We Only Need the Heads

The Human Division, Episode 3

By: John Scalzi

Narrated by: William Dufris

Length: 1 hr and 6 mins

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.

chapter to remind us war is hell

Would you consider the audio edition of We Only Need the Heads to be better than the print version?

Yes. By hearing the words at a slower pace than I read, it increased the suspense for me.

What did you like best about this story?

It was a frightening chapter; an excellent counterpoint to the more sarcastic and joking tone of the other chapters.

Which scene was your favorite?

Hard to answer this without giving spoilers, but the description of what happened in the fall was terrifying.

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

The ending. Good people must sometimes make a hard choice where there are no good choices.

Any additional comments?

I read reviews where people complained about the short length. Please remember that this is part of a 13 chapter arc. Some stories will be shorter than others but taken in context of the overall story, I believe it works well.

The Diplomats Are Back!

Diplomacy returns to the forefront of John Scalzi’s Human Division series as negotiations proceed with an alien race even as the existence of a wildcat colony threatens the proceedings. This story was reminiscent of the original book in the series, The B-Team, and I enjoyed it more than the second story. Things are looking bleaker for humanity as the Colonial Union’s “disagreement” with earth continues, leaving it short of military personnel. Will they be able to stop this wild cat colony from breaking the peace?

I wish buy the entire thing or named in order.

individual chapters don't sort into order. that's very annoying. prefer whole book for accessibility, please!

Pretty good but ...

This is Episode 3 of the Human Division series. Some reviewers say each episode is a short standalone story, others say Scalzi just divided what would have been one book into multiple separate episodes. I'm not sure I agree with either viewpoint after hearing three episodes. They don't really stand alone unless you're a fan of a very short plot with a flimsy leave-you-wondering type of ending. On the other hand, they don't really seem connected enough to all be parts of one bigger book, at least not yet.

The story is better written than much of Scalzi's work I've heard so far. It lacked the irritating transcript style of "he said," "she said" which has absolutely ruined some of his other work, in my opinion.

Reader did a good job, even though it was not a difficult narration to perform.

* said;* said;* said;* said;* said;

this damn transcript style makes me furious
Obumwe said,
Eagan said,
Wilson said,
Rickney said

PS
I think I will wait until all of the episodes are available and continue then.

Pure crap

No real story. Just an idea this unfinished idea never should have been sold Again. Pure crap

Wanted to listen.....

Any additional comments?

I really like John Scalzi and thought these shorts would be fun to spread out. I just could not listen to all the "saids". Wilson said, John said, Wilson said,,,, etc etc. Frustrating and takes away from what would otherwise be a great story.

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.