The Android's Dream

The Android's Dream is a science fiction book by John Scalzi, the first I've read by that author. I love this, wish I'd discovered his work sooner and have already bought another book by him to put in my TBR stack. I enjoyed the literary references, made hard to miss in the reading. There's a sequel coming. Maybe there will be more than one woman in that one.

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.

Yes, you read that right. Welcome to The Android's Dream.

For Harry Creek, it's a nightmare. All he wants is to do his uncomplicated mid-level diplomatic job with Earth's State Department. But his skills and past training 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.

SF Signal says it's "a lot of fun to read". SciFi.com likes it. SF Site says, "This is a pretty near perfect light planetary romance" and "Really a wonderfully entertaining book -- definitely a keeper." SFRevu has a review. Entertainment Weekly calls it "hilarious political thriller". SFReviews.net says it "is just the right gene-splicing of fast action and furious comedy SF has been needing for ages."