• 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 (1,137 ratings)

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We Only Need the Heads  By  cover art

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

* 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.

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40 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

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.

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9 people found this helpful

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

Uh-oh! Talk your way out of this one

Yes, it's getting better, and the plot lines are starting to come out. It can't be easy writing an entire book that is made up of short stories that are interrelated, but so far, Scalzi is managing it. I do wish he would find words other than 'said' for his dialogue. Gets irritating! He does this in all his books, so I guess it won't change anytime soon. If these stories are your first introduction to Scalzi, try some of his other books to get a better idea of his writing style. I especially recommend Fuzzy Nation or Agent to the Stars.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    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
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    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
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    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
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    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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1 person found this helpful

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

B-Team Returns

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

The Continuing thread.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Harry and Schidmt. Harry is just too smooth and laid back he leaves the worrying to Schmidt

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

He brings emotion to the scene without being cheesy or camp.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Jc
  • 03-04-24

Pure crap

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

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

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!

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