The Magnificent Wilf

by Gordon R. Dickson

A classic of humorous science fiction from SF legend Gordon R. Dickson, winner of three Hugo awards, a Nebula award, and an inductee into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.

We are not alone in the galaxy—not by a longshot. And extra-solar civilization has come calling. Now, Tom Parent, his linguist wife Lucy, and their Great Dane Rex must travel the stars as ambassadors of Earth. Their to prove Humanity deserves to be considered equal to the scores of established alien cultures. Earth’s acceptance hinges on building good relationships with these aliens, and the genteel Parents seem the perfect candidates for wooing extra-terrestrials.

Of course, they’ll have to tread carefully among these brave new worlds that have such creatures in them! Soon what starts as a straight-forward goodwill tour is complicated when Lucy is mistaken for a Wilf—a lifeform that manipulates others toward moral behavior—and Tom accidentally joins a galactic council when he sits in the wrong chair. On top of that, their faithful hound Rex starts talking. And maybe it’s best if we don’t mention the singing gelatin-mold-like alien they have to rescue from becoming dessert.

It’s action and adventure for Tom, Lucy, and Rex, and a laugh-riot for the reader in this classic novel from Science Fiction master Gordon R. Dickson!

About Gordon R.

"Dickson is one of SF's standard-bearers."— Publishers Weekly

"Dickson has a true mastery of pacing and fine understanding of human beings."— Seattle Post Intelligencer

"A masterful science fiction writer."— Milwaukee Journal

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Science Fiction Fantasy, Adventure, Collections

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Gordon Rupert Dickson was an American science fiction author. He was born in Canada, then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota as a teenager. He is probably most famous for his Childe Cycle and the Dragon Knight series. He won three Hugo awards and one Nebula award.

Reviews

[Karl Jorgenson]

In this imaginative and amusing sci-fi novel, the Earth has been contacted by aliens and invited to work toward joining the galactic council, a united nations for the sentient galaxy. A pretty-smart couple, Tom and Lucy, are sucked into inter-species intrigue, and use their sharp human wits to escape some close calls, set right some wrongs, and ultimately help humans on their way to joining the galactic brotherhood. Dickson, a longtime master, uses his imagination for aliens and their problems to good effect. The weakness of this novel are the characters, who seem mired in 1950 with stilted gender roles, excessive politeness, and a general feeling of June and Ward Cleaver go to other planets. Much of it is done for humor, so even the bad is sort of good.

[Steve Isaak]

Magnificent is a clever, laugh-out-loud funny lark of a science fiction novel that builds on its episodic, character- and action-thrilling events. While the stakes are life-or-death high for Tom, Lucy, Rex (their dog) and this galaxy's alien races, Dickson maintains a frolicking feel throughout this superb and character-twisty work. This is one of my favorite reads in any genre, perhaps even an all-time favorite read. This is a book worth owning.


(This review originally appeared on the Reading & Writing By Pub Light site.)

[Greg]

Excellent. Just fun science fiction.

[Adam White]

Light, fluffy and fun read. I agree with another reviewer here who said it felt like a collection of short stories with the same characters - rather than a novel. But that said, did giggle a lot, and knocked it off in a afternoon. So if you like enjoyable non taxing, light brain fluff, this is worth the few hours you will need to read it.

[Fredrick Danysh]

Tom Parent and his wife are touring the galaxy on a diplomatic mission. The acceptance of Earth by the rest of the galaxy depends on their performance. The fly in the ointment os that Lucy is a Wilf.

[Thomas]

I'm not sure what to say about this book. First published in 1995, it reads much like 50's Pulp SF, complete with whacky aliens, flying cars and an adoring yet capable wife/sidekick. As such it was mildly amusing, but ultimately not very satisfying.

[Sam]

aaaaaaaaaaa its good

[Donny Wankan]

I can't take it. It's so bad. I've made it about twenty pages in, and it's too much like a 1950s tv show, complete with the painfully childish gender stereotypes, unrealistic "sci-fi" technology, and goofy sitcom scenarios. I feel like I'm reading a novelized episode of I Dream of Jeannie.
That important alien representative is coming to visit us, so hubby, stay out of wifey's way so she can clean the house (with vague, magical-seeming, futuristic house cleaning machines) like a good domestic partner. No, you can't feed the dog raw ground beef, you irresponsible man. Let's hope Rex (yeah, that's the dog's name) doesn't get into any shenanigans while we're trying to impress Mr. Important Alien Man. Ugh, it hurts.
If you like sitcom-style stories--the ones that are just a string of lazy cliches predictably leading one to another to another to another--you may enjoy this book. Otherwise, don't bother. It's not good at all.

[Marianne]

Enjoyed the first third of this book, but then the husband took main stage making the wife be a doormat for a large section of the next third, with a sudden reversal at the end. Kind of felt weird and not very funny to me.

[David]

An excessively faint echo of the Daniel Leary series. The fact that the Wilf is not even introduced as such until more than halfway through and plays no significant role other than irritating interference doesn't help. Really bad.

[Robert Keefer]

A comedy science fiction story worth your time (it's a quick read) if you need a laugh. Nothing too deep or mysterious, charter development a bit shallow, but funny at the right times.

[Brad]

Could not finish. Incredibly boring and slow paced story.

[Highlander]

Quick, snappy, and a very fun read

[Jessica]

This is a fun romp through space as a married couple from earth become ambassadors on an alien planet. My favorite bit involved saving a singing Jell-o mold from being eaten for dessert! Very fun stuff.

[Devi]

Probably should be 3.5 stars. A lite fun read that won't tax the brain. Often seemed more like a collection of stories than a novel.

[Audrey Hare]

Sorry Dad, didn't really like this one.

[Beth]

Not bad.

[Karen]

Fun to read.

[Bradley]

Fun comedy sci-fi. Pleasant read. =)