This wasn't Scalzi's best effort, but it was still fun to read.

My specific complaints: (1) too many characters to keep track of, (2) an overabundance of plot twists and/or startling new information, (3) heavy on the exposition, as opposed to action and dialog, and (4) an unusually frequent occurrence of the word "coincidence" or derivatives.

I'm a little surprised because this was written not long after Old Man's War, which was — in my opinion — far better.

I have published a longer review on my website.

Oy, I like John Scalzi, but his writing doesn't always click with me. I give this book 3.5 stars, which I round up to 4 'cause I like the author. I suppose his books could best be described as "sci-fi comfort food"; entertaining, lightweight, nothing that makes you think too hard. The Android's Dream seem to be trying to mine Douglas Adams territory with a mix of space opera and humor; the humor worked okay, but at the expense of the space opera.

Basically, it's the future, and Earth is part of an interstellar Commonwealth which is kind of like a galactic UN except people actually listen to it. Earth's closest allies are more like "frenemies"; the reptilian Nidu, with whom Earth once fought a war. The novel begins with an Earth diplomat wreaking vengeance on the Nidu for their (indirectly) killing his father, which causes a diplomatic crisis that can only be settled by the Nidu being provided with an extremely rare breed of sheep... which turns out to be, through a series of bizarre genetic experiments, a person who doesn't know she has sheep DNA.

It turns out there are rival factions in both the Earth and Nidu governments who don't want the "sheep" to survive, which triggers an interplanetary chase with plenty of action and wisecracks in a story that could have been written for a Will Smith movie.

Not bad, certainly entertaining, but it never quite let me take the story seriously, while never quite being funny enough to make me laugh out loud.

I listened to the one as an audio book read by Wil Wheaton. For me, Scalzi's books, read Wheaton are a win win combination. Wheaton has just the right voice, and does just the right tones and inflections to match Scalzi's odd humor.

The title of this book comes from a genetically modified breed of sheep with bright blue wool. The name 'Androids Dream' is based on an obscure literary reference :)

This is a story of humorous interstellar politics, weird alien races, a human who is 20% sheep DNA, a bizarre religion and other quirky characters. It's probably the most amusing Scalzi book that I have read and rates on a par with Redshirts.

Well worth reading.

The Android's Dream is a bizarre, hilarious take on formulaic espionage thrillers, taking the typical cast of politicians, cabinet officials, diplomats, mercenary thugs and sleazy lobbyists, and moving them into a future where humanity is a new member of an interstellar community of sentient species, and Earth is generally regarded as a minor backwater. While slightly unusual, it isn't the setting, nor the likable but familiar characters, that make this book as good as it is. Instead, it is the long info dumps, which are a staple of both science fiction and thrillers, that make the book shine. The first one takes up most of the opening chapter, and turns into one of the most elaborate fart jokes ever put to paper, while filling in enough details of the setting for the reader to find their bearings. Scalzi seems intent on topping himself repeatedly, and most of the many expository passages advance the story with a blend of solid SF speculation and twisted humor. The action and plotting, while secondary, move the reader briskly on to the next piece of exposition, whether it involves the dangerous misunderstandings of alien mating habits, the limits of artificial intelligence research, or the appalling sexual perversions available in a world with advanced genetic engineering.

-¿Divertida e interesante? Sí y no.-

Género. Ciencia-Ficción.

Lo que nos cuenta. Un grave incidente diplomático hace que el funcionario Harry Creek, un facilitador xenosapiente, nombre pomposo para su tarea de dar malas noticias a especies alienígenas, termine usando esas habilidades más otras debidas a trabajos pasados menos “diplomáticos” tratando de arreglar el incidente, pero varias facciones quieren que las cosas no se arreglen por razones muy distintas.

¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:

http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com....

I am SO torn. On one hand, I greatly enjoyed most of this book, and was a bit sad when it was over. It's got an imaginative and unpredictable plot, and clever world-building. It's an interplanetary political thriller with a brilliant sense of humor. I laughed, and I kept turning pages, mostly eagerly.

On the other hand, two things are true about this book and I really, really wish one or the other wasn't. First, in a large cast, there are two female characters of any significance, and both are mostly plot devices rather than realized characters of agency. There's lots of plot-device-oriented characterization, which is fine and fits the genre, but the only two women - one minor, one major - both fall into that category. Somewhat disappointing. And then there's truth #2: the only major female character is disturbingly, creepily dehumanized, in a plot twist that (minor spoiler for early plot point)  makes her less human than all the men that surround her and decide her fate. The plot point also luridly sexualizes a relative of hers as a non-sentient object created to endure sexual abuse. Out of the ordinary, and seriously creepy. Without one or the other, it's a manageable gap in representation. Neither alone would be enough to register as a full strike against the book for me. With just one or the other, I'd really be rating this 5 stars. But together, they cross my tolerance threshold for inadvertently transmitted misogyny, and that's really disappointing to have mixed in with otherwise great writing.

So, I would give it 5 stars. But, alas, 3. I do plan to read more from this author.

(Violent content warnings: explicit descriptions of humans being digested alive, some dismemberment, various murders, some vivid descriptions of battle. The violence is scattered throughout -- by no means relentless, but not easy to skip.)

This is a science fiction novel with a whole lot of political intrigue, comic book style action, and wry humor thrown in. It was so much fun to read! It's science fiction, not fantasy, but if you are a fan of slightly twisted humor, Christopher Moore, Terry Pratchett, or Lee Martinez, you might like this book.

The premise is that Earth is a newcomer to the intergalactic community and has touchy political relations with its biggest trading partner, the Nidu (they look like big lizards). Some sectors of Earth's government want Earth to work with the Nidu, others don't, and they are all working back-alley intrigues to get their way. When the Nidu's supreme leader dies, Earth is thrown into the middle of the scramble for succession because of a rare sheep breed (Android's Dream - with blue wool) that is required for the coronation ceremony. Someone sabotaged the Nidu royal stock, and the only living sheep is on earth. There's a big twist attached to that sheep, but I won't give it away. The next 2/3s of the book are an action roller coaster. The ending is very satisfying - the good guys win, and only bad guys die, and each step along the way is very satisfying.

This is a funny book. Earth is threatened with conquest by lizard people, several folks get beaten up, shot, stomped to death, or even eaten. But how can you help but be amused by an interplanetary coronation that revolves around a sheep? Or a religion whose adherents freely admit was deliberately created by a failed writer trying to scam a rich lady?

I will provide a spoiler: We never learn the gender of Sam Wentworth. Meta-spoiler: This has no effect on the plot whatsoever.

Not quite up to Scalzi's usual standards. Oh, it's a fun read, kind of The Moon is a Harsh Mistress meets Miles Vorkosigan, with all sorts of sly in-side jokes: Creek's initials, Sam's gender, the messaging by scent (expanded in Agent to the Stars), etc. Labyrinthine plot(s).

What's not to like? Scalzi let his send up of organized religion in general (and L. Ron Hubbard's Church of Scientology in particular) derail the story several times. It distracted from the flow.

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress is one of my all-time favorite SF novels. This could have been even better, but fell short.

A solid read, but too many characters made it hard to follow at points.

A stupid book. It was supposed to be funny and it basically was misfires for 100 pages (at which point there was a joke that was almost funny - it starts out, two guys walk into a bar). And it literally started with a fart joke. It was full of missing words and actual typos. And utterly brilliant with a tremendous ending. Thanks Michael.

If you read a Scalzi book, do so with the understanding that "pretty strange" is your baseline starting level, and the weird factor is going to go up. I guess the best way to describe this is a government spy/diplomacy drama meets space opera and comedy, with a side of social commentary. Scalzi does a good job of establishing his world and his characters, so what seems really f*cking weird at the beginning seems perfectly normal by the end. If only other authors could write reality as believably as he writes wacky science fiction.