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.

This made me feel the feels.

Trying to make this as spoilerless as possible.

Let me start with a negative. The only negative (other than the book having to end) that stood out for me. There's a lot of "he said, she said, it said" written (or spoken), literally in the book. Other reviews mention it is well. At first, it really stands out. Almost to the point of really being annoying. Wil Wheaton does a great job of toning it down over the course of the reading, as I'm sure he becomes fully aware of the repetition. That, combined with increasing interest in the story, manages to put it out of my mind to where I began to either not notice it so much, or just give it much thought.

That being said, the book was a fantastic listen, with a great performance by Wil Wheaton. I could think of no one better suited to performing the reading, especially due to his background in Star Trek and it's relationship with the book's subject matter.

The story made me think, which I dislike having to do on most occasions. Thinking is hard, takes effort, and has the side effect of making me think more, provided my brain doesn't wander off, and get distracted by something shiny. The book made me think in a good way, and if there was distraction, it was because I would think about parts that happened previously in the book, while my brain would simultaneously try to rush ahead and predict different outcomes in the story. This is not easy to do. And I would argue with my brain a lot during those moments. My girlfriend still looks at me funny. But that's the effect the book had on me. It was THAT interesting, and funny in all the appropriate places. It brought back fond memories of my younger years, watching Star Trek and other shows of the like, which I was no small fan of.

The real icing on the cake was the end of the book. There is an end to the story, but it doesn't stop there, this odd sentence alone making my brain feel weird. The book could have ended at, well, the end, and I would have been perfectly happy with it, but then the writer gives you something extra. Something that I would often think about in other books, but would have to rely on my own to fill those blanks in. The writer does it for you, and does it very, very well.

You'll just have to read (or listen) to experience it for yourself.

Tl;dr I liked book. Book was funny. Book made me feel things. Wil Wheaton good. 10/10 will read again, and have read again

amazing!

This was great. really. listen to it. The star trek jokes and storyline. great. I really like Scalzi. he outdid himself with this one

super meta original good times

the story is fantastically structured. The narrative doesn't take itself too seriously but also take its due diligence developing. the characters are fantastic. the narration can get a little stale in the beginning as the narrator hits a good flow with the dialogue sections but I STRONGLY recommend

entertaining

I needed something to do for a 9-hour drive and this book kept me entertained the entire time. The characters really come to life in this story and you really find yourself rooting for them. enjoy the listen.

RedShirts

Great story, the narrator was good. But there is just too much "he said" being flung about

Interesting POV, but not for younger listeners

What made the experience of listening to Redshirts the most enjoyable?

The story was intriguing with many interesting plot twists.

Any additional comments?

It would have been more enjoyable without the profanity. Real people don't talk like that, especially professionals. As a result I could not recommend it to younger listeners, even though the story was great.

Thoroughly enjoyed yet another Scalzi book

After having read Agent to the Stars and enjoying it, I thought I'd try another Scalzi book. I wasn't disappointed. What starts off as comedic with redshirts dying left and right, time travel, etc., morphs into something a bit different and more heartfelt. Wil Wheaton narrates again and does a great job. He's a perfect fit as narrator of this book, and not just for the obvious reasons. I thought his narration of Agent to the Stars and Ready Player One were also excellent and he's now on my list of narrators I look forward to seeing in the audio book description. Highly entertaining and highly recommended!

Excellent

Enjoyed this a lot.
As a treky’s son it was great to listen to the silent jabs in good humor.

hysterical!

As a Trekkie, I found this very entertaining and it brought back fond memories. it did get a little slow during the coda chapters but after reflection decided that they were a nice way to bring the reader back to reality.

Very entertaining story, great narration

At first I thought it was just going to be an ode to Star Trek, but wow, it turned into SO much more! I had no idea where it was going to go from one moment to the next. A real surprise and a fun read. Can’t say enough about how fantastic Wil Wheaton’s narration is. I listened to his reading of Ready Player One and loved it, so as soon as I saw that he read THIS I had to get the audible version!