Redshirts

A Novel with Three Codas

By: John Scalzi

Narrated by: Wil Wheaton

Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

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, and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be assigned to the ship’s Xenobiology laboratory. Life couldn’t be better…until Andrew begins to pick up on the facts that (1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces; (2) the ship’s captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations; and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.

Not surprisingly, a great deal of energy below decks is expended on avoiding, at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission. Then Andrew stumbles on information that completely 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.

©2012 John Scalzi (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

My first like this

I understand there are other books similar to this (what if/sci fi/tv/etc). I wouldn't know. This is my first.
I loved it. Fun. Smart. Heartbreaking. Funny. All the good stuff.

The first Wil Wheaton book I listened to was "Ready Player One"—he was great.
He's even better here.

Thank you John and Wil!

Starts out good. Ends up awesome.

Would you consider the audio edition of Redshirts to be better than the print version?

I have no idea how the mental images I construct when experiencing a story would be like if I read the book, but the audioversion is fantastic. Will Wheaton starts off doing more or less ok the first chapter or two, but from there on, he really settles in his voice as narrator. I'm pretty sure that I prefer the audio version.

The writing is great. The only problem I had was the constant use of "he said", "she said" that kind of got on my nerves a little. Other than that, it starts out as a fun sci-fi romp, but becomes something much more. It's a colorful dive into narrative-exploration, making fun of tropes while being an ode to them at the same time. A lot of it is wonderfully subtly done, without an attempt to hammer the meta or the observations into the focus of the reader/listener.

That probably sounds boring, but I assure you, it isn't. From killer robots with harpoons to writer's block, this book is fracking awesome.

What other book might you compare Redshirts to and why?

I'd compare it to movies. Think Galaxy Quest, Back To The Future and Pi.
Also, the experience isn't complete without the codas, in the excact order that they are.

What does Wil Wheaton bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The book itself gets a very fitting voice because of the background Will has, in fact so much that i can't imagine anyone more suitable. That being said, it's more the middle and end part of the book where his voice clicks into place with everything else.

The codas specifically was read with such great and subtle emotion that I was surprised. No offense to Will Wheaton, but I would never have imagined that one of his performances, in particular a voice only, -almost made me cry.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Fear The Narrative.

Any additional comments?

Fans of star trek or any weekly sci-fi show: buy it. It'll make you happy you did.

Funny,Emotional, Exciting, and Wheaton Sells it!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Star Trek Parody Narrated by Wil Weaton.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Redshirts?

funny inner monologues really pepper the story well

Which scene was your favorite?

the prologue, it just sold the story too well. Alien worms, bad mission briefing, mellow-dramatic possible futures, and a fabulously carpet pull moment to top it all off.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

It would be a spoiler, lets just say the story gets heavy once the metaplot sinks in.

Any additional comments?

Wil Wheaton.

Good for 2/3 of the book

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

As others noted, the "...she said" and "...he said" ending nearly every sentence in the book was taxing and hurt the story, but the disjointed last several chapters were horrible. I am literally debating about asking Audible for a refund, as it is not clear the chapters in this recording are in the right order (or from the same book). I have enjoyed Scalzi and Wil Wheaton in the past, but the last one third of this book was enough to make me look for another author instead of Scalzi.

Fun and Wacky!

Another great work by John Scalzi. He makes his adventures so much fun and his characters are very liable and ‘Redshirts’ are no exception. Well written and entertaining with enough adventure and wackiness to keep you interested throughout. Highly recommended for the sci-fi lover.

Clever, hilarious, and moving

I loved this audiobook. The first part, before the codas, was very clever and funny, especially if you're a fan of Star Trek: The Original Series. The first and second codas were good, but I didn't think they added that much to the book. I loved the third coda, though, which was very moving.

Wil Wheaton doesn't really do voices, so it's hard to tell people apart. However, the emotion is his voice is fantastic.

Funny but not not Scalzi's best

Would you try another book from John Scalzi and/or Wil Wheaton?

Absolutely, Scalzi is an entertaining writer with fun (and sometimes funny) dialogue. Wil Wheaton is the proverbial milk to the proverbial Oreo that is Scalzi. It may be that another narrator could do the job as well or maybe better, but if it ain't broke don't fix it.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The end definitely wandered from my perspective. In addition, the underlying 4th wall theme felt like it ran out of gas. That being said it was what it was and I am not sure that Scalzi could have done anything substantial to improve it other than write a different book.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Maybe. I could see it being fairly funny at the beginning and then falling apart in the middle and end.

Any additional comments?

Scalzi is one my favorite authors. In an era in which everyone is angry and the world seems to be upside down, it is nice to have something that is an escape to make you laugh. We all need to laugh.

Superb storytelling and reading.

This book is really like a three course meal where your served 3 completely different and equally delicious courses.

Very Interesting Concept for a Story

I wondered how the writer was going to pull this story line off, and I walked away amazed at how he had done so. It's an interesting concept that help portrayed and though at times the explanations were a bit convoluted and even circular, it certainly provided for an entertaining listen. The way he ended the book with the codas was a nice touch - well played.

Our favorite 'ensign' Wheaton was a natural pic for this story and though his range of voices wasn't as good as other stories I have heard him narrate, he did a fine job, nonetheless.

I liked it, he said. It was a fun read, he said

Where does Redshirts rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Pretty high up. It was engaging and made me want to take the long way home from work to listen to more. That is a testament to an engaging story.

What other book might you compare Redshirts to and why?

Not sure ... have not listened to many in this genre. It is unique.

Which character – as performed by Wil Wheaton – was your favorite?

He was the narrator ... he covered them all very well.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

If I had infinite time available ... sure, but there are a lot of other things I would rather do if I had that massive luxury of free time.

Any additional comments?

Overall very good and nice twist on the obvious overdramatic "narrative" of the sci-fi shows. One request Mr Scalzi ... invest in a thesaurus. Please realize that XXXX . XXXX .X XXXX can easily be expressed as "name withheld" and "he or she said" could be phased 1,532 different ways. It is tedious and Will must have wanted to hang himself after the reading. If you want to do an audiobook, be sensitive to the different delivery mediums of your work.