Review: The Android's Dream

From the back of the book:

A human diplomat kills his alien counterpart. Earth is on the verge of war with a vastly superior alien race. A lone man races against time and a host of enemies to find the one object that can save our planet and our people from alien enslavement... a sheep.

That's right, a sheep. And if you think that's the most surprising thing about this book, wait until you read Chapter One. Welcome to The Android's Dream.

For Harry Creek, it's quickly becoming a nightmare. All he wants is to do his uncomplicated mid-level diplomatic job with Earth's State Department. But his past training and skills get him tapped to save the planet — and to protect pet store owner Robin Baker, whose own past holds the key to the whereabouts of that lost sheep. Doing both will take him from lava-strewn battlefields to alien halls of power. All in a day's work. Maybe it's time for a raise.

This book is so weird. Death by farting. A human/sheep hybrid. An ironic religious cult. There's sci-fi... and then there's Scalzi.

I'll be honest - this was my least favorite of his books that I've read. Old Man's War and the rest were great, though, so maybe it is inevitable that one of his books will fall short for me. Don't get me wrong - I still think he's great writer and I normally really like his tongue-in-cheek sense of humor (really evident on Scalzi's blog). On this one, though, I had a hard time getting past the weirdness. In the moments when I did, there was a lot to like about this book. The rest of the time, though... weird.

Buy The Android's Dream on Amazon.