Diplomatic Act [Hardcover]

Jurasik & keith (Author), Peter Jurasik (Author), William H. Keith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1998 | Series: Starline Novels

Richard Faraday didn't believe in aliens, even though he played one on TV. Unfortunately, the aliens believe in him ... or rather, they believe in Harmon, the alien diplomat Faraday plays on the SF program Star Peace. A war is threatening to tear the civilized galaxy apart, and only a diplomat as superb as Harmon can stop it. The problem is that the real aliens are just a little confused about the bizarre human concept known as fiction. They think Harmon is real....

Well, real or not, "Harmon" had better solve their alien problems fast or Faraday, galactic civilization and Earth itself will be abruptly canceled.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Among the recent spate of actors in sf TV series co-writing sf books comes one by Babylon 5's Ambassador Londo Mollari. Aliens believe Richard Faraday, who plays diplomat Harmon the Eldar in Star Peace, an sf show, really is Eldar. Then Faraday is called upon to avert a galactic war. This space opera with a lot of references to old TV shows satirizes fans who believe TV characters really exist. Unfortunately, the pedestrian treatment makes it a marginal purchase for sf collections.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Richard Faraday plays a wise extraterrestrial on a tacky syndicated TV series when real ETs kidnap him and replace him with one of their own. Meanwhile, Faraday continues to play his character among the alien Watchers, who have been observing Earth through the medium of TV for decades. But since they don't understand the uniquely human concept of fiction, the aliens think that Faraday is actually one of the Wise Old Ones; in fact, they are depending on him to solve their metaphilosophical crisis. Only in Hollywood. From Candide to ALF, the figure of the alien haltingly learning human cultural reality is familiar in literature and can provide a fine focus for a satirical look at our society. This example of the form could have been a formulaic hack job, but Jurasik and Keith have crafted instead a fine comic narrative of the collision of Hollywood and outer space. By following both Faraday and his alien stand-in, we can see the farcical consequences of such an ultimate cosmic culture shock. Dennis Winters

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Baen; First Edition edition (August 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671877887
• ISBN-13: 978-0671877880
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,548,032 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars humorous social commentry and a good adventure, January 14, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diplomatic Act (Hardcover)

I picked up Diplomatic Act because I wanted to support the creative endeavors of the talented actors on Babylon 5. While the book falls short of the mark of good literature, it is better written than many of the mass-market SF titles that I have read. I found the book's basic premise implausible: that an alien observing earth and learning of its culture from American TV broadcasts could not discern the difference between reality and fiction. Nevertheless, it proved to be an entertaining foundation for an engaging story. I too thought that it was a little slow getting started; I also thought that the adventures of the alien as Faraday on Earth deserved more attention. During the latter half of the book it seemed to be relegated to a very minor story and then suddenly it reappeared in the finale. Despite the faults, I respect the authors' effort to take convention and turn it on its head and to combine humor and SF. Afficianodos of Babylon 5 will find themselves smiling as a detail here and there reminds them of their favorite show. The references are subtle and in no way detract from the story. In fact, those who are unfamiliar with Babylon 5 won't know that they missed a thing.

4.0 out of 5 stars Why we really needed a warning label on all those old T.V Shows., March 15, 2011

By 

Morgan Cahall "so many books so little time" (Delaware, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Diplomatic Act (Mass Market Paperback)

Story:

Richard Faraday is your typical grade B actor on a new scifi series called Star Peace. In his case though he really thinks that he should be an A actor on A show. Its not his fault that no one recognizes his talent. Actually that something else he is wrong about. Unfortunately for him there is a certain group that thinks his performance might be their salvation.

Unknown to Richard and the rest of the planet, the Galactic Unity is on the brink of war. The division among the Unity's members threatens to dissolve 50,000 years of peace. The only hope lies in finding a member of the race that founded the Unity and then disappeared. The Eldar, a near mythical race that were masters of philosophy, morals, and diplomacy.

Guess who gets abducted because he plays a fictional character that just happens to look like a ancient race that disappeared around 50,000 years ago.....

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This was a pretty good read. The story had me laughing out loud at a few points as the various parties tried to sort out some cultural misunderstandings. This is one of those books that I like because their characters don't do a 180 personality change by the end of the book. They may have some new ideas to think on but they are basically who they are. It's also a pretty good spoof on Hollywood and the various goings on what it takes to get a T.V. series made. Kind of makes you wonder how much of it is real versus satire. This book also more or less gets along on its story and doesn't rely on a lot of sex a violence to move things along. I would recommend this to anyone who likes comic Sci-fi and anyone looking for a good old space romp. m.a.c

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slow Start, but worth the wait, November 22, 1999

By 

Robert E. Murphy (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diplomatic Act (Mass Market Paperback)

Since I like both the authors I decidec to pick up this book. Despite a somewhat slow beginning, this was an excellent book. The wonderfully thoughtout alien that is just not a human in an alien suit is a William H. Keith hallmark. Delightful Alien aliens make this book a keeper. The advanced technology is not used as a crutch to cover a lack of story. This book gets better the second time around, and I found things that I missed the first go 'round. While somewhat implausable, the suspension of disbelief is complete, and you find yourself identifying with the various aliens in this hilarious romp through Hollywood's darker side. Well worth the price.