Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
74th out of 106 books
—
14 voters
Blonde Bombshell
by
Tom Holt
The year is 2017. Lucy Pavlov is the CEO of PavSoft Industries, home of a revolutionary operating system that every computer in the world runs on. Her personal wealth is immeasurable, her intelligence is unfathomable, and she's been voted World's Most Beautiful Woman for three years running. To put it simply - she has it all.
But not everything is quite right in Lucy's life...more
But not everything is quite right in Lucy's life...more
Paperback, 382 pages
Published
June 18th 2010
by Orbit
(first published January 1st 2010)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
864)
Originally published on my blog here in October 2010.
Tom Holt's latest novel seems to follow in well trodden footsteps. An advanced alien civilization finds itself threatened by the Earth's broadcasts through space, as music (not a concept previously known to them) is addictive to the Ostar. They send an intelligent bomb to destroy the Earth, only to loose contact; Blonde B ombshell concerns their second attempt, to find out what the Earth's hidden technology which put paid to the first bomb cou...more
Tom Holt's latest novel seems to follow in well trodden footsteps. An advanced alien civilization finds itself threatened by the Earth's broadcasts through space, as music (not a concept previously known to them) is addictive to the Ostar. They send an intelligent bomb to destroy the Earth, only to loose contact; Blonde B ombshell concerns their second attempt, to find out what the Earth's hidden technology which put paid to the first bomb cou...more
Earth is about to be destroyed by a (literally) smart bomb sent by the Ostarians, a race of creatures descended from dogs rather than primates. The reason: Earth's music turns Ostarian brains to pudding, both literally and figuratively. When the first bomb vanishes, they send a second bomb, which creates a humanoid probe so it can investigate the situation. The probe goes native, even though it's clueless about human social norms and cultural references. Much hilarity ensues.
I like Tom Holt's bo...more
I like Tom Holt's bo...more
A dog's best friend is his man. That's how this insane book begins and ends. In between I learned that sentient beings called Ostar, who are dogs, are actually descendants of 2 dogs shot into space from the US in the 1950s. The dogs went through a wormhole and landed on Ostar 100 million years ago. They evolved into very intelligent beings with technology that far surpasses those on Earth or Dirt as the Ostars call it.
One of the Ostars wants to wipe out the Earth because music is coming through...more
One of the Ostars wants to wipe out the Earth because music is coming through...more
Tom Holt goes scifi! Ostar is a planet inhabited by intelligent dogs who keep humans as pampered pets. Ostar is getting bombarded by music from Earth (which the Ostars call Dirt) and they are determined to wipe out the Dirters so they can regain their sanity. They send a planet-busting highly intelligent bomb, but it fails. A second bomb is sent. This one is wary and searches for the defense shield that must have destroyed the first bomb. To research further, the intelligence pits itself into a...more
This made it onto my TBR pile thanks to multiple comparisons to Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy trilogy, which is one of my favorite series. I can completely understand why the comparison is made. The book is witty, zany, and consists of a hilarious imagining of outer space and aliens.
The plot is complex without being confusing. It revolves around three people (well, one is a bomb) who are connected in mysterious ways they just don’t know yet. It kept me guessing, managed to surp...more
The plot is complex without being confusing. It revolves around three people (well, one is a bomb) who are connected in mysterious ways they just don’t know yet. It kept me guessing, managed to surp...more
I have always been a huge fan of Tom Holt. I love the quirky sense of humour in his books and I was not disappointed with this one. I really enjoyed his take on science fiction. Very much how I would have imagined him to have gone had I ever been able to imagine him going there in the first place. I think one of the things I love most about his writing is falling in love with the characters that are totally unable to function within society as 'normal' and dysfunctional is the nicest thing one c...more
I think that the main point with Blonde Bombshell was to make the reader laugh. I didn't laugh as much as I would have liked, but there were some moments where I thought to myself,"That's pretty funny.". That is the extent of this novel. There isn't too much else to say. The book follows the life of a bomb that is sent to destroy Earth by a race of beings called the Ostars. The is seen and heard as a probe that looks human and goes by the name Mark Twain. The best part of the novel is how Mark T...more
Not the sort of book I would usually pick, I think, but somebody kept bugging me to read it, so ...
It takes a while to figure out what's going on. Holt seems to start in the middle of the story, and while he does seem to eventually get round to working the beginning into it again, it's really frustrating to spend half the book trying to figure out who these characters even are. If not for the scattered bits of funny, which work without really knowing what's going on, it'd be something I wouldn't...more
It takes a while to figure out what's going on. Holt seems to start in the middle of the story, and while he does seem to eventually get round to working the beginning into it again, it's really frustrating to spend half the book trying to figure out who these characters even are. If not for the scattered bits of funny, which work without really knowing what's going on, it'd be something I wouldn't...more
Sep 14, 2011
Andy
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Anybody who likes Douglas Adams, Pratchett, or Rankin
Science Fiction? Hmm not really much in the way of science, plenty of pseudo science.
Intergalactic? - uh no... The action spans Dirt (earth) and the Dog world (Ostar) either 70 or 700 Light years apart (depending which bit of the book you believe - Tom, please be internally consistent at least!!!), so hardly Intergalactic, certainly less so than HHGTTG...
Nonetheless this is in the same vein as most of his other work (excluding the historical fiction), suitably daft and silly.
Story concerns an in...more
Intergalactic? - uh no... The action spans Dirt (earth) and the Dog world (Ostar) either 70 or 700 Light years apart (depending which bit of the book you believe - Tom, please be internally consistent at least!!!), so hardly Intergalactic, certainly less so than HHGTTG...
Nonetheless this is in the same vein as most of his other work (excluding the historical fiction), suitably daft and silly.
Story concerns an in...more
I debated whether to give this two or three stars. It was not nearly as clever as it wanted to be, and the gender roles were awful (SF with terrible gender roles, shocking!). Despite that I went three stars for the fact that it actually was pleasantly readable, and I was (eventually) compelled to finish it.
I guess regretting finishing it is my criterion for two stars. So, see, this book was worth finishing, for the learning? (Maybe?)
Anyway, some clever concepts that I think could be done better...more
I guess regretting finishing it is my criterion for two stars. So, see, this book was worth finishing, for the learning? (Maybe?)
Anyway, some clever concepts that I think could be done better...more
Tom Holt is totally crazy. He's also a genius. I've ready many of his books, and I've never been disappointed.
For three quarters of this book it seems like this story is going nowhere. No answers are forthcoming and you just get more and more confused. But Tom Holt's talent lies in tying up all those loose ends into something that just makes total sense, and this story is a particularly good showcase for that talent. I loved the ending, it was just so neat and complete. I found myself grinning...more
For three quarters of this book it seems like this story is going nowhere. No answers are forthcoming and you just get more and more confused. But Tom Holt's talent lies in tying up all those loose ends into something that just makes total sense, and this story is a particularly good showcase for that talent. I loved the ending, it was just so neat and complete. I found myself grinning...more
Blonde Bombshell is an absurdist Science Fiction Comedy about how the earth is going to be blown up by and advanced alien race of dogs. Our crime? Our music is just too good and it’s bothering the rest of the galaxy. But en route, the sentient bomb enters probe status and begins to experience earth culture as a human, while humans begin to experience less earth-culture items, like flying escape-dogs and werewolf strike teams. I was entirely won over in fewer than five chapters.
When you do absurd...more
When you do absurd...more
Any time someone writes humorous SF, comparisons with Douglas Adams are inevitable, but I think it's unfair to measure Tom Holt's Blonde Bombshell with this in mind.
It's an original story, with lots of laughs, and some fun observations about human nature and bad computer software.
On a purely SF level it doesn't really make any sense -- the Ostars are essentially dogs, yet they have seats, buttons, and other human technologies, which surely wouldn't be comfortable for canine asses and paws as wh...more
It's an original story, with lots of laughs, and some fun observations about human nature and bad computer software.
On a purely SF level it doesn't really make any sense -- the Ostars are essentially dogs, yet they have seats, buttons, and other human technologies, which surely wouldn't be comfortable for canine asses and paws as wh...more
Tom Holt rarely disappoints. As usual, there was plenty of humor and what would normally be considered an unexpected ending. The build up to the conclusion was great. The conclusion felt a bit rushed and was a little confusing in parts but I believe that is the Tom Holt way. His resolution was clever and intricate. It turned out almost the way I was expecting except for a few things. If you have the time and need a break from your high brow options, pick it up.
Blonde Bombshell by Tom Holt is what you read when you've read all of Douglas Adam's works and ask, what do I read next? Someone has been robbing banks, Lucy has been seeing unicorns and there are not werewolves running around. Meanwhile earth has been targeted by two bombs, mainly because the first has disappeared without exploding. So what do all these things have in common? Funny, quirky and positively bizarre.
Very much like Douglas Adams' "Hitchikier's guide to the galaxy" in general oddball silliness. Dog-based beings from advanced-technology Ostar with human pets send artificial-intelligence bombs to destroy Earth (otherwise known as "Dirt") because Earth keeps emitting music that destroys the Ostarians' ability to think. I found it generally amusing without being laugh-out-loud funny.
Another book written by a British man brought up on Doctor Who. Okay, I don't know that for sure, but I defy anyone to watch some Tom Baker Doctor Who episodes and then tell me that you think that Tom Holt did not watch Doctor Who as a small child.
Anyway...I did like the book, but it was hard to get into at first. I don't have a lot of patience with books that have too much going on, too many main characters. But this one was decent, and I'm glad I stuck with it even though it was a little pred...more
Anyway...I did like the book, but it was hard to get into at first. I don't have a lot of patience with books that have too much going on, too many main characters. But this one was decent, and I'm glad I stuck with it even though it was a little pred...more
A book with lots of humor and puns and funny happenings. Alas that is all I have to say that is good and all that saves this book. The story isn't that great and only mildly entertaining and if this had been the first book by Tom Holt I had read it would also be the last.
I've read a couple of Tom Holt's books before. The structure of this one was different - the otherness of the aliens made the writing seem disjointed at first, but if you keep reading, you get used to the speech patterns of the aliens and can just concern yourself with the story.
Its a good book, everyone should read it.
I was pleasantly surprised. About 50 pages in, I thought I had it all figured out. But there was more substance and I really enjoyed the ending. More thought evoking than I had expected from such an easy read. Also, I like dogs...
I was pleasantly surprised. About 50 pages in, I thought I had it all figured out. But there was more substance and I really enjoyed the ending. More thought evoking than I had expected from such an easy read. Also, I like dogs...
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I plodded through this book - having got to half way it seemed a waste of my efforts so far to give up, and that's certainly not the feeling I want to have when reading! In my opinion there wasn't enough plot for so long a book; it meandered in a way which I didn't find entertaining.
it was a fun sci-fi one...the title and front caught my attention and i was pleasantly surprised. if you really dont like sci-fi or anything like it... its probably not for you. it was a readers choice book, and i enjoyed it.
I'll have to remember the name Tom Holt, I found this book enjoyable enough to read another of his humor books.
I my self have always wondered what aliens thought about us beaming out music into deep space for all them years. The answer is apparently simple. Launch a artificial intelligent bomb to blow our planet to gravel.
I my self have always wondered what aliens thought about us beaming out music into deep space for all them years. The answer is apparently simple. Launch a artificial intelligent bomb to blow our planet to gravel.
Did not enjoy this book. I was bored, and the language was not pleasant. Could ahve been a fun story, but I couldn't get past the writing to get involved in the story. I did not finish it.
One of Tom's better books in my opinion. It was a bit slow in parts but a satisfying read over all. Like all of Holt's books, you need a certain kind of sense of humor to get the jokes.
This was a Reading List Short List honor title in the Science Fiction category for 2011. For the complete list, go to http://ala.org/ala/mgrps/divs/rusa/aw...
Something of a Hitchhiker's Guide style for the 21st century, but without the fine sense of humour. I found it self-conscious & irritating, and gave up on it about halfway in.
Quirky and "out there" - different genre for sure but I loved it. The author managed to make a most ridiculous scenario completely credible (if you didn't think too hard. I laughed out loud! Great "escape" book.
A wonderful piece of work. With the story taking place in the universe, two different planets with different cultures, attitudes and behaviors cross paths, and the whole book is set in delicious irony. Told in the viewpoint of a highly intelligent intergalactic bomb who tries to find out about the secret defense system of earth which took out the first bomb, he meets a dashing woman who, for all she is worth (where she IS worth a lot...) cannot remember anything about her past. With two bumbling...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South African Boo...: Blonde Bombshell | 42 | 9 | Mar 24, 2012 12:24am |
Tom Holt (Thomas Charles Louis Holt; born September 13, 1961) is a British novelist.
He was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel Holt, and was educated at Westminster School, Wadham College, Oxford, and The College of Law, London.
Holt's works include mythopoeic novels which parody or take as their theme various aspects of mythology, history or literature and develop them in new and often humor...more
More about Tom Holt...
He was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel Holt, and was educated at Westminster School, Wadham College, Oxford, and The College of Law, London.
Holt's works include mythopoeic novels which parody or take as their theme various aspects of mythology, history or literature and develop them in new and often humor...more
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“In his dream, George Stetchkin was in the dock at the Central Criminal Court, accused of the murder of nine million innocent brain cells. The usher was showing the jury the alleged murder weapon, an empty Bison Brand wodka bottle. Then the judge glared at him over the rims of his spectacles and sentenced him to the worst hangover of his life.”
—
3 people liked it
More quotes…
