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.

Great Story on the old Star Trek joke

I really enjoyed Scalzi's take on the joke about Red Shirts fate on the original Star Trek crew. The main story is humors and entertaining. The Codas then add a depth to the characters that take the book to a new level. Wil Wheaton brings the characters to life and is a great choice to narrate the book.

John Scalzi and Wil Wheaton! Enough said!

Would you listen to Redshirts again? Why?

I would. Especially the 3 Codas at the end! What starts off as being a funny tongue in cheek nod to sci-if lovers, ends with 3 thought provoking stories that added a whole new dimension to the book. That's why the title is Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas.

Any additional comments?

Wil Wheaton is such a fun narrator! I will listen to anything he narrates! The Scalzi-Wheaton team rocks!

Simply brilliant

What did you love best about Redshirts?

Ok, simply might not be the word for this book. It's complicated. It's very well thought out and stated in terms that anyone can understand. I won't give anything away, but the premise is brilliant. Fans of Star Trek or any other sci-fi TV show will love this book.

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

Wil has amazing character in his voice. I am always impressed with his enthusiasm for the story and he is always able to deliver the funny lines in just the right way and becomes frantic when the characters are freaking out.

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

I busted my gut laughing while listening to this. Probably shouldn't have been driving when I was listening to it...

Great Fun

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

One of the better audios I've listened to in quite some time. I thought it was wonderful that this was at the same time both a humorous parody of "all things Trek" and a mildly though provoking piece of fiction.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Redshirts?

This book hooked me from the start. I'm still trying to visualize "Ice Sharks".

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

Wil Wheaton really brings Andy Dahl to life. I relished the irony that this character was perilously close to the Trek character that Wil portrayed for years. I found myself wondering if Wil enjoyed the "poking fun" that the story did of the “bad writing” of the scifi show described in the book.

Worth it for the Three Codas

The story, itself, was okay, but the Three Codas elevate the book. Recommend. Wil Wheaton, as always is excellent.

Light and humorous to leading to attempt at depth

What did you like best about Redshirts? What did you like least?

This is sci-fi self deprecation at its extreme which, if you are a sci-fi fan, can be a light and enjoyable read. This took up the first half of the book and being a sci-fi fan I enjoyed it thoroughly. For the second half the author moves into a more serious and thought provoking plot which was interesting but was not what I was expecting or looking for in this book. On its own it would have been a topic for a novel I would have enjoyed reading but mixed with the first half it simply didn't belong.

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

I would have split it into two separate bools, keeping the first light and humorous and keeping the second for an audience looking for a more thought provoking read.

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

He does a good job with the characters although I would like to see greater distinctions made between the male characters voices.

Do you think Redshirts needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, this is not a book meant for a series.

One narrator, one voice

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

Very humorous sci-fi

What did you like best about this story?

That it didn't take itself seriously.

Would you be willing to try another one of Wil Wheaton’s performances?

No. I did not enjoy his reading. Every character, even the females, had the same vocal inflection. I have never had so much trouble tracking who the speaker was than with this audiobook.

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

Love the story; It made me laugh. Hated the narration; it made me cry.

Any additional comments?

Please, Will: vary your vocal presentation, please.

Don't be a Red Shirt

Would you listen to Redshirts again? Why?

Yes, it was definitely read by the right person, Wil Wheaton was absolutely great! It had everything I though it should, many Red Shirts dodging things that shouldn't happen, the "mystery box" etc. Just a great fun read. The second and third codex were a little slow and hard to follow at times, but it made sense in the end. Love it when a book ends well.

Have you listened to any of Wil Wheaton???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, Fuzzy Nation and Ready Player One. Both good books and he is an excellent narrator.

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

Laughed so hard at times!!!

Any additional comments?

If you ever watched Star Trek, this is a must read. Such a great "behind the scenes" spoof!!!

Interesting, But a Miss

Redshirts has what sounds like a can't-miss setup: why wouldn't someone in Star Fleet ask about all those "redshirt" security extras dying on every Enterprise away mission?

Unfortunately, I felt like Scalzi should have gotten a lot more out of this fertile ground. Too many of his characters feel like stock players - and while that's got to be a tricky balance, when you're dealing with a meta situation in which characters are supposed to be badly written, it just doesn't fully work.

The action and pacing felt sketchy, too -- if you're going to elide some of the details of the action, that's fine (though more about the LAPD chasing down a shuttle craft would have been fun), but then every single pause, breath and poignant look during dialogue scenes doesn't need to be telegraphed.

The codas were overlong and didn't really work for me, with the partial exception of the third - there's the germ of a great, weird love story somewhere in there, but it's out of place, and it neither fully stands on its own nor particulary redeems the rest of the story.

All in all, it wasn't unenjoyable - there's enough red meat in there to resonate with even the casual Trek viewer - but more than anything, the story made me miss the vibrant energy and weird specificity of Gene Roddenberry's original.

This make me want to be a red shirt.

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

I would recommend this book to any friend that enjoys nerding out on Sci-Fi TV, and who "get" it. I wouldn't expect just anyone to be able to pick this up, and understand why a lot of these jokes are funny, or even what the term "red shirt" means.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I enjoyed the Jenkins and Weinstein story line the most. The seemingly minor characters make such a strong impact to the story.

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

The Captain was my favrotie performance. Wil channeled his in William Shatner for the Captain, and for all the "narrative" bits. I laughed out loud so many times.

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

The last 2 hours of the book are particularly moving. The main storyline was great and funny, but the final individually stories are very emotional.

Any additional comments?

Short story that packs a big punch. I will definitely be listening to this book over and over.