• The Gentle Art of Cracking Heads

  • The Human Division, Episode 12
  • By: John Scalzi
  • Narrated by: William Dufris
  • Length: 38 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (890 ratings)

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The Gentle Art of Cracking Heads  By  cover art

The Gentle Art of Cracking Heads

By: John Scalzi
Narrated by: William Dufris
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Publisher's summary

United States Diplomat Danielle Lowen was there when one of her fellow diplomats committed an unthinkable act that had consequences for the entire planet. Now she’s trying to figure out how it happened before it can happen again. Putting the puzzle pieces together could solve the mystery - or it could threaten her own life.

"The Gentle Art of Cracking Heads" is a tale from John Scalzi's The Human Division, a series of self-contained but interrelated short stories set in the Old Man's War universe.

Listen to the complete edition of The Human Division, the fifth full-length book by John Scalzi in the Old Man's War universe.
©2012 John Scalzi (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

What listeners say about The Gentle Art of Cracking Heads

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Nearing the Conclusion...

A good solid episode, but short. With only one story left though, I wonder what the last episode is going to be, and how Scalzi is going to tie everything up in two hours. Maybe it's just a big lead-up to a full novel. Still, if you've listened this long, you will enjoy this episode.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A 38-minute murder mystery

STORY - This is one of my favorite episodes in this series. Scalzi managed to cram a pretty good plot with a twisted ending into 38 minutes, which should be some sort of record. This story takes place on earth (contrary to many of the others) and is about trying to solve the mystery of a murder that took place on a vessel in outer space. As far as I can tell, the story stands alone, but I suppose Scalzi might somehow tie all these short stories together in the final episode.

NARRATOR - Good job but not particularly impressive.

OVERALL - Definitely worth 69 cents and 38 minutes of your time!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Whats Next???

This book is a sequel to "The Observers: Episode 9".. Its an investigation regarding the murderer and how did such a thing happen.
Let me just say that the events in this episode were mind blowing and how such a murder got planned in the first place.

You get to know more about this mysterious party and how intelligent they are.

Whats going to happen next?

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good but very short

This is a pretty good story but WHY are these books so damn SHORT? This book is about 38 minutes long or should I say 38 minutes short.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I know it has been 9 years, but...

The last Old Man's War was recorded in 2015, we should be able to get at least 2 more years of episodes of The Human Division. Just wishful thinking? What's up with the rest of the episodes? Come on Mr. Scalzi, you can do better than this. The characters are relatable, the stories engaging and fun, but there isn't enough of them. More please!

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Someone Is Messing with Earth & the Colonial Union

Tension continues to grow as Earth diplomat, Danielle Lowen, starts the story trying to find out why a Brazilian diplomat killed another member of their team before killing herself (in The Observers). It ends with her trying to figure out how the Brazilian consulate was bombed. Overall, it’s an exciting little story that further raises expectations for the final one in the series. Someone is messing with Earth, the Colonial Union, and the Conclave. Hopefully, Scalzi will pull it all together in story #13.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Part of a series, apparently

I liked the story, until I realized it was just part of a series. The narrator is his usual excellent self. Now I have to find what it's part of a series of.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Scalzi does not dissapoint

This story could stand alone as the begining of a techno thriller.
fitting snugly into Scalzi's Colonial Union universe it is even better.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

See Review for "The B-Team"

See Review for "The B-Team" this is Episode 12 (minimum 15 words in a Review)

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good but not his best

The Human Division is another chapter in the saga of Old Man's War, which is a hit and miss series. This one is somewhere in the middle. Good humor, middling characters, overall engaging writing, and convoluted plot.

I'm giving it a rock-bottom overall score due to the fact that this is not the version you should get. Pick up the final full book, not these expensive piece meal episodes.

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