This has to be one of the strangest books I have read in ages. The humor going through it is great and I love the two main characters. I have always rated Scalzi as an author and this book has done nothing to change that.

I thoroughly enjoyed this! I really wasn't sure what to make of it in beginning, but somewhere around Chapter 4 the story grabbed my attention and refused to let go. While some of the main plot points were telegraphed throughout, the story is written in such a way that you weren't always sure how or when things would happen; Scalzi still had a way of keeping the reader guessing.
Ridiculous, entertaining, fast paced, and humorous, The Android's Dream is a unique combination of Sci Fi, Action, Adventure, Intrigue, and Comedy.

3.5/5 The story almost felt like an arc of Gintama

Es bueno Scalzi, muy bueno.

¿Puedes decir un libro que mezcle ciencia ficción, diplomacia, política, religión, derecho, inteligencia artificial y humor (entre otros elementos), y que el resultado funcione? Pues "El sueño del androide" es la respuesta.

Lo leí en 2017 y le puse 3 estrellas... VERGÜENZA DE MI. Mínimo 4 estrellas, y la 5ª no se la pongo porque ha habido una cosa que en lo personal no me ha gustado, pero vamos, que se las merece.

I listened to the audiobook version and, as always, Wil Wheaton rocked. This did take me a little while to get into, but that was mostly because of all the different characters (many with odd names), and without being able to see the names it took me longer to make the connections. I sometimes wish audiobooks came with a list of the characters to make this easier.

Overall, this was a typical, fun Scalzi romp. Aliens, conspiracy, bumbling humans, crazy smart humans, sentient computers, and secret cult religions (oh! and don't forget the sheep!) -- mix 'em all together and hijinks ensue.

I really enjoy John Scalzi's books, especially when I listen to them narrated by Wil Wheaton. The fact that there is a species trying to make "android's dream" my genetically modifying sheep is intense on its own. But then there is the childhood friend who is dead but who now lives as an AI helping the MC was crazy. And I loved the fight at the end and some of the comical non-sense politics in the book. Great read for John Scalzi or Wil Wheaton fans, or just fans of satirical political sci-fi.

Rating: 3.5 stars


An intergalactic crisis is started when a human diplomat kills his alien counterpart during a sensitive negotiation. Earth is on the brink of war with a vastly alien species and only one thing can save the planet.... a sheep. That's right, a sheep.

The Android's Dream is a scifi political thriller by John Scalzi. If you've read anything else by Scalzi you should have a general idea of what to expect tone-wise for the story. There's a big cast of quirky characters, witty dialogue, plenty of action, several creative alien species and Scalzi's trademark snarky humor all while poking fun at modern society. This includes nods PKD (which you probably noticed in the title), Scientology, the fact that AI isn't really intelligent and the US government, among other things. It's obvious that Scalzi is having a lot of fun when he writes.

Even with all it's good parts, this wasn't one of my favorites. That opening chapter was one big eye roll and some of the plot points made me cringe. Still, there is plenty to enjoy and I found the ending quite touching.

I listened to the audio book narrated by Wil Wheaton. Wheaton does a fantastic job of delivering Scalzi's material, nailing the snarky humor and witty dialogue. He's a lot of fun to listen to.

3.5

It was like a fun sci-fi episode of something. Kinda ditched a lot of the absurd humor halfway through. Lots and lots of typos in this edition.

There are times when you need a book to make you laugh even while dispensing some truth about religion, technology, war, government and alien species. And I clearly picked up this at the right time. I was reminded that yes, I get humor, I am not just serious and dreary. Scalzi gets me with topics that are still relevant especially for 2022.

This book begins with a diplomat exacting a very smelly revenge for the death of a loved one. Unfortunately, the result is that there may be a potential war with a more technologically advanced alien species unless a very specific request can be fulfilled quietly. Enter Harry Creek, the proverbial bearer of bad news, who is tasked with finding a special type of sheep. Harry may seem like the average bureaucrat, but he has some special talents as he races against foes determined to make him fail.

This fast paced science fiction book is great for those looking to start science fiction, if you like artificial intelligence in your stories or just want a rollicking fun time. I like this better than Redshirts. And this has some nods to pop culture and older science fiction writers.

Okay, this is more like 3.895674 stars, or something.

The Android's Dream, a knowing reference to Philip K. Dick even in the novel, takes place in a version of the near/distant future where Earth is part of an interstellar alliance known as the Common Confederation, and aliens are just everyday business to the citizens of Earth (also known as the UNE, or United Nations of Earth). A diplomatic crisis is started when two trade negotiators die during negotiations under very strange and suspicious circumstances. The whole thing spirals until the fate of the world depends on finding the last of a very rare and genetically designed brand of sheep, The Android's Dream, which was specifically designed for the monarchy of the Nidu, an alien race that is threatening to enslave the Earth unless they get their sheep, dammit. Things escalate/are revealed from there, and it all makes sense in the end.

There were a lot of things I really liked about this (like Brian, the worlds first second artificial intelligence, and the very weird artificial religion that knows it's an artificial religion, but takes meaning from believing in it anyway), and some things that really weirded me out at first (like Robin being part sheep, and her sheep mother, and the guy who eats people whole, and the fact that Scalzi NOT ONCE confirms whether Sam Berlant was a man or woman), but I came to accept them.

I think the problem for me was the tone, which was only sometimes a problem. Sometimes it was serious, sometimes it was ridiculous. Sometimes they were talking about the worst battle in human history and people dying, and sometimes they were talking about killing aliens by farting. (First sentence: "Dirk Moeller didn't know if he could fart his way into a major diplomatic incident. But he was willing to try.") The whole fate of the world depending on a lost sheep thing was a little far for me to stretch at first, but Scalzi makes it plausible in the end.

All together, not my favorite Scalzi book, but good all the same.

Not my thing. It does get better after an excruciating first chapter, which chronicles a murder-by-flatulence plot. (Hilarious ...) Two things I noticed:

As of page 61 (which is when I gave up), there isn't one female character. Not ... a ... single ... one, not even a secretary, or a waitress or someone's Mom. Interesting.

Second: published in 2006, there is the following (again, page 61)

This thing was probably made in a small-scale fabricator ... like a printer that works in three dimensions. ... You provide it a design and some raw material and it 'prints' the object you want to make. It's inefficient-- you wouldn't use it to make a lot of things -- but it'd be perfect for a job like this.

Always fun to see how quickly reality overtakes the wild surmises of SF. In future, I will always think of 3-D printers as Small-Scale Fabricators -- so much more elegant ....

John Scalzi has a dark sense of humour and a sarcastic bent that comes out in his wise cracking characters. Inside his characters have grit and poise but the outside version we see in his stories is anything but sarcastic, cocky, irreverent and side splitting funny.

Humanity and the alien Nidu are at peace. At least on the outside. Inside humanity has major problems with the Nidu. Half the world wants to kick them back to their home world while the other half wants to exploit any advantage they have with the Nidu as reluctant partners.

While the Nidu only control a small fleet of war ships, those ships far outclass anything Earth has in its fleet.

Our story starts with a high level meeting between human and Nidu diplomats to hammer out an agreement. Unknown to the Nidu the Earth's head diplomat hates their guts and is just dragging on negotiations to aggravate them. However he does have an ace up his sleeve, or rather in his shorts, as he has had installed a special technology that manipulates farts to send messages to the Nidu who converse with smells.

Moving on from that we then have two opposing groups trying to find a special breed of sheep called Android's Dream. The Nidu need one for a special ceremony. So one group desperately tries to find the sheep while the other group methodically works to kill them all.

In a saga that travels from Earth to the home world of the Nidu we have a nonstop roller coaster of a story. Twist and turns are everywhere and the plot twists are wel thought out, developed and highly entertaining.

HIGHLY recommended book and Author