Who Would Like This Book:
If you love absurd, laugh-out-loud sci-fi in the tradition of Douglas Adams, "Year Zero" is right in your wheelhouse. The setup is brilliant: aliens are obsessed with Earth music and, in trying to resolve their galactic copyright errors, enlist a bemused human copyright lawyer to save the planet from cosmic bankruptcy (or worse). The book is loaded with pop culture references, sharp satire about the music industry, hilarious footnotes, and enough ridiculous alien antics to keep you snickering throughout. Music nerds, legal eagles with a sense of humor, and anyone who enjoys zany, irreverent adventures will love this book.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Some readers found the plot a bit meandering or felt the humor wore thin after a while. If satire isn't your thing, or you prefer tightly-plotted, serious sci-fi, this might not resonate. A lot of the jokes are grounded in pop culture and legal minutiae, which may feel dated or go over the heads of those not in the loop. Additionally, if you aren't a fan of silly or slapstick humor, or dislike frequent footnotes and asides, you might find the style distracting.
About:
'Year Zero' by Rob Reid is a satirical sci-fi comedy that explores the consequences of aliens pirating Earth's music and the resulting copyright licensing chaos. The book follows the story of a copyright lawyer, Nick Carter, who must find a solution to prevent the destruction of Earth by extraterrestrial beings due to the massive fines owed for illegal downloading. The writing style is described as humorous, engaging, and filled with pop culture references from the '70s and '80s, making it a nostalgic and entertaining read for fans of satire and sci-fi.
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Has Romance?
There is a medium level of romance as the protagonist has a romantic interest in a neighbor, adding a subplot to the main narrative.
From The Publisher:
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
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. The entire cosmos, they tell him, has been hopelessly hooked on American pop songs ever since "Year Zero" (1977 to us), resulting in the biggest copyright violation since the Big Bang and bankrupting the whole universe. Nick has just been tapped to clean up this mess before things get ugly. Thankfully, this unlikely galaxy-hopping hero does know a thing or two about copyright law. Now, with Carly and Frampton as his guides, Nick has forty-eight hours to save humanity-while hoping to wow the hot girl who lives down the hall from him.
Ratings (6)
Loved It (3) | |
Liked It (2) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (15):
Read It (7) | |
Want To Read (6) | |
Not Interested (2) |
What can you read after
Year Zero?
About the Author:
Rob Reid founded Listen.com, which built the pioneering online music service Rhapsody, and created the unlimited subscription model since adopted by Apple, Spotify, and many others. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Year Zero, a work of…
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