We recently wrote about the cycle of «War of the old man» by the American writer John Scalzi. He has won three «Locus» awards, three «Hugo» awards, the John Campbell Award, and many other awards for his work, but today we will talk about Scalzi’s first novel, «Agent to the Stars».
At the beginning of his career, the writer didn’t really believe in his talent, so he posted «Star Agent» on the Internet and asked his readers to donate money at will. After a while, he collected $4000, and the novel was published in full in paper. This is how the career of one of the most titled American science fiction writers of our time began. The novel itself is definitely worth your attention if you like humorous fiction, aliens, and movies.
Author John Scalzi
Translator Alex Antonov
Publisher Study book «Bohdan»
Language Ukrainian
Number of pages 272
Cover Solid
Year of publication 2020
Size 145×215 mm
Website bohdan-books.com
Tom Stein works as a junior agent at one of the most famous agencies in Hollywood. His clients are mostly losers and beginners, but there is also a real star — Michelle Beck. He has just signed her for a movie for which she will receive $12 million, and Tom’s interest has also made him a rich man. It seems that the hero’s luck will continue to follow him because the agent is called in by his boss and wants him to represent a special client.
It turns out that the client is a representative of an intelligent alien race called the Yihiragk, kind but smelly jelly-like creatures. They want to establish contact with humanity, but they plan to do it as gently as possible because they realize that they are unattractive to humans. And Tom’s new task is to put this plan into action. Only all the details and other aspects of the problem fall on the hero’s shoulders. It seems that his new job will either make him a part of the great history of mankind or lead to the complete failure of the first contact between earthlings and aliens.
The first thing you need to know about the novel «Agent to the Stars — is that it is humorous light fiction. There are almost no complicated themes or heavy reflections, although some purely philosophical issues are discussed. For example, the author touches upon the topic of humanity and its limits, reflects on humanism and the boundaries of the personal, which no one should cross. If you like not only humor but also interesting reflections, this book is for you.
«Agent to the Stars» is filled to the brim with the topic of movies, TV shows, and the world of cinema. This is actually a book about love for the film industry, and alien contact sometimes serves only as a backdrop for this strange but effective confession of the author.
There are many references to popular and not-so-popular movies and TV series, famous movie stars, pop culture phenomena, scandals, etc. Almost every page of the book contains a good joke or a jab at a movie star or a famous movie. This makes it interesting, fun, and easy to read.
However, the fantastic has not been forgotten, as the author ridicules genre clichés and unusually manipulates the seemingly classic story of first contact, which in his hands turns into a witty farce with meta-irony. The most important feature of John Scalzi’s work is already evident here: to turn the genre upside down, add humor and self-irony, and then turn it into something interesting and cool.
«Agent to the Stars» not a perfect fantasy novel. Sometimes there are problems with the logic of events and some gaps in the plot, but you pay little attention to this because the author has created lively, sympathetic characters whom you sympathize with.
They are also constantly acting, which creates action, and they are also part of the aforementioned ironic phantasmagoric world. It seems to be similar to many other similar fantasy stories, but it has its own charm and peculiarities, and thus is memorable.
Most likely, reading this novel will not be a revelation, it is not a super event in the world of fantasy literature, etc. But «Agent to the Stars» will make you smile and even laugh more than once. This is a funny, kind, satirical, adventurous, and self-critical story that is definitely worth the attention of readers, especially those who like the topic of first contact.
I liked the cover of the book. It doesn’t show that it’s a science fiction about aliens, but the movie theme is immediately noticeable. And in general, its style and design are pleasant and eye-catching. I still don’t like the font of the books published by the publishing house «Study book “Bogdan”», but I’ve gotten used to it. But this does not mean that you will not like it because it is purely a matter of taste. The main thing is that this publishing house mostly specializes in fiction and produces a lot of cool books. Everything else is trivial.
