Yep, John Scalzi's latest is ticked off the list.  I have literally read all of his fiction to date.  (Well, I only listened to The Sagan Diaries, though I am glad I didn't waste my limited reading time on it.  I didn't even listen to all of it, it was a bit too much fanboi for me.)  Don't let the goofy cover art or the odd name dissuade you, The Android's Dream is right up there with the rest of Scalzi's titles in quality and enjoyment.

The story of Harry Creek, UNE Diplomat and retired Combat Veteran, follows the mystery of the Evolved Lamb, the hostile alien nation of Nidu, and a chase through the galaxy.  Creek is the only one with enough answers to unravell the tangle, at least with the help of his rather unique AI.  As the opposing factions start closing in, it looks like there is no way out, but for an interesting twist hinted at by the Churches secret AI that brings the whole mess swirling into a very interesting climax.

Scalzi's 3rd major novel has absolutely nothing to do with the previous two books.  TAD stands alone, so far.  It is the story of inter-system intrique in the style of Robert Ludlum, with the humor of Christopher Moore, and the sci-fi flavor of Robert Heinlein.  Good, not great, plot twists mixed with just the right amount of believable future tech make a balanced story that I really enjoyed.  I was very impressed by the InfoSys tech that Scalzi invented for this book, seeing as I am in the industry and he is not.  Some cute holes, but nothing to gripe about.  Well, done, John.  I am still a fan!

Did I do a review of Agent to the Stars?  I can't remember.  It was not actually published, but was released as a CC LIT copy on scalzi.com.  It was much later published by Subterranean Press, a niche publishing house, for a limited collectors run.  I did not purchase it, but did read the LIT version soon after getting my IPaq 2 or 3 years ago.

And sorry for the bad review.  Just not on top of my game tonight...