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REVIEW: AGENT TO THE STARS, JOHN SCALZI

Tom Stein is finally achieving some success for his superstar client, Michelle,
in between teasing his stern assistant, Miranda, and bowing down to his boss,
Carl. He’s not expecting what Carl lands him with next; no less than the
position as agent to the world’s first alien contact. The Yherajk are blobby,
morphable aliens with personality, and the one that has come down for exposure
to the masses is Joshua. Tom is charged with representing Joshua and somehow
earning him a place in pop culture, facing the biggest and most potentially
rewarding challenge of his career – and for humanity.

I’ve felt very much into science fiction lately, but because this is all fairly
new, I don’t actually have very many books in my TBR bookcase that actually fit
the bill. Years of historical fiction isn’t cutting it for me right now. So the
book sitting by John Scalzi on my shelf – even if humorous rather than the sort
of epic I was craving – was the best possible option.

In the introduction, Scalzi writes that this was his first book, his attempt to
find out if he could actually write a novel before he tried to get published.
Once his books took off, it made sense to dust it off and actually publish it,
and that’s roughly how it landed in my hands. The book is full of trademark
Scalzi wit, and it’s really obvious as a reader of his blog that it’s his voice
coming out through the characters. I find this with almost all of his books
these days, and I can’t say I really mind. I’m used to his voice, and I find him
very amusing.

That said, this was different regardless as it’s set in the present day, amongst
superstars and ordinary working folk alike. I actually liked the setting and the
concept, and I found the book to be a fantastic ride. It’s not particularly
deep, and it’s relatively predictable, but I think the fun factor is probably
precisely what Scalzi was going for here. How much more ridiculous can you make
the first alien encounter? I loved the Yherajk, they were truly a great concept
for a race of aliens, and I think the book really shows off how Scalzi’s wild
mind works.

It’s also a very speedy read – it’s only a short book – and works well as the
standalone it is. I often feel there isn’t enough standalone fiction like this –
there is the compulsion to turn everything into a series now. While I love
series, I also love a book that resolves itself at the end like this one.

I can tell you that I’m now definitely looking forward to reading more of
Scalzi’s humorous books as well as his deeper Old Man’s War style reads, but I’d
easily recommend both. Agent to the Stars is also not what I’d imagine as a
science fiction novel, so it’s a great taster for those who aren’t sure if
they’d like the genre or not.

All external book links are affiliate links. I purchased this book.

4 COMMENTS TO REVIEW: AGENT TO THE STARS, JOHN SCALZI

* zibilee
February 13, 2012 at 8:07 pm

This does sound like a lot of fun, and not something that I would have picked
up on my own without a recommendation. I like the idea of an alien ambassador
needing a little media polish, and seeing how that’s done would probably
really intrigue me. Thanks for the great review and for opening my eyes to a
new book that’s totally out of my comfort zone!

* bermudaonion (Kathy)
February 14, 2012 at 12:58 am

I don’t read much science fiction but might enjoy the humor in this one.

* Kailana
February 14, 2012 at 3:09 am

I actually own this. I don’t even remember buying it, but at some point I
did…

* jessicabookworm
February 14, 2012 at 11:40 am

Sounds like a bit of a different read. Mostly you reminded me though I
haven’t read some science fiction, watched but not read in ages!

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