machine, rather than as a really neat piece of conclusion that naturally arises firm all that previously-known items, rearranged in a way the humble reader would never have thought of. It's still very neat, just not *quite* as neat as I'd hoped. Show Less
LibraryThing member Mardel
This Scalzi guy - he really knows how to build a layered story. The Android's Dream had so many twists and turns, I had fun reading it. I kept thinking I knew what was going to happen and then DAYAMN! Another twist. Amazing.
It's never really specified what year this novel takes place in, but it's
I usually do not enjoy pages of explanation or history, infodumps, etc. This book did have quite a bit of it, but it was handled almost as if a storyteller was performing a story. It was actually interesting. I only felt myself feeling that glazed over look just a couple of times, and it was fleeting. I'm impressed. It isn't often that I find myself actually enjoying reading an "infodump". I'm not even sure that these sections should really be called infodumps, but it works for me. I shall call them fun infodumps.
Quick summary - which of course you can read on Goodreads....
Earth has been 'visited' by the Nitu - among other races from other planets. The earth or the United States are and have been in the midst of intense import/export negotiations with the Nitu. The Nitu also happen to be an arrogant, extremely caste conscience race of people; a people with clans that are ever competing with each other.
The only problem - not everyone is happy with the negotiations, and one of the participants is actively working to sabotage the efforts... with unforeseen results.
A very strange chain of events follows, involving sheep, gene splicing, a decorated hero/computer genious, a geek, an odd church, a rich old lady, space ships, war, and an interesting mix of interstellar aliens.
John Scalzi had been an amazing writer for quite a while, but I think this particular novel is past amazing and right into brilliant. I read this book in a one day period of time. Did not want to stop reading it. The narration is interesting, the dialogue was great, especially the banter between the characters, and the fight scenes - whether it's between people or more subtle attacks were great.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys scifi, and anyone who enjoys scheming characters. You won't regret it.
It's never really specified what year this novel takes place in, but it's
Show More
clear that it's futuristic. Technology has advanced so far that there are ways to listen in on conversations using a paper with special ink - a way to download information from a wire using a vending machine; a way to wear a wire without it being visible even showing up on a scan.I usually do not enjoy pages of explanation or history, infodumps, etc. This book did have quite a bit of it, but it was handled almost as if a storyteller was performing a story. It was actually interesting. I only felt myself feeling that glazed over look just a couple of times, and it was fleeting. I'm impressed. It isn't often that I find myself actually enjoying reading an "infodump". I'm not even sure that these sections should really be called infodumps, but it works for me. I shall call them fun infodumps.
Quick summary - which of course you can read on Goodreads....
Earth has been 'visited' by the Nitu - among other races from other planets. The earth or the United States are and have been in the midst of intense import/export negotiations with the Nitu. The Nitu also happen to be an arrogant, extremely caste conscience race of people; a people with clans that are ever competing with each other.
The only problem - not everyone is happy with the negotiations, and one of the participants is actively working to sabotage the efforts... with unforeseen results.
A very strange chain of events follows, involving sheep, gene splicing, a decorated hero/computer genious, a geek, an odd church, a rich old lady, space ships, war, and an interesting mix of interstellar aliens.
John Scalzi had been an amazing writer for quite a while, but I think this particular novel is past amazing and right into brilliant. I read this book in a one day period of time. Did not want to stop reading it. The narration is interesting, the dialogue was great, especially the banter between the characters, and the fight scenes - whether it's between people or more subtle attacks were great.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys scifi, and anyone who enjoys scheming characters. You won't regret it.
Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Seiun Award (Nominee — 2013)
Kurd Laßwitz Preis (Winner — 2010)
Language
Original publication date
2006-11
Physical description
396 p.; 22 cm
ISBN
0765309416 / 9780765309419