Channel Blue

July 21, 2014
In this irony-laden novel of apocalyptic farce, debut author Martel tries for the sharp wit of Douglas Adams but comes closer to the patter of George Burns. Screenwriter Perry Bunt is great at pitching to movie studios but following through with completed scripts is his weakness—until he delivers a pitch to save the world. Earth has been produced as a TV channel for the rest of the galaxy for over 150 years. Now the network has decided to cancel the show, and the planet. With the help of Amanda Mundo, the alien producer who doesn’t want her show to end, Perry must come up with the perfect solution to keep galactic watchers tuned in. There are one-liners in abundance, but they don’t quite carry Martel’s story to the finish line. Agent: Georgina Capel, Capel & Land.

September 15, 2014
The planet Earth, it turns out, isn't just another hunk of rock where a random life form evolved to build a civilization. As washed-up screenwriter Perry Bunt discovers, Earth is but one of many worlds featured on Galaxy Entertainment's broadcast lineup: billions of creatures across the Milky Way have been watching our antics, and the Galaxy producers have frequently influenced events here on Earth to get better ratings. But, lately, the ratings have been trending downward, and the decision has been made to, well, cancel Earth. And Bunt just might be the only human being who can save the world. This funny, clever SF novel owes a substantial literary debt to Douglas Adamsas do countless comic SF novelsbut Martel is telling his own story, and it's a good, fun story indeed. The book bears a few similarities to Rob Reid's Year Zero (2012), which also involves the entertainment industry and an everyman's desperate quest to save the world before aliens destroy it, but there's plenty of room in the comic-SF genre for variations on a theme. Fans should enjoy this one very much, too.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)