The Android's Dream

"The Android's Dream" by John Scalzi The distant future; Man isn't alone in the universe as we have now become aware of a great number of alien races spread throughout the cosmos. Coming with this knowledge is the knowledge that the human race is near the bottom where military power is concerned. Where before there was national and international political intrigue, now there is interstellar intrigue. An ambassador of the alien race the Nidu winds up dead and the Nidu suspect murder. The death is near sparking a war however the Nidu seem willing to let things slide if Earth can come up a special item they require for a ceremony, an item that has suddenly become very rare. Needing to get things done from outside of the government, Harry Creek is tagged with the charge of finding the item and delivering it to the Nidu... This was a refreshing read and I will be eagerly pursuing more of Scalzi's work. "The Android's Dream" which is something of a misnomer is a great read. Scalzi combines just the right amount of plot, humor and action which are all carried nicely by his prose. The Good: Great writing overall. Scalzi delivers great characters, a well thought out plot and the right blend of action, and humor. The Bad: Nothing memorable Overall: Great read. If you haven't read anything by John Scalzi this is a great place to start.

I was first introduced to Scalzi when I read Old Mans War and I was hooked. I then bought every book he has written. This is by far his best, its such an original idea in so many ways and the way Scalzi writes is just great. The first chapter was hysterical

John Scalzi knows that the best way to get a reader interested in his work is to hook said reader from the opening sentence. Scalzi opens The Android's Dream with a fart joke. A really good and creative fart joke. Then he spins that fart joke into a brilliant opening chapter which sets the stage for everything that follows. Essentially, John Scalzi sells the entire novel on the premise of a fart joke and then he makes it work. Amazing. It is a work of art. The Android's Dream is about two groups of men. One group is trying to prevent the intergalactic diplomatic incident that was begun by that opening fart joke. The other is trying to spread the floodgates open wider and really mess things up. The solution to the problems of both parties was to locate a particular sheep. Yes, a sheep. The solution to prevent an intergalactic war is to find a sheep. Obviously hijinks ensue and trouble abounds and things do not go smoothly, but from a fart joke to a sheep (and O what a sheep!), John Scalzi has put together a very funny, sharp, witty, clever, and creative novel. The Andoid's Dream is an outstanding piece of science fiction and serves as a good reminder of what the genre can do. Really, this book deserves three or four pages of praise rather than three short paragraphs, but it is what it is. Fans of Scalzi, Science Fiction, or Good Writing: You must read this book. Period. -Joe Sherry

John Scalzi's "Old Man's War" and "Ghost Brigades" have serious stories to tell with a SciFi twist. "The Android's Dream", on the other hand, is very funny and almost pure SciFi in its way. It's a great story, especially for those like me whose interest in science fiction waned decades ago. Some indeterminate time, thousands of years in the future, Planet Earth is a minor member of the Common Confederation of planets, its most significant trading partner being the Nidu who, although also a minor member, could crush Earth. The leader of Nihu dies and the successor must be chosen. One wrinkle: all the sacred blue sheep, one of which is needed for the orderly coronation of a new leader are dead or dying. To reserve the interplanetary peace, a blue sheep must be found. Relations betwen the Nihu and Earth are further strained when a minor trade diplomat assinates a Nihu diplomat in one of the most hilarious ways conceivable. Death as comedy - it works. Enter Harry Creek, an unassuming one-time war hero who is perfectly happy in his little job of bringing bad news to alien diplomats. Harry is the one man who can be trusted to find the blue sheeep. Now Scalzi unleases it all: an interplanetary power struggle with treason, double-dealing, a very large (and accurate) dose of computer hacking of the largest order, a religion that knows it is fake but seeks to find out if its prophecies might be true (try that one on for size - Scalzi makes it work) and an appealing young woman, Robin Baker, with some very special qualities. Harry Creek turns out to be quite a hero and the bad guys - well, sentient beings - chasing him aren't at all talentless, which makes for an exciting earthly and interplanetary chase. There's a lot here. Good science. Good fiction. Surprisingly well developed characters. And a complex plot that never misses a beat. Even if science fiction isn't your metier, Scalzi's science fiction has more than enough fiction to keep anyone interested in a good story happy. Jerry

John Scalzi is quickly shaping up to be the next Big Name in modern SF. This book synthesizes the best elements of several of the best other SF writers -- it has plotting and action reminiscent of Heinlein, situational comedy that rivals Douglas Adams while still (somehow) retaining believability, something of Neal Stephenson's eye for future trendspotting and commentary, and even a taste here and there of Vernor Vinge. This book is definitely for adults, or at least for readers old enough to handle topics like bestiality or the desire of an AI for sex without flinching. The best way to describe the book might be by stating the opening: A human diplomat creates an interstellar diplomatic incident when he uses a rectally-implanted gadget to fart out insulting messages in the scent-language of an alien race. Not that the book is overly crude -- it is, in fact, a testament to Scalzi's writing that all of the crudity is perfectly incoporated into and dictated by the needs of the plot -- but still, be aware. (If this paragraph has made you more interested in the book, good!) It will be very interesting to track Scalzi's growth as a writer. As good as this book is, there are parts of it that are slightly derivative. But then, as (either T.S. Eliot or Mark Twain, I can't remember) said, "Mediocre writers borrow, great writers steal." There's nothing at all wrong with a book this well-crafted, and with this much of the writer's personal style in evidence, lifting a little here and there from other the other greats of the genre. After all, as the title's allusion indicates, that's part of the fun. And very few SF titles within recent memory are anywhere near as much fun as this.