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.

Fun story, poor writing

I bought this audiobook because of the premise and Wil Wheaton as narrator.

Love the idea of the redshirt dilemma and the potential for lots of craziness. Wil Wheaton's narration is excellent. He read Ready Player One too and did an awesome job. I wonder if his STNG experience made this a fun for him to read.

The Star Trek "redshirt" was always the guy I felt the most pity for. He didn't want to be in that hostile environment with any of the title characters because guess who is expendable? Scalzi wrote this from the perspective of the "Redshirt" and the horror with which they faced every day aboard their space craft. Andrew Dahl assumes a new assignement and learns that something is not quite right about this ship. Away teams are extrmely hazardous, unless you are one of the main players on the ship. He decides to do something about it.

Well, the story was good and I did enjoy it. But the writing was so sloppy and had the most distracting element, especially since I was listening to it. Scalzi has a HUGE problem writing dialogue. Everything was he said/she said/ he said again/ she said again. I want to go get the book just to see what a page of dialogue looks like. I mean, the back and forth might be 6 sentences of 4 or 5 words and it is he said/she said the whole way. And there are only 2 people talking so don't you think I might be able to figure out who said what just from context? Geez it was distracting. Other than that, I did enjoy the story.

The thing that pulled this up the 3 stars were the codas. Scalzi takes the last 3 chapters to bring closure the rifts created by his meta science. The writing actually gets much better. It is as if when he gets serious for a minute that the writing style changes almost enough to make you think it might be a different writer. I am not sure if this is enough for me to check out his other stuff. His fans love him but if this one grated on me then what will an earlier work be like?

Thought Provoking

The Novel part was OK, but I really liked the Codas.
A worthwhile read if you get the chance.

Interesting take on the Trekkie Universe

What other book might you compare Redshirts to and why?

I took a chance when listening to this book because I liked the author and knew his background in SciFi, but there hasn't been another story I heard like this and I was pleasantly entertained. The codas after the main body of the story helped to sum up what happens to the main characters afterwards.

What about Wil Wheaton’s performance did you like?

Although he was not able to make some of the characters voices to distinguishable from one another, he did capture the emotion and to keep the story flowing till the very end. He did a very good job.

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

Every death of a Red shirt was unique to each person and the way they accepted the inevitable was admirable played well throughout the entire story.

Any additional comments?

Very entertaining and engaging story and solid vocal performance.

Bedtime story for a Trekkie

I'm a big fan of Scalzi's writing style and i know enough Star Trek Mythos to appreciate sharp ironic humor of the story. But some of the joke were little too 'on the nose' and no low-hanging fruit was left uncollected. Still, the story was very entertaining, narration by Wil Wheaton was great, like always, and i would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a light beach read. If they read other novels by Jon Scalzi, that is. Not the best novel by him but better than most other Star Trek fanfic.

Very Enjoyable

What did you love best about Redshirts?

Interesting and fun. I loved the three codas.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Jasper--he took the greatest chance.

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

Lt. Kaczinsky--a hapless douchebag who became likeable.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The first "false" ending kind of ticked me off, even as I knew it was "fake."

Our futures can be what we make it!!

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

Never read the actual book. But the audio book was a great listen. I find that listen to an audio book engages the imaganation more then reading it. After all your brain is engaged in creating the characters, scenery and environment.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Redshirts?

I really enjoyed that moment where the future and our realty conveurg. I think that most sci-fi nuts would love to think that this could happen. Scalzi put together a story and characters that you find yourself caring for at the end. I found myself wanting to know more about the characters in 2012.

Which scene was your favorite?

There where several scenes I enjoyed but my favorite scenes had to be when the crew from the Intrepid met the cast of the Cronicals of the Intrepid.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I experienced extreme disappointment that it had to end. This is a keeper and I will certainly listen to this one over and over.

Any additional comments?

So far I've experienced two of Scalzi`s works this one and Androids Dream. I think this guy has a direct link into my imaganation.

Unexpectedly delightful

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

The author's use of beloved science fiction cliche's in unexpected and thought provoking ways. This quality was furthered enhanced knowing that Wil Wheaton (child protege of Star Trek: The Next Generation) was the narrator.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Redshirts?

The appearance of The Box.

Which scene was your favorite?

The final scene where the ashes and sand are being scattered in the ocean. I don't want to say names since that would be a ridiculous spoiler but for anyone who has read the book the scene quite memerable.

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

For those of us who grew up with the various incarnations of Star Trek and a general fondness for the genre of science fiction coupled with a sense of vague embarrassment to admit to this side of ourself, this book is both a delight. Make sure to listen to all three codas since these are at the heart of the book as a whole.

Great reader, very good story, funny and touching

I think the biggest problem with this novel may be that it appeals to two very different audiences - those who enjoy a good riot of a spoof, and those who enjoy a good contemplative science fiction story. Sometimes those people are the same person, namely me. However, I can see those who are either one but not both being both pleased and disappointed with this novel in turns.

I would certainly recommend it to any friends I thought had a nice, wry sense of humor and sufficient maturity to appreciate the contemplative bits.

The reader, by the way, was amazing. Perfect for this novel. I mean, nobody gets every line perfect, but Wil Wheaton came close with this one.

A look from the other side of the mirror...

What did you love best about Redshirts?

This book does a nice job of switching perspectives to tell a story from the perspective of those who are mere plot devices in popular science fiction. The action is intentionally overplayed, which contributes well to the overall environment being built. The three codas were also interesting and fun to experience. The ending of the book was also very enjoyable, and completely surprising in the context of the genre.

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

Wil does an excellent job narrating this book. He adds depth to the characters and makes them come to life.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The ending of the book was very touching and very well done.

Entertaining concept, but...

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

I might try another book from each, but not together. I'll need to compare to see whose talent brought this story down.

What did you like best about this story?

I really liked the alternate reality theory. The characters were entertaining and have good interaction.

Did Wil Wheaton do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Sorry, no. There was no difference between character voices, other that an occasional accent which came and went and traveled from character to character.

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

No, not at theater prices. Definitely a "wait for the DVD".

Any additional comments?

Not sure if it was Wheatons narration or Scalzis writing, but single sentence statements followed by "(character name) said" get kind of annoying after the first thousand times. But on the plus side, since the characters all sound the same, it does help keep track of who is speaking.