Agent to the Stars

Seller sent a trade paperback instead of the hardcover described.

It has been a very long time since I have been compelled to stay up until 3 am to finish a book but I just couldn't put it down. Had I known I would have started the book much earlier in the day! Wonderfully insightful, fantastically funny with some moving moments and written in an easy flowing style that just leads you from page to page. While I do not own the book I am very tempted to not return the book to the library =o)

Kurt Helm's review: "Agent to the Stars" by John Scalzi DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK unless you have eight uninterrupted hours to devote to having an incredibly good time with characters you'd like to hang out with and a plot that provides one delightful surprise after another! "Agent to the Stars" is a break from Scalzi's highly acclaimed "Old Man's War" series with a seamless move from military sci-fi to humorous sci-fi. The plot involves a benevolent alien species, the Yherajk, that comes to help mankind. The only problem is that the Yheraji are not likely to be well received by humankind. They are frighteningly repulsive looking blobs of "space phlegm" and their main form of communication is by a variety of smells; very, very bad smells. Our hero, Thomas Stein, is an up and coming Hollywood talent agent, still a bit low in the pecking order of his agency, who gets picked by his legendary boss to be the one to take on this alien species as their agent. His job is to "sell" these frighteningly alien blobs to the world as benefactors, not as scary invaders. Along the way the author gets to explore Hollywood hype; holocaust issues; friendship and love; family relationships; the high pressure, superficial life of a Hollywood agent; and how to deal with five gallons of rotten-smelling Jell-O slime with a 180 IQ. All of this with the snappiest dialogue since the West Wing TV show went off the air (Aaron Sorkin, eat your heart out!) The only flaw I could find (and believe me I feel like I am picking fly-specks out of the salt by bringing this up) is that for the first chapter or two I had a little trouble keeping two of the main characters apart because of the similarity of their names (i.e., Miranda and Michelle.) Overall, Anyone, regardless of his or her interests, who is fascinated by an author's ability to take the same old words we all use and put them together in such a way that we can see time-worn subjects with a fresh new perspective, will enjoy this book. Come to think of it, I don't think of "Agent to the Stars" as a sci-fi book after all. It is first and foremost a can't-put-it-down, funny as heck, read. The sci-fi part is just background, the skeleton upon which all the enchanting flesh of ideas, images and associations is hung.

This is his first book which he wrote about 10 years ago. It does read like a first book from a sci-fi writer - but when that writer is as good as this one it's a great first book! I'm very glad I ordered it and read it in no time. I wish he'd write more stuff like this - it was fun to read!

I'm so glad that I have a nasty cold and had to miss work - I was able to finish this wonderful book in a day. But it was so good, I wish it hadn't ended! Please, John, write more!

This is a light-hearted and funny romp in the Heinlein mode that Mr. Scalzi does so well. If you missed "old Man's War", go ahead and order that one right away too; it's a classic and compulsive revisit to the golden age of Sci-fi from the fifties that you'll absolutely enjoy. In this novel, Biz Agent to the Stars, humor and laughs abound (heck, even the title is a punny double entendre) as Thomas Stein, a Hollywood agent fresh off a huge success and feeling good about his bourgeoning career, suddenly is given the job of PR director for a race of stinky and singularly unattractive aliens. I won't give away the story elements but you can imagine the challenge of trying to make aliens that essentially communicate by farting, and that look gross to boot, into lovable characters. Thomas's challenges and adventures in his quest to put a positive spin on his new clients are hilariously fun to follow and the laughs abound. This is an excellent, light, and funny read, devourable in one sitting, and something great to pick up and have a go at when you're in the mood for feel-good fare that will make you smile. Scalzi is an author to watch and I am struck by how much he reminds me of Heinlein, but I am almost afraid to make the comparison lest some people dismiss him as a knock-off. Scalzi is a master in his own right. His books convey his own voice, ideas and vision very clearly all while clearly paying homage to the masters who started it all.