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.

Too funny!

I haven't gotten around to reading/listening to anything else by Scalzi yet...not because I don't think I'll enjoy it, but because I can't imagine enjoying it more than I enjoyed this one. Even with Wil Wheaton narrarating some of Scalzi's other works, this story was brilliant.

I bought in to it simply from the title. Redshirts. I'm not a raving Trekkie, but I was raised looking forward to family night watching ST:TNG (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and am familiar with what being a 'Redshirt' means. I'm also a bit of a card/boardgame nut and StarMunchkin (if you have to ask....best not) with it's tongue-in-cheek Redshirt hireling had me primed to listen to this book. I do love a good parody/satire/sendup.

What transpired between the 'covers' of this audiobook was everything I was hoping for and more. What I wanted was an irreverent laugh out loud page turner with lots of tropes and stereotypes offered up for the fodder of comedy....and I did get that, to be sure...but by the end Scalzi had somehow managed to twist the story I was reading into a poignant, and - how can I put this - well an amazing finale. Nothing like what I thought I was going to get - but in hindsight I couldn't have possibly asked for a better end. I've listened through it a few times now and it's definitely one of my favorite audio titles to date.

Is there a support group for....

Is there a support group for Scalzi/Wheaton addiction? Ernest Cline fans should snap this one up! You won't be disappointed. I literally "lol'ed" at this book. In my book (no pun intended) this is excellent entertainment. I get what the one reviewer said about the "he said, she said" aspect of the book and Wil Wheaton's lack of character voices, but his emotion and flair for this genre far surpasses that minor issue. I can barley wait for my next credit to purchase The Ghost Brigades.

Very creative!

What did you love best about Redshirts?

The humor and insight.

What did you like best about this story?

Creative, interesting, and unexpected story line.

What about Wil Wheaton???s performance did you like?

Did a great job of acting out the different characters and got the tone of the story just right.

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

Made me laugh a few times.

fun for the most part

fun for the most part.

The, he said, then she said, then so and so said was distracting. wondering if the book was written that way? Or if it was to distinguish between the characters because most dialog was done in the same voice.

Get a thesaurus, please

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

Yes, honestly I would.

What did you like best about this story?

The story is amusing, and interesting. Not exactly original, but original enough. I enjoyed listening to the story and the ideas behind it were well thought out and engaging.

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

no idea

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

no, not really

Any additional comments?

The predominance of the word "said" is my only complaint with the book. There were whole chapters of conversations between "he said" and "he said" and "she said", said said said said SAID.

That was almost enough to make me turn it off and return the book. I managed to get past it and the story is still good. But it really does show a huge difference between READING a book and LISTENING to a book. If I were reading this book, I could skip over the word said and follow the conversation without it. But having it repeated over and over and over was very distracting and broke the narrative significantly.

However, that is my ONLY actual complaint about the book. I thought it was read very well and was very entertaining because it was Wil Wheaton reading it.

Why isn't this a movie?!

It's a very well-thought-out book, it's clever and very entertaining. Wery well read but Wil Wheton.

ok..not great.

was an ok filler while waiting on another book to release. end was boring and predictable.

Interesting Twist

I expected the Away Team results based on the title and being an original Star Trek fan, but I didn't expect where the book ended up-interesting twist. I enjoyed this one and am looking forward to trying another Scalzi book. I also really liked The Box. #WalkingDead #Quirky #Clever #Future #Tagsgiving #Sweepstakes

unbelievably fantastic!

this is the best sci-fi novel I have read in a very long time. I strongly recommend it.

Totally enjoyed this

Totally enjoyed this book.
Wil Wheaton is easy to listen to and perfect for this book.
This is a fun read but has some hidden depths to it.
The extra stuff at the end was deeper and a little emotional.