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  • The Android's Dream

  • By: John Scalzi
  • Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
  • Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (902 ratings)
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The Android's Dream cover art

The Android's Dream

By: John Scalzi
Narrated by: Wil Wheaton
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Summary

A human diplomat creates an interstellar incident when he kills an alien diplomat in a most unusual way. To avoid war, Earth's government must find an equally unusual object: A type of sheep ("The Android's Dream"), used in the alien race's coronation ceremony.

To find the sheep, the government turns to Harry Creek, ex-cop, war hero and hacker extraordinaire, who with the help of Brian Javna, a childhood friend turned artificial intelligence, scours the earth looking for the rare creature. And they find it, in the unknowing form of Robin Baker, pet store owner, whose genes contain traces of the sheep DNA. But there are others with plans for the sheep as well: Mercenaries employed by the military. Adherents of a secret religion based on the writings of a 21st century science-fiction author. And alien races, eager to start a revolution on their home world and a war on Earth.

To keep our planet from being enslaved, Harry will have to pull off the greatest diplomatic coup in history, a grand gambit that will take him from the halls of power to the lava-strewn battlefields of alien worlds. There's only one chance to get it right, to save the life of Robin Baker - and to protect the future of humanity.

©2006 John Scalzi (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"With plenty of alien gore to satisfy fans of military SF and inventive jabs at pretend patriotism and self-serving civil service, Scalzi delivers an effervescent but intelligent romp." ( Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about The Android's Dream

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A fun romp, with some room for improvement

First things first, Narration by Wil Wheaton is solid narrator and enjoyable. The story is a run sci-fi romp, but honestly if you haven't encountered John Scalzi you should be listening to Old Man's War instead.

My three star rating is due to the following.
If I would immediately recommend, talk about a book a lot or want to go back to the book a couple more times it gets 5 stars. (For note Old Man's War hits this criteria).
If a book is so bad I don't finish it, it gets 1 star.

This book gets 3 stars because while enjoyable the writing tends to be rather repetitive in places which really takes away from the listening pleasure. Repetition of "[Character Name] did action. [Character Name] did action. [Character Name] did different action." and quips which feel out of place and that serve to remove one from action scenes, combined with constant "he said, she said", which works well for books, but detracts from audiobooks.

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

he said

cant get over how much he uses the phrase "he said" try a different adjective . I'm not sure who's more fed up, me hearing it or wil wheaton having to say it.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Hilarious

Scalzi is a master of the comedic sci-fi novel. He's right up there with Terry Pratchett. I can highly recommend this book as a great entry to his work. You'll love it.

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Creek said. Acuna said. Baker said.

I now understand all of the complaints other reviewers have made regarding John Scalzi books; he constantly uses 'said'. Every sentence of dialogue is ended with 'character said.' I actually quite enjoyed the story, which was unique and hilarious. But the ludicrously repetitive dialogue was incredibly grating.

I'm hoping this does not repeat in Old Man's War, which I also just purchased. Our else I may just have to put Scalzi on my 'so not read' list.

Wil Wheaton is, as per usual, a fantastic narrator.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Great Performance; mediocre story

Would you try another book written by John Scalzi or narrated by Wil Wheaton?

Yes I would but not because of this book. I did really enjoy reading Red Shirts

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Meh, I wasn't really invested in the characters.

Which character – as performed by Wil Wheaton – was your favourite?

Lars-win-Getag or generally the Nidu.

Do you think The Android's Dream needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, I don't think I would read it if there was

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed listening to Wil Wheaton's perfomance but I didn't really care for the story too much. There were funny parts but not to the level of Douglas Adams.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

No sleeping time allowed

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this to anyone with a good sense of humour who enjoys lighthearted, silly stories with lots of dialogue

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Android's Dream?

When Archie was eaten by his new found friend

What does Wil Wheaton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Wil Wheaton is superb. He seems to read so effortlessly, taking the story forward at a fast pace perfectly timed for the story. Without inflicting a mocking tone, he is able to capture the full craziness of what he is reading. I enjoy John Scalzi on the written page but when he is read allowed by Mr.Wheaton, the full hilarity can bubble out - and I get to listen as I do my chores

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Lots of smiles along the way.

Any additional comments?

A fun book I would certainly recommend but not my first choice in the listings of this writer.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not bad but there's so much better out there

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. Stick with Phillip K Dick if you like this style. His stuff is SO much better.

Would you be willing to try another book from John Scalzi? Why or why not?

Possibly. He was funny at times, the character interactions were ok (better than some of the trash I've been listening to) and his story had potential. It was just a little over the top.

What aspect of Wil Wheaton’s performance might you have changed?

Nothing that I can remember.

Do you think The Android's Dream needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Yeah. It left things open for future developments. There definitely could be a follow, telling of the aftermath of what happens next and earth relation with the other planets.

Any additional comments?

No

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Good

It wasn't exactly what I was expecting. The book is not "laughing out loud" funny in any way. But it is written in not really a serious way either. Like a parody. But not really - the plot is quite adequate and good for that. I don't even know how to describe it. But - what matters here - I liked it, it was interesting and entertaining, easy going, with some smiles in the middle.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Not a bad story but he's no Pratchett

I struggled to get into this book at first, but it did improve. The technobabble is totally overdone but story is pretty clever and I did enjoy it overall. The author is no Terry Pratchett though.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great

fantastic book to listen to with great characters and some really good twists . really enjoyed it the protagonist was a character that was very likable, was sad to get to the end of it.

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5 people found this helpful