book data
263 ratings,
3.82
average rating, 54 reviews
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published
October 28th 2008
(first published 2005)
by Tor Books
binding
Paperback, 352 pages
isbn
0765317710
(isbn13: 9780765317711)
description
<DIV><DIV>
The space-faring Yherajk have come to Earth to meet us and to begin humanity’s first interstellar friendship. There’s just one p
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 388)
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5 stars (51)
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avg 3.82
editions: all | this edition
editions: all | this edition
Read in March, 2009
What would you get if you added space aliens to the HBO series "Entourage"? You'd get John Scalzi's "Agent to the Stars". This book had me rolling with laughter. I was up way too late last night finishing it. There's nothing deep here. It's a standard first-contact story in which gelatinous aliens hire a Hollywood agent to figure out a way to introduce them to humanity. They've been watching TV broadcasts from Earth and they realize that they'll have a serious image pro...more
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Read in May, 2009
Tom Stein is a rising agent in Hollywood, when his boss asks him to create a publicity campaign for a race of aliens. They have an image problem: They look and smell terrible. So if they are to be accepted as friends, Tom is going to need some really creative positioning ideas.
In the meantime he has issues with his main client, a sexy but brainless blonde. A co-worker and a slandering writer for a gossip rag are out to get him. His neighbor's lonely dog makes itself at home in his ho...more
In the meantime he has issues with his main client, a sexy but brainless blonde. A co-worker and a slandering writer for a gossip rag are out to get him. His neighbor's lonely dog makes itself at home in his ho...more
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An alien invasion Hollywood style, literally. This is a pretty funny book about an alien race that visits earth and decides to employ a hollywood agent to figure out the best way to approach humans. I like John Scalzi as an author and I hope he continues to produce books that are not a part of the Old Mans War series (Old Mans War is a fantastic book).
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Read in August, 2008
This was a fast, fun read. The premise is that aliens come to earth to make first conatct, and decide that their odiferous, gelatenous selves might not be well received. (They look like The Blob, and speak in farts.) So they hire a top notch Hollywood PR firm to present them to the Earth in an acceptable way.
This is the author's first "practice" book, a little science, a lot of humor, some romance and some action. A perfect summer beach read for SF fans. And you can read it...more
This is the author's first "practice" book, a little science, a lot of humor, some romance and some action. A perfect summer beach read for SF fans. And you can read it...more
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9 comments
Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
Fans of Scalzi.
Aliens need representation too. Or at least, that's the central premise of Agent to the Stars, John Scalzi's first novel.
Like all Scalzi novels, the story is served at breakneck pace, with character being revealed in the pauses between the actions. There is a little romance, a lot of humor, and the occasional plot twist.
Agent is a fun, fast read; I read it through during an average day and did not feel that I was missing anything by reading in bits and pieces over the c...more
Like all Scalzi novels, the story is served at breakneck pace, with character being revealed in the pauses between the actions. There is a little romance, a lot of humor, and the occasional plot twist.
Agent is a fun, fast read; I read it through during an average day and did not feel that I was missing anything by reading in bits and pieces over the c...more
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Read in April, 2008
Pop culture is often dismissed as simply low culture – in contrast to the high art of opera or classical music or abstract expressionism. And there’s good reason: As long-ago scifi author Theodore Sturgeon once pointed out, “Ninety percent of everything is trash.”
A simple tour through the cable channels, or spin of the radio dial, will prove Sturgeon right, and in the mass of modern pop culture it’s much harder to filter out the signal from the noise. In classical music, for ...more
A simple tour through the cable channels, or spin of the radio dial, will prove Sturgeon right, and in the mass of modern pop culture it’s much harder to filter out the signal from the noise. In classical music, for ...more
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Have you ever heard of a "practice novel?" Well, if you haven't, let me introduce you to the concept.
John Scalzi, who is likely to become one of my favorite authors, wrote a book in 1997 just to see if he could, in fact, write a book. Turns out he can.
"Agent to the Stars" started its life online in 1999 when Scalzi posted it and asked readers to send him $1 if they thought the story was good and before long it took on a life of its own. Subterranean Pr...more
John Scalzi, who is likely to become one of my favorite authors, wrote a book in 1997 just to see if he could, in fact, write a book. Turns out he can.
"Agent to the Stars" started its life online in 1999 when Scalzi posted it and asked readers to send him $1 if they thought the story was good and before long it took on a life of its own. Subterranean Pr...more
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Read in February, 2009
I liked this book. Not quite as funny as Androids but still very clever. I liked the Hollywood angle a lot. If your looking for a quick, light, funny read, this is the book for you.
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Read in December, 2008
This book is a fun sci-fi romp in which an alien race, having come to Earth, decide that the best way for them to introduce themselves to the human race is to hire a Hollywood agent. The book is told from the agent's point of view, as he attempts to juggle clients and movie offers while simultaneously seeking an original and appealing way to introduce these fundamentally friendly aliens to a culture that tends to think of aliens as hostile threats to our society. Heady issues, but the way Scalzi...more
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Read in January, 2009
I loved this book. So enjoyable to read because the aliens are sarcastic. If I were to write a sci-fi novel it would be a lot like this one.
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It's kind of obvious that this is a first novel, but it's still fun. If you like Scalzi's sense of humor, you'll enjoy this book.
(Irrelevant note: I read this before it was available in book form -- it's still available for free on Scalzi's site -- and thus was easily able to buy a limited edition hardcover from Subterranean at the regular price. I've since gotten it signed, which means, according to eBay, it's worth a couple hundred dollars. Cool! It's a toss-up between that and the s...more
(Irrelevant note: I read this before it was available in book form -- it's still available for free on Scalzi's site -- and thus was easily able to buy a limited edition hardcover from Subterranean at the regular price. I've since gotten it signed, which means, according to eBay, it's worth a couple hundred dollars. Cool! It's a toss-up between that and the s...more
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Read in May, 2009
Lovely, polite, civic-minded aliens have arrived. And being considerate, they want to make sure humanity is ready to handle the big reveal.
"'We have seen The Blob, and it is us,' Joshua intoned."
They'd prefer humans to perceive them as the non-threatening group they are. So they hire an agent. After all, who better to decide what humanity will find palatable than the people in Hollywood?
Scalzi's Agent to the Stars has a fast-paced plot, filled with...more
"'We have seen The Blob, and it is us,' Joshua intoned."
They'd prefer humans to perceive them as the non-threatening group they are. So they hire an agent. After all, who better to decide what humanity will find palatable than the people in Hollywood?
Scalzi's Agent to the Stars has a fast-paced plot, filled with...more
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Read in January, 2009
recommended to Sbuchler by:
Tom
genre: humorous sci-fi
This was an enjoyable romp - it's about humanities first contact with another intelligent species - who first decide they need a Hollywood Agent to overcome humanities reaction to their jello-like physique, and their smelly form of communication. Our hero, who's a young Agent whose just gotten the break of his career for the new-minted beach-bunny Star(tm) he's representing is left to figure out _how_ to overcome humanities irrational fear of non-back-bone-ownin...more
This was an enjoyable romp - it's about humanities first contact with another intelligent species - who first decide they need a Hollywood Agent to overcome humanities reaction to their jello-like physique, and their smelly form of communication. Our hero, who's a young Agent whose just gotten the break of his career for the new-minted beach-bunny Star(tm) he's representing is left to figure out _how_ to overcome humanities irrational fear of non-back-bone-ownin...more
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Read in May, 2009
Another take on how Earth's first encounter with aliens might go. Although the aliens are nearly as strange physically, this one constrasts quite a bit with Watt's Blindsight. Both books suggest ways that aliens might differ from us that are completely radical, which is nice.
Scalzi's strength appears to be fast paced, comedic dialog with some action thrown in. I'm starting to realize that's the basis for all his books. I definitely enjoy it, but I'm starting to wonder if he's a one t...more
Scalzi's strength appears to be fast paced, comedic dialog with some action thrown in. I'm starting to realize that's the basis for all his books. I definitely enjoy it, but I'm starting to wonder if he's a one t...more
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Read in March, 2009
A quick, fun read easily approached by those not too interested in the sci-fi genre. Scalzi's showbiz lingo and characterizations are spot-on and the aliens are certainly well played, but the dialogue occasionally veers into cliches and only slightly humorous banter. If you are a sci-fi fan, don't expect the depth and tight story of Scalzi's Old Man's series, but do expect to be entertained and delighted for the few hours it takes to finish this book.
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Aliens have come to earth; unfortunately they're not sexy, green, and bikini-clad. They actually look like Jello and communicate through smells (mostly stinky). How to make first contact? Why, hire a Hollywood agent, of course. (Hilarity ensues)
Just finished this over lunch; a very funny and engaging read. I saw the connection to Scalzi's later book (The Android's Dream), yet somehow found this to be funnier and more enjoyable.
I would highly recommend it.
Just finished this over lunch; a very funny and engaging read. I saw the connection to Scalzi's later book (The Android's Dream), yet somehow found this to be funnier and more enjoyable.
I would highly recommend it.
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Read in May, 2009
recommends it for:
SF enthusiasts
This is Scalzi's first novel, and he didn't intend to publish it- it was his 'practice novel.' I'm glad it's available now, though, because it's a heck of an entertaining book, about disgusting slimy aliens and the Hollywood agent they hire to try to help make them likable to humans. Fast-moving, funny, and entertaining; this Scalzi fellow seems like a promising new writer with a bright future ahead of him.
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Read in March, 2009
You're a Hollywood agent and your newest client is...an alien! An alien with an image problem. The story dragged a little in spots but was certainly entertaining and funny, with a little drama thrown in. Definitely lighter in tome than Scalzi's other books, but worth a read if you liked the Android's Dream or want a less intense Scalzi experience after reading Old Man's War.
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What do you do if you are an alien race who wants to open friendly relations with humans but knows from watching television and movies that we are likely to see them as "bad aliens" due to outward appearances? If you are as steeped in pop culture as these aliens are, then it is obvious. Hire a Hollywood agent! John Scalzi takes us on a light-hearted romp that also is a keen look at pop culture and how it shapes our lives, as well as making excellent observations about human nature in g...more
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Read in January, 2009
Enjoyable read about an agent who finds himself trying to represent the a smelly blob alien species to all of Earth. The humor in it keeps the book rolling, working to smooth out the rough spots, but doesn't entirely save it from the really implausible parts (I know, entire plot premise aside, because after all, it is well, aliens); and an entirely too predictable and pat ending.
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