Preview
  • Agent to the Stars

  • By: John Scalzi
  • Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
  • Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (15,963 ratings)

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Agent to the Stars

By: John Scalzi
Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
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Publisher's summary

The space-faring Yherajk have come to Earth to meet us and to begin humanity's first interstellar friendship. There's just one problem: They're hideously ugly and they smell like rotting fish. So getting humanity's trust is a challenge. The Yherajk need someone who can help them close the deal. Enter Thomas Stein, who knows something about closing deals. He's one of Hollywood's hottest young agents. But although Stein may have just concluded the biggest deal of his career, it's quite another thing to negotiate for an entire alien race. To earn his percentage this time, he's going to need all the smarts, skills, and wits he can muster.

©2005 John Scalzi (P)2010 Audible, Inc.
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Editorial reviews

Wil Wheaton, a Star Trek: The Next Generation alum, is a canny choice for narrator of this intersection of science fiction and Elmore Leonard-esque Hollywood farce. In addition to being a rather prominent footnote in sci-fi history, Wheaton’s also got a great voice — sonorous, with an inflection similar to a late-night radio DJ who’s bemusedly sharing an anecdote on air between tracks. His voice also carries a hint of that lilt peculiar to many native Angelenos, which comes in handy when he exaggerates it to Valley Girl-proportions to portray starlet Michelle Beck, former cheerleader and current box office draw.

Hollywood agent Tom Stein is the book’s hero, and when the story begins, Michelle is his most important client. That is, until Tom meets Joshua, an extraterrestrial whose alien race hires Tom and his boss, superagent Carl Lupo, to represent them. The Yherajk have decided their best hope for a peaceful first contact between their race and all of humanity is to out themselves via the movies, and they know if they want to make it in Hollywood, they need good representation.

Wheaton’s voicing of Joshua, who has traveled to Earth as the Yherajk’s representative, is another highlight. Joshua, like his kinsmen, looks like a gelatinous blob, gives off a noxious odor, and slithers around amorphously. He’s also incredibly educated when it comes to human pop culture, having logged countless hours watching sitcoms. Wheaton delivers Joshua’s line, “We look like snot. And we smell like dead fish,” in a nasally deadpan that suits a one-liner-delivering alien to a T.

Even when Scalzi veers into semi-philosophical territory — as when he explores why an alien race would choose a Hollywood debut over staging their premiere in Washington — Wheaton keeps the narration moving with his just-right character voices. Look out for the both silly and spot-on sounding Quebecois accent he uses to portray Roland Lanois, an art-house film director with a critical role in the novel, and for his Buddha-like turn as Gwedif, a Yherajk storyteller. —Maggie Frank

Critic reviews

“Narrator Wil Wheaton animates the slapstick text with a tone that is appropriate for the story of a young Tinsel Town agent whose other clients are either equally deranged or aren't making him much money.” ( AudioFile)

What listeners say about Agent to the Stars

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A lot of fun

Great story and great narration! Scalzi is entertaining as always and Wheaton is one of the best

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Loved the Cats ...

I fell into sci-fi and Scalzi. I loved the other book with the cats. This one disappointed. I was engaged and enjoying the story unfold but the end seems contrived and too easy, like the author gave up. Wil Wheaton delivered but making me reconsider the author.

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Fun and creative

Scalzi is becoming one of my favorite authors. He takes a new and interesting idea and runs with it. His characters are likeable and engaging. I’m looking forward to the next read.

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fun ride

Wil is a great narrator and makes the story interesting and fast paced. The story is wild and I loved it!

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Adorable, hilarious

A delightful tale of first contact with an alien race, and a Hollywood agent’s mission to win the world’s acceptance of them.

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Another Hit

Another great book. Such a great author/Narrator combo that really brings this story to life. A super enjoyable quick read.

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Wonderful humor throughout

I really do not have dislikes for this book. Looking forward to reading more from the author.

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That was a fun, creative read!

I like sci-fi but wasn’t sure the plot. My sister-in-law recommended and I’m glad she did. Simple, easy to follow and enjoyable.

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Scalzi made me cry a little

This isn’t quite like the other Scalzi books I’ve listened to. It was just as fun and entertaining, but it also had an emotional punch. This actually got me choked up briefly (more than once), which I was not expecting. Once again, Wil Wheaton hit it out of the park with his narration. I’m officially a fan of both.

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A stay-up-all-night-reading kind of book

This is my first book by John Scalzi, but definitely not the last. His sharp anad slightly sarcastic humor, effortless wit and narrative flow remind me a lot of "Good Omens" by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. The characters are interesting, multi-dimensional and over the top, while still believable and very much likable. The way the story weaves through the fantastic elements and the mundane elements is thrilling.

Separate tip of the hat to Wil Wheaton, an excellent narrator. His characters are very distinct, his technique is flawless and Joshua the Alien sounds like a true hipster, which, i guess is expected for a gelatinous life form.

I would recommend this book, you will enjoy it!

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63 people found this helpful