Call number
Genres
Publication
New York : Tor, 2008.
Description
"The spacefaring Yherajk have come to Earth to meet us and to begin humanity's first interstellar friendship. There's just one problem: they're hideously ugly and they smell like rotting fish. So getting humanity's trust is a challenge. The Yherajk need someone to help them close the deal. Enter Thomas Stein, who knows something about closing deals. He's one of Hollywood's hottest young agents. But although Stein may have just concluded the biggest deal of his career, it's quite another thing to negotiate for an entire alien race. To earn his percentage this time, he's going to need all he smarts, skills, and wits he can muster."--Page 4 of cover.
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — Science Fiction — 2012)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2005-07
ISBN
9780765317711
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User reviews
LibraryThing member bigorangemichael
In the preface, Scalzi talks about his being his "tester" novel--the one he wrote to see if he could do it. It's the story of an alien race that decides to come to Earth after intercepting our broadcast signals. They've decided not to invade but instead hire a Hollywood talent agent to help them
The story takes off from there, alternating between the alien (whose name is Joshua) trying to find a way to live among humanity and Scalzi's narrator taking funny shots at various Hollywood celebrities and films. The tone is very much like his "The Android's Dream" at times with a more Pratchett-like tone to some of the segments. Thankfully, unlike a lot of imitators, Sclazi can pull off being witty without it feeling forced or overstaying its welcome. Had I not known this was a first novel for Scalzi, I might not have necessarily guessed.
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make their big debut. There's just one small problem--the aliens are gelatinous and smell pretty foul. The story takes off from there, alternating between the alien (whose name is Joshua) trying to find a way to live among humanity and Scalzi's narrator taking funny shots at various Hollywood celebrities and films. The tone is very much like his "The Android's Dream" at times with a more Pratchett-like tone to some of the segments. Thankfully, unlike a lot of imitators, Sclazi can pull off being witty without it feeling forced or overstaying its welcome. Had I not known this was a first novel for Scalzi, I might not have necessarily guessed.
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LibraryThing member stefferoo
3.5 stars. Another fun read from John Scalzi, and even more impressive since this was his "practice novel" which he wrote in 1997 just to see if he could write a novel. Indeed he could.
It's classic Scalzi, light and funny with just a dash of crazy. Agent to the Stars is about Tom Stein, a young
On the whole this was a very enjoyable read. The humorous premise and writing will appeal to you if you like that kind of stuff, and you don't even need to be a sci-fi buff. The only issue I had was with the pacing; there was a chunk in the middle with lengthy exposition that I admit my attention somewhat struggled with. For a practice novel, though? It wasn't a big deal at all. The good parts of the book more than made up for it.
It's classic Scalzi, light and funny with just a dash of crazy. Agent to the Stars is about Tom Stein, a young
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Hollywood agent tasked to figure out how to introduce an alien race to humanity. The Yherajk are ready to make their big debut, so to speak, but is the world ready for them? Oh and by the way, members of their race look like blobs of jello and communicate using odors that smell like rank farts and rotten fish. Yeah, good luck there, Tom.On the whole this was a very enjoyable read. The humorous premise and writing will appeal to you if you like that kind of stuff, and you don't even need to be a sci-fi buff. The only issue I had was with the pacing; there was a chunk in the middle with lengthy exposition that I admit my attention somewhat struggled with. For a practice novel, though? It wasn't a big deal at all. The good parts of the book more than made up for it.
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LibraryThing member bragan
Aliens have arrived at Earth and want to make friendly contact with us. However, being basically smelly blobs of goo, they anticipate having something of a PR problem. So they hire a Hollywood agent to manage their image.
It's a silly story, really. There's not much pretense at realism, the plot is
According to the introduction, this was Scalzi's first novel, written solely for practice and not something he ever expected to be published. Which makes me think that I really need to read more of his stuff. Lightweight as it is, this is still better writing than some SF writers ever manage, so I'll be interested to see what he can do when he's actually trying.
It's a silly story, really. There's not much pretense at realism, the plot is
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fairly thin, and I saw the ending coming a light year away. And yet, it's very entertaining, in a fun, breezy, occasionally quite funny sort of way, and it managed to bring a smile to my face during a mildly stressful week. Also, the aliens are actually interesting, and rather less cliche than you'd expect.According to the introduction, this was Scalzi's first novel, written solely for practice and not something he ever expected to be published. Which makes me think that I really need to read more of his stuff. Lightweight as it is, this is still better writing than some SF writers ever manage, so I'll be interested to see what he can do when he's actually trying.
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LibraryThing member JeremyPreacher
Definitely a fun read. I am definitely a fan of absurdist scifi and aliens hiring a Hollywood agent to do image management in preparation for their big debut definitely counts. Probably not what I'd hand someone as the best intro to Scalzi's writing - even in absurd scifi, I think Android's Dream
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is sharper - but good stuff nonetheless. Show Less
LibraryThing member ogingero
Pretty good story. Straight-on fiction. Not as witty or satirical as I generally like, but enjoyable nonetheless. I do wish, however, that Scalzi had pushed the plot further... It just seemed "safe," especially the ending. Overall, it was the science fiction equivalent of a "beach read"; an easy,
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quick read. If the humour had been stronger, or more prolific, it might have been worthy of a additional "star" even without plot or ending changes. If you are looking for a something to fill an afternoon without taxing your brain, this novel would be an enjoyable escape; If you're looking for an engaging plot (where you don't mind missing dinner, just to find out what happens next), this isn't it. Lastly, as one can only pick full "stars" for their review, if given the choice to "grade" in decimal points, the average "rating" given by all the goodreads reviewers is wholly appropriate and what I would choose (as my rating) if allowed. Show Less
LibraryThing member tlockney
Fun and engaging story, but it didn't blow me away or anything. That said, I *highly* recommend Wil Wheaton's narration of the audiobook version.
LibraryThing member agis
The basic premise of "Agent to the Stars" is that aliens exist ... and after watching how we show them in Hollywood and elsewhere, decide they have an image problem and get an agent to introduce them to humanity. Told from the perspective of said agent, it's as light and fluffy as you would expect
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from that premise. The bits of the resolution that need to be handled seriously have enough grounding to work, though, and Scalzi keeps the humor flowing otherwise. It's a fun read that doesn't lag and sometimes that's enough. Show Less
LibraryThing member reading_fox
Considering I don't like farce at all, this is surprisingly enjoyable, and did actually have me laughing a few times.
Tom Stein is an agent acting on the part of various C-list stars in Holywood. he manages to negotiate a $12mil fee for his best star 'Michelle Beck' which brings him to the attention
It's silly. It self acknowledged silly, and as it doesn't take itself too seriously all the way through, it works. Just. It manages the sillyness of Holywood, and unfortunetly has Holywood aliens too. The characters are also pure Holywood, thin and one dimensional, girls who swoon for heros etc. However there are several good one liners - mostly from the aliens who quote appropriately from anything that's appeared on TV. This is somewhat spoilt by the physics - the author insists on sub-light flight, but there are no habitable planets with 70 lightyears (TV transmission) of us. Oh well. If it was accurate it wouldn't be farcical.
Readable, especially if you like space farce. An interesting insight into the early writing of one of the more famous SF authors.
Tom Stein is an agent acting on the part of various C-list stars in Holywood. he manages to negotiate a $12mil fee for his best star 'Michelle Beck' which brings him to the attention
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of his firm's boss Carl. Carl has a very novel client for him: the Yherajk! Yes aliens have arrived at earth and despite their somewhat unappealing apperance and abilities, they are peaceful and interested in friendly relations with humankinds. However having watched human TV for many years, they are also aware of humanities inclination to believe the worst about aliens. Hence they have hired and agent to represent them and stage manage their appearance on Earth. Tom finds this a bit hard ot deal with - but starts by having Joshua live with him for a while so that both can learn more about each other.It's silly. It self acknowledged silly, and as it doesn't take itself too seriously all the way through, it works. Just. It manages the sillyness of Holywood, and unfortunetly has Holywood aliens too. The characters are also pure Holywood, thin and one dimensional, girls who swoon for heros etc. However there are several good one liners - mostly from the aliens who quote appropriately from anything that's appeared on TV. This is somewhat spoilt by the physics - the author insists on sub-light flight, but there are no habitable planets with 70 lightyears (TV transmission) of us. Oh well. If it was accurate it wouldn't be farcical.
Readable, especially if you like space farce. An interesting insight into the early writing of one of the more famous SF authors.
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LibraryThing member gilag
Great book from beginning to end. Now it seems so obvious that aliens would choose Hollywood to make their first human contact.
LibraryThing member mkaczmar
A little slow to start but very glad I stuck with it. Great book.
LibraryThing member JGolomb
It's hard to imagine that this book started as an experiment by John Scalzi to see if he could write a novel. He ended up creating a wonderful story of alien first contact built upon the base of all of Scalzi's novels - creative plot and story-telling mixed with amazing dialogue.
"Agent to the
Fans of John Scalzi will recognize a few things. First, snappy and witty dialogue keeps the story moving at a fantastic pace. One can't help but compare the character interactions across several of Scalzi's books, but I was particularly struck by how similar the interplay was between Stein and his assistant Miranda, and Scalzi's "Last Colony"/"Zoe's Tale" characters John Perry and his assistant Savitri.
The aliens have loads of personality, but like the Obin in the world of Scalzi's "Old Man's War", they have the ability to share consciousness across their entire race. These aliens also have the ability move consciousness from one living vessel to another. I won't give away too much of the fun plot line, but in the context of what Scalzi would go on to write, it's a lot of fun to see him start playing with and crafting this premise. There's a little bit of a deus ex machina in this vein, but Scalzi is a deft writer and carries it off.
In his introduction, Scalzi states that he made minimal updates to the book in its current iteration. He spent a little time updating some of the pop culture references which fall from the page like candy from a machine. As usual, Scalzi's characters are well-shaped and interesting.
It was such a fantastic read that I was saddened by coming to the end.
The book is light and only serious in parts. But make no mistake, the book is seriously good.
"Agent to the
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Stars" is a story of first contact, where space produces alien good guys and Hollywood produces human bad guys. The premise is terrific...Joshua is an alien representing his race who were drawn to Earth by our 70+ years of TV and Radio signals. The aliens want help with their introduction to the planet. And so naturally, they've reached out to a talent agent - Tom Stein. As Joshua says, "We look like snot. And we smell like dead fish. We have seen "The Blob" and it is us. We need an agent to get us the role of the friendly aliens."Fans of John Scalzi will recognize a few things. First, snappy and witty dialogue keeps the story moving at a fantastic pace. One can't help but compare the character interactions across several of Scalzi's books, but I was particularly struck by how similar the interplay was between Stein and his assistant Miranda, and Scalzi's "Last Colony"/"Zoe's Tale" characters John Perry and his assistant Savitri.
The aliens have loads of personality, but like the Obin in the world of Scalzi's "Old Man's War", they have the ability to share consciousness across their entire race. These aliens also have the ability move consciousness from one living vessel to another. I won't give away too much of the fun plot line, but in the context of what Scalzi would go on to write, it's a lot of fun to see him start playing with and crafting this premise. There's a little bit of a deus ex machina in this vein, but Scalzi is a deft writer and carries it off.
In his introduction, Scalzi states that he made minimal updates to the book in its current iteration. He spent a little time updating some of the pop culture references which fall from the page like candy from a machine. As usual, Scalzi's characters are well-shaped and interesting.
It was such a fantastic read that I was saddened by coming to the end.
The book is light and only serious in parts. But make no mistake, the book is seriously good.
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LibraryThing member Raven
Humanity has made first contact with an alien race. Unfortunately, they don't yet know that the Yherajk have been sitting in orbit watching TV for decades. If they had, they might not have put on quite so many reruns.
The Yherajk, on the other hand, have got it all figured out. They don't need to
Enter Tom Stein, a twentysomething newly minted agent in Hollywood, his hard-as-nails assistant Miranda, his boss, Carl (who alone of the human race has had first contact happen in his pool) and Joshua. An alien. Called Joshua. The great thing about this novel is that all of the characters are archetypes - except Scalzi is no good at archetypes, and they all swiftly develop complexities and motivation. And there's snappy dialogue. And plot twists. And people who smell like rotting fish. A lovely, ridiculous, light-as-air book, that lives up handsomely to the delight of the initial premise. I recommend it.
The Yherajk, on the other hand, have got it all figured out. They don't need to
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land their spaceship on the White House lawn and say, "Take me to your leader." For one thing, they're grey and gelatinous and they smell like rotting fish. What they need is an agent.Enter Tom Stein, a twentysomething newly minted agent in Hollywood, his hard-as-nails assistant Miranda, his boss, Carl (who alone of the human race has had first contact happen in his pool) and Joshua. An alien. Called Joshua. The great thing about this novel is that all of the characters are archetypes - except Scalzi is no good at archetypes, and they all swiftly develop complexities and motivation. And there's snappy dialogue. And plot twists. And people who smell like rotting fish. A lovely, ridiculous, light-as-air book, that lives up handsomely to the delight of the initial premise. I recommend it.
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LibraryThing member TheDivineOomba
A fun book, great characters, an interesting alien. Great story. The ending was a bit abrupt though.
LibraryThing member candlemark
One of the best books I've read in quite awhile, and possibly one of the funniest non-Terry-Pratchett books I've read in even longer.The aliens are refreshingly original AND plausible, and the entire scenario is...well, it's hard to say that a case of aliens coming to Earth and wanting to make
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introductions is either completely unrealistic OR completely possible, but it's certainly more believable in this case than in the case of your standard "aliens arrive and everything's peachy" or "aliens arrive and destroy the White House" scenarios - both of which are spoofed/referenced in the book.The Hollywood environment and the world of agenting and movies was incredibly realistic, too - in fact, I'd be hard-pressed to say what was more plausible...the shark-tank environment of casting and negotiations, or the way everyone handles the appearance of gelatinous aliens who communicate through smell. The action moves along swiftly, the characters make you want to go out to lunch with them, and the larger scenario - again, those aliens, and why they're here, and what they think of us, and why they're doing what they're doing in Hollywood - is incredibly detailed, well-conceived, and gripping. That right there is the best part of the book - couched in humour, it presents a really intriguing study of human nature, the possibilities of first contact, and how we react to the unknown and the known alike. But really, you don't notice all those lessons until the book is over, because it's just that damn entertaining.My only quibble is that I would've liked to see more of the rookie agent who was called in at the beginning, out of convenience, and then handily shunted aside. Poor little Maguffin; she could've been quite interesting, from what we saw of her.Aside from that tiny detail? Almost a perfect book if you like your aliens intriguingly unique and realistic, and leavened with a hefty dose of humour. Show Less
LibraryThing member timothyl33
As a big fan of Scalzi's other works (Old Man's War, The Ghost Brigades, The Last Colony), it was with a bit of trepidation into reading his attempt at comedy, while also being his first attempt at writing. I shouldn't have been worried.
I found "Agent to the Stars" to be funny, but at the same time
I found "Agent to the Stars" to be funny, but at the same time
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insightful. Not only to how the whole sausage making process actually works in Hollywood, but of a potential first contact for humanity with an alien species. Show Less
LibraryThing member spidey_j
I'm close to the end but I don't want it to be over! It's funny and heartwarming (as cheesy as that sounds) and Wil Wheaton is an awesome reader. I *highly* recommend it.
LibraryThing member cygnoir
The ebook was deeply discounted, and I had enjoyed Scalzi's writing before, so I got it. It was cute and funny, a quick distraction, and I enjoyed it.
LibraryThing member Guide2
Another very enjoyable and funny book from Mr. Scalzi. If that's really his original first book: kudos! (spoiler) The only portion I have a problem with is the taking over of the human at the end: to me that would not be a positive when people learn about it... But overall a good story.
LibraryThing member cygnoir
The ebook was deeply discounted, and I had enjoyed Scalzi's writing before, so I got it. It was cute and funny, a quick distraction, and I enjoyed it.
LibraryThing member callmecayce
My sister recommended this novella, mostly because I hadn't read it yet. It was a bit hard to get into, but once I did I fell in love. It was hilarious and lovely, while also being utterly ridiculous. I'm a fan of Scalzi's writing (blog posts and book) and this is no exception. I was also quite
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amused at the multiple meanings of the title. Scalzi's play on words is reflected in the novella as well. Who knew aliens could be quite this much fun? No me, that's for sure. Show Less
LibraryThing member Gwendydd
This is a fun take on the first-contact idea. Aliens make contact with humanity: they have been watching Earth television for ages, so they know a lot about humanity (or at least about entertainment). They realize that their form - gelatinous blobs who communicate with rank smells - will not be
It's Scalzi, so naturally, hilarity ensues.
This was a fun, light read. I found all of the Hollywood/movie industry culture to be a bit tedious - I'm sure that for people who care about that culture more than I do, that was hilarious.
I probably would have enjoyed this a lot more as a movie than as a book.
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appealing to humans. So to make sure their first contact goes smoothly, they hire a Hollywood agent to make sure they have a good image.It's Scalzi, so naturally, hilarity ensues.
This was a fun, light read. I found all of the Hollywood/movie industry culture to be a bit tedious - I'm sure that for people who care about that culture more than I do, that was hilarious.
I probably would have enjoyed this a lot more as a movie than as a book.
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LibraryThing member Fledgist
The title is a truly wondrous pun. If there's a weirder job in Hollywood than Thomas Stein's, I've no idea what it might be. As a first contact story, I can't think of one funnier.
LibraryThing member revslick
Aliens have fallen in love with Earth culture and want desperately to integrate; however, there is one problem. They are extremely ugly. In order to ease the transition, they've hired a Hollywood agent. Agent to the Stars is delightfully written with lots of snarky tidbits. While the critique from
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some is that it is extremely predictable and takes an over-the-top happy-go-lucky approach just remember this was Scalzi's practice novel to prove to himself he could write one. Show Less
LibraryThing member krau0098
Previously I have read Scalzi’s books Red Shirts and Fuzzy Nation and really enjoyed them all. This was another hilarious, yet sincere book by Scalzi...I enjoyed it a lot.
I listened to this on audiobook (as I have with all of Scalzi’s books that I have read). Wil Wheaton is the narrator (as
Tom Stein is an agent to Hollywood stars, well he actually doesn’t have a ton of stars on his roster aside from Michelle Beck (a star who basically got her first role because she was hot). Then his boss calls him into his office and asks if Tom would like to work on a special project. Tom agrees only to find out that his boss wants him to do something a bit out of this world. He wants Tom to represent the member of an alien race called the Yherjak, who are smelly, gelatinous and believe that the best way to introduce humanity to their race is through film.
This is a very funny novel for a lot of reasons. First of all the Yherjak are pretty much the type of alien humanity would hate. They are smelly and they are gelatinous, they are in no way humanoid. There are a lot of things about the film industry that are just crazy hilarious as well. All that combined with the fact that a super intelligent alien race has decided that the best way to introduce themselves to humanity as a whole is through US based film and you have a pretty darn funny book.
It’s not all laughs though. Many other interesting issues are discussed. For example humanity’s fixation on beauty and film. There is also some discussion about actors that get stuck in type-casting and the effect that has on their morale. However some of my favorite serious parts were where we learned about a Holocaust survivor named Sarah Rosenthal (who appears to be fictional). I loved the shout out to the Holocaust and hope that somewhere a woman like Sarah Rosenthal really exists. I just think the Holocaust was such a horrible event that I love when books discuss it, it just helps to keep people aware.
Tom is an engaging character. He is an up and coming agent in a super cutthroat industry. Yet, he is still a nice guy. Yes, he manipulates people but he also does try to do the best job he can for them. His willingness and tolerance for taking on an alien race for a client is strangely noble.
The Yherjak is named Joseph and is also a wonderfully engaging character. Joseph is funny, realistic, and constantly optimistic that Tom will find a way to introduce him to humanity. Joseph is also easily bored and some of the things he comes up with to do in his spare time are pretty funny.
Overall this was a highly entertaining read. It’s a creative story and an interesting perspective on humanity as viewed by aliens. The characters are engaging and endearing and the story is hilarious but still has a lot of warmth to it. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Scalzi’s work in the future.
I listened to this on audiobook (as I have with all of Scalzi’s books that I have read). Wil Wheaton is the narrator (as
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with the other Scalzi books I have listened to). He does an excellent job with character voices and is just an excellent narrator overall.Tom Stein is an agent to Hollywood stars, well he actually doesn’t have a ton of stars on his roster aside from Michelle Beck (a star who basically got her first role because she was hot). Then his boss calls him into his office and asks if Tom would like to work on a special project. Tom agrees only to find out that his boss wants him to do something a bit out of this world. He wants Tom to represent the member of an alien race called the Yherjak, who are smelly, gelatinous and believe that the best way to introduce humanity to their race is through film.
This is a very funny novel for a lot of reasons. First of all the Yherjak are pretty much the type of alien humanity would hate. They are smelly and they are gelatinous, they are in no way humanoid. There are a lot of things about the film industry that are just crazy hilarious as well. All that combined with the fact that a super intelligent alien race has decided that the best way to introduce themselves to humanity as a whole is through US based film and you have a pretty darn funny book.
It’s not all laughs though. Many other interesting issues are discussed. For example humanity’s fixation on beauty and film. There is also some discussion about actors that get stuck in type-casting and the effect that has on their morale. However some of my favorite serious parts were where we learned about a Holocaust survivor named Sarah Rosenthal (who appears to be fictional). I loved the shout out to the Holocaust and hope that somewhere a woman like Sarah Rosenthal really exists. I just think the Holocaust was such a horrible event that I love when books discuss it, it just helps to keep people aware.
Tom is an engaging character. He is an up and coming agent in a super cutthroat industry. Yet, he is still a nice guy. Yes, he manipulates people but he also does try to do the best job he can for them. His willingness and tolerance for taking on an alien race for a client is strangely noble.
The Yherjak is named Joseph and is also a wonderfully engaging character. Joseph is funny, realistic, and constantly optimistic that Tom will find a way to introduce him to humanity. Joseph is also easily bored and some of the things he comes up with to do in his spare time are pretty funny.
Overall this was a highly entertaining read. It’s a creative story and an interesting perspective on humanity as viewed by aliens. The characters are engaging and endearing and the story is hilarious but still has a lot of warmth to it. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Scalzi’s work in the future.
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LibraryThing member jimmaclachlan
I think this was Scalzi's first book. Not quite as good as some of his others, but humorous & fun. Definitely worth reading. He has quite an imagination.