The story starts with a man trying to create a major diplomatic incident during negotiations with an alien race by using a device hidden in his colon to send insulting messages in the alien’s scent language. Then it gets weird. Scalzi mentions in a forward to the edition I read that he wasn’t under contract to write the book, so he felt free to do whatever he wanted. That attitude really shows: it’s a rollercoaster with strange twists and fun surprises. It kept my attention and I ripped through it pretty quickly. Recommended.