Padded!

Storyline good, however, overlong technical descriptions often dragged on too long so the rhythm and pace was totally lost. Usually enjoy books by this author but found this one disappointing.

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unsuspected gem

I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by how interesting this story is. I decided to get it just because the title reminded me of 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?', without really bothering to check what it is about. At the beginning I got worried I made a mistake (it was really bizarre), but soon after I got into it, got invested in the characters and the story, wanting to hear how it is going to end. Plus the performance of the narrator was superb. So overall I am very happy with what I got.

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3 people found this helpful

Good story, but..

Really enjoyed the book. But... the beginning was a bit confusing and the descriptions are far too detailed.
Still worth listening.

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1 person found this helpful

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

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

The west wing meets babalon 5

An odd combination but works, there are some really great laugh out loud moments. Will Wheaton does a great job as narrator.
The is a lot of "said <name, said <name>" but its not enough to distract from the plot.

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2 people found this helpful

John Scalzi at his best

Funny, clever and entertaining and not too drawn out. Well worth your time. Do enjoy.

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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

Great little adventure

Just a bit too many rambling explanation scenes of tech and politics. But the action was fast paced other than that. Very good fun story. Will Wheaton is a terrific narrator. Although the first night after listening to this audiobook my dreams were narrated by Will Wheaton, and that was actually nightmarish.

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2 people found this helpful

A lot of fun as well as food for thought

The Android's Dream in the story is an engineered breed of special blue sheep that is (weirdly) a crucial element in the Coronation protocol of the aliens that are allied to earth, in this novel set in a far future. Most of the plot hinges on a conspiracy set forth by one of the alien tribes to grab the power, with complicit humans, and it all leads to the astonishing revelation that the only Android's Dream sheep left is suddenly in real and imminent danger, along with the alliance between humans and the aliens. The novel is (as usual in Scalzi's books) a lot of fun, full of incredibly absurd and imaginific twists and characters, but also full of food for thought on sentient beings' rights to self-determination, on hybrid human-machine self-conscious A.I.s, and even on war and peace. Perfectly narrated by Wil Wheaton. 

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