Year Zero: A NovelAn alien advance party was suddenly nosing around my planet. Worse, they were lawyering up. . . . In the hilarious tradition of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Rob Reid takes you on a headlong journey through the outer reaches of the universe—and the inner workings of our absurdly dysfunctional music industry. Low-level entertainment lawyer Nick Carter thinks it's a prank, not an alien encounter, when a redheaded mullah and a curvaceous nun show up at his office. But Frampton and Carly are highly advanced (if bumbling) extraterrestrials. And boy, do they have news. The entire cosmos, they tell him, has been hopelessly hooked on humanity's music ever since “Year Zero” (1977 to us), when American pop songs first reached alien ears. This addiction has driven a vast intergalactic society to commit the biggest copyright violation since the Big Bang. The resulting fines and penalties have bankrupted the whole universe. We humans suddenly own everything—and the aliens are not amused. Nick Carter has just been tapped to clean up this mess before things get ugly, and he's an unlikely galaxy-hopping hero: He's scared of heights. He's also about to be fired. And he happens to have the same name as a Backstreet Boy. But he does know a thing or two about copyright law. And he's packing a couple of other pencil-pushing superpowers that could come in handy. Soon he's on the run from a sinister parrot and a highly combustible vacuum cleaner. With Carly and Frampton as his guides, Nick now has forty-eight hours to save humanity, while hopefully wowing the hot girl who lives down the hall from him. “Hilarious, provocative, and supersmart, Year Zero is a brilliant novel to be enjoyed in perpetuity in the known universe and in all unknown universes yet to be discovered.”—John Hodgman, resident expert, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart |
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LibraryThing Review
Umsögn notanda - bdgamer - LibraryThingDouglas Adams is inimitable. His imagination fires off in all directions, with you never sure just what he’s going to say next. Reid doesn’t imitate Adams but channels his genius in ways I didn’t ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
Umsögn notanda - Noeshia - LibraryThingAbsurd sci-fi comedy is good. Okay, so maybe some things ring more like fantasy than sci-fi, but it's intended to be sci-fi and I had a good time. The ending gave me a good giggle. For sure, I'd read more. Read full review
Efni
ZERO | 3 |
Two PIECES or EIGHT | 22 |
THREE smv CAT STRUT | 42 |
FOUR METALLICAM ME | 51 |
FIVE MOVING IN STEREOPTICON | 65 |
SIX SHERMAWSSPAWN | 82 |
EIGHT IN THE WHITE ROOM | 115 |
TWELVE pUi | 192 |
SIXTEEN PAUUUUULIE | 246 |
SEVENTEEN DECAPALOOZA | 256 |
TWENTY SHOCItAWE | 292 |
TWENTYONE STREET FIGHTING MAN | 308 |
TWENTYTWO WELCOME BACK SHERMAN | 322 |
TWENTYTHREE TO THE CORE | 333 |
EPILOGUE THE GREAT DECELERATOR | 345 |
FOURTEEN STAIRWAYTO HEAVEN | 221 |
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Common terms and phrases
actually alien Anyway asked Backstreet Boys Bill Gates Boss briefly Carly and Frampton Carly nodded Carly’s Clippy copy cousin definitely didn’t door Earth entire everything eyes feet Fido figured finally find fine finger firm first fit five floor force field gave gazed gonna Guardian Council guess Guild hand happened he’s head huge human iPhone jailer Judy Kotter labels living look Manda mean Meowhaus metallicam minutes mlah Munk Nick Nick Carter office Okay omnicab Ozzy Paradise City parrot Paulie Perfuffinites planet pluhhhs Pugwash Randy Refined League shook shrugged shut Simply Red Skype society someone song Sonny sound species started stereopticon suddenly sure talking tell there’s they’re thing thought tion told Townshend Line trillions turned universe voice wall we’re What’s Wrinkle Yeah you’re