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Year Zero: A Novel Audiobook
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(3.00) - 2,497 listener ratings
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER An 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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"This was a fun romp through aliens and music copyright law. It reads a lot like a one of John Scalzi's less serious efforts (so much so that I originally suspected it was a pen name.) Anyway, the author also wrote the non-fiction "Architects of the Web" and founded Listen.com aka Rhapsody, so he knows what he's talking about. (Re: music, probably not re: aliens.)"
— Vineel (4 out of 5 stars)
Year Zero Listener Reviews
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" An entertaining and ridiculous novel about music-obsessed aliens and a music copyright lawyer trying to save Earth. Funny. "
— Rachel, 2/7/2014 -
" Fairly disappointing. Some elements are fantastic - more often than not, these end up being truly creative segments where you can trace the author's thought pattern to how he assigns logic to his Douglas Adams-y universe. Other elements come off as substandard Douglas Adams fare. It's light and fluffy, but a lot of the tension evaporates too quickly and characters' motivations are often flimsy at best. Wait until the price drops. "
— Will, 2/1/2014 -
" This was a fun read and it does a fine job a taking the copyright system to task. I don't think it's a re-reader even though it is frequently compared to Douglas Adams work. I actually think that comparison is a bit unfair, as it seems anything funny that has to do with space gets that comparison tacked on it. Overall this is a well written romp that actually made me laugh out loud more than once. It's definitely worth the time to read. "
— Mark, 1/15/2014 -
" I listed to the audio book and I think John Hodgeman definitely brought something extra to the book. "
— Ryan, 1/10/2014 -
" Really boring as satire and even worse at social commentary. "
— Alexander, 1/4/2014 -
" Holy crap this book was so good. All of the comparisons to Douglas Adams are completely merited. A hilarious and clever sci-fi romp that also brilliantly satirizes our screwed up copyright and licensing laws. My only complaint it that I couldn't sleep or get any work done until I'd finished it. "
— Drew, 12/29/2013 -
" The story is as silly as they come but the satirical look at not only the music industry but the computer industry, legal system, and congress had me laughing out loud numerous times. This book is SO funny! Again, the story is so silly but the humor is so smart! I loved it. "
— Larry, 12/25/2013 -
" Completely delighted and constantly surprised me. "
— Margaret, 10/29/2013 -
" Funny -- and weird. Extremely far fetched science fiction. Really a screed about music copyrights and the music industry. OK to read if you're interested in all of that, but I'd avoid it if you aren't. "
— Warren, 8/23/2013 -
" Not bad! Light and enjoyable with a side of lawyer. "
— Adam, 5/31/2013 -
" Hinges on a lawyer's wit, charm and tricks at the end, which seemed completely fitting. A little bait-and-switch from all parties evens the playing field. "
— Susanna, 4/22/2013 -
" Had it's moments but the whole premise is a bit... eh. John Hodgeman reading it was very enjoyable, but found some of the plot points and the conclusion to be weak. A fun listen, but hardly a writing worthy of The Refined League. (Bashing of Windows is also never a plus in my book). "
— Matt, 3/18/2013 -
" A worthy successor to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. "
— Bill, 2/6/2013 -
" Listened to John Hodgman's audio of this book. It was wonderful--very funny. "
— Karensreading, 9/12/2012 -
" Oh, it wanted to be hilarious and wacky, ala THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE, but it didn't quite make it. The main premise was very fun and fully thought-out, but I felt like the story was rushed and some plot holes left gaping as a result. "
— Mikki, 8/23/2012 -
" This one will make you cry its so funny. "
— Jared, 7/25/2012 -
" A fun and mindlessly entertaining bit of sci-fi fluff (though, the copyright stuff may have been funnier to me, given my profession). "
— Jennifer, 7/12/2012
About John Hodgman
John Hodgman is a writer, comedian, and actor.. He is the author of three New York Times bestselling books—The Areas of My Expertise, More Information Than You Require, and That Is All. After an appearance to promote his books on The Daily Show, he was invited to return as a contributor, serving as the show’s “Resident Expert” and “Deranged Millionaire.” This led to an unexpected and, frankly, implausible career before the camera. He has performed comedy for the president of the United States, at a TED conference, and in a crypt in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. Finally, he is the host of the popular Judge John Hodgman podcast, in which he settles serious disputes between real people, such as “Is a hot dog a sandwich?” and “Should we tell our children the TRUTH about Santa Claus?” He also contributes a weekly column under the same name for the New York Times Magazine.