Redshirts
2012 • 318 pages
Ratings250
Average rating3.9
15
Ratings250
Average rating3.9
Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It's a prestige posting, with the chance to serve on "Away Missions" alongside the starship's famous senior officers.
Life couldn't be better...until Andrew begins to realize that 1) every Away Mission involves a lethal confrontation with alien forces, 2) the ship's senior officers always survive these confrontations, and 3) sadly, at least one low-ranking crew member is invariably killed. Unsurprisingly, the savvier crew members below decks avoid Away Missions at all costs.
Then Andrew stumbles on information that transforms his and his colleagues' understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is...and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives.
Redshirts by John Scalzi is the winner of the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel.
Reviews with the most likes.
A fun read, even for those of us who have limited knowledge of Star Trek.
A fun escapist read, a hilarious commentary on a certain beloved TV show.
All the “redshirt” characters are interchangeable, which is the point, but it's also frustrating. There's a scene at the very end of the book where the main character and another guy are reflecting on what's happened and I spent half the time trying to remember who the other guy was. Wil Wheaton doesn't even attempt to vary his voice between characters. Still a good concept and story but characterization is null.
The audiobook is eight hours except when the story ends you've still got two hours left on the clock. There are three alternate perspective stories in the remaining time.
Very clever stuff based around the fact that the red shirted crew member always died on Star Trek away missions. No need to be a Trekkie/Trekker (my splitting of the term might give something away there) either, it's light comedy and some existential musings. It's not perfect, but you get the impression that Scalzi knows that and is happy with it.
