Sample
  • We Only Need the Heads

  • The Human Division, Episode 3
  • By: John Scalzi
  • Narrated by: William Dufris
  • Length: 1 hr and 6 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (1,155 ratings)

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We Only Need the Heads

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

CDF Lieutenant Harry Wilson has been loaned out to a CDF platoon tasked with secretly removing an unauthorized colony of humans on an alien world. Colonial Ambassador Abumwe has been ordered to participate in final negotiations with an alien race the Union hopes to make allies. Wilson and Abumwe’s missions are fated to cross - and in doing so, place both missions at risk of failure.

We Only Need the 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 We Only Need the Heads

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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Performance
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Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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  • 1 Stars
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Pretty Damn Good!

Pretty good for a very short story. Nice plot and good narration. Seems like John could have put all these short stories as 1 book.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Nothing new here.

Just a teaser of the book, no new info. A quick chapter and well worth the $0.69 I paid.

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

Enjoying the Individual Books!

I'm taking the time to grasp what I missed or misunderstood when I read the full story. Delightful!

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

Nice Installment to the Series

Nice episode, with a nice cliffhanger at the end. We're kind of left with an "uh-oh" moment for our human coalition, as things are looking a bit grim for our team. Looking forward to the next installment!

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2 people found this helpful

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

More action than ep2. Missing... something.

(This follows my review from Eps 1 and 2.) The action in this episode picks up again.

It's refreshing to see that this series ties-in with where Old Man's War left off. BUT, the "episodes" serial format is losing something in the "feel" of the storyline for me. 'Not sure what it is.

Maybe its character development. Or maybe it's expectations about which characters I should invest myself in since I don't know if they're going to be around from one ep to the next.

'Not sure....

What I am sure about is that the ineffable "feel" of why I enjoyed Old Man's War so much seems to be somewhat muted in this "episodes" format.

The "self-contained" short story format is a fine experiment, but the whole thing just feels like an anthology of short stories... which is exactly what it is, I suppose. So, maybe that's what it is...?

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

Liked the title.

This book is better than the 2nd one for sure.... The plot is showing bit by bit.... but still... there are many episodes to go... lets see what the 4th one will bring

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2 people found this helpful

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

Too Short

The first two "Episodes" (released together) were interesting and built a good foundation for the characters and their roles. This episode was only slightly over one hr. in length and was more of a very short story with the same characters. I was disappointed in the brevity of the story and how it ended. I'm reminded of the old hamburger chain commercial "where's the beef". This just was not on par with the authors previous work.

If future "episodes" are this short and weak in story line development then I will probably discontinue purchasing them.

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1 person found this helpful

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

Entertaining

What made the experience of listening to We Only Need the Heads the most enjoyable?

I like this serialized format. It's like watching a TV show in book format.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Harry Wilson

Have you listened to any of William Dufris’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The same. It's great!

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

Yes

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

Three in and still going strong.

What made the experience of listening to We Only Need the Heads the most enjoyable?

Dufris continues to perform outstandingly, and Scalzi continues to deliver great stories.

What was one of the most memorable moments of We Only Need the Heads?

Swearing at the main character when she did something particularly, spoiler-relatedly stupid.

Which character – as performed by William Dufris – was your favorite?

I don't recall what the Bula Ambassador's name is, but the voice was great.

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

Oh my

I love a cliffhanger and this get you right there. This takes science fiction and blends it with science fact. Political turmoil and intrigue and espionage all making this story an excellent story

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