Miniatures

The Very Short Fiction of John Scalzi

By: John Scalzi

Narrated by: Khristine Hvam, Peter Ganim, Luke Daniels, John Scalzi, Greg Cope White, Fred Berman

Length: 2 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's Summary

The ex-planet Pluto has a few choice words about being thrown out of the solar system. A listing of alternate histories tells you all the various ways Hitler has died. A lawyer sues an interplanetary union for dangerous working conditions. And four artificial intelligences explain, in increasingly worrying detail, how they plan not to destroy humanity. Welcome to Miniatures: The Very Short Fiction of John Scalzi.

These four stories, along with 14 other pieces, have one thing in common: They're short, sharp, and to the point - science fiction in miniature, with none of the stories longer than 2,300 words. But in that short space exist entire universes, absurd situations, and the sort of futuristic humor that propelled Scalzi to a Hugo with his novel Redshirts. Not to mention yogurt taking over the world (as it would).

Spanning the years from 1991 to 2016, this collection is a quarter century of Scalzi at his briefest and best and features four never-before-published stories exclusive to this collection: "Morning Announcements at the Lucas Interspecies School for Troubled Youth", "Your Smart Appliances Talk About You Behind Your Back", "Important Holidays on Gronghu", and "The AI Are Absolutely Positively Without a Doubt Not Here to End Humanity, Honest".

John Scalzi is the New York Times best-selling author of Old Man's War, Lock In, and Redshirts, among others. His work has won the Hugo and Locus Awards and been nominated for the Nebula and Campbell Awards. He lives in Ohio and online. He enjoys pie.

Full cast of narrators includes Oliver Wyman, Dina Pearlman, and Allyson Johnson.

©2016 John Scalzi (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"The production includes six narrators, including Scalzi, with each taking on two or more stories. This proves a smart choice.... Between the narrators and the stories, this collection proves to be a perfect introduction for listeners wanting to get a comprehensive sense of Scalzi's style." ( AudioFile)

Small doses of "Scalzian" humor

If you answer yes to any of these next question you should totally get this audiobook:

1) Do you like short and "laugh out loud" science fiction?

2) Do you wonder what human interaction with aliens on a daily basis in school or in the workplace would be like?

3) Do you find the idea of human annihilation by AI or an intelligent Randian Yogurt possibly funny?

4) Does the idea of security risk assessment regarding spaceship travels or super heroes/villains amuse you?

5) All of the above?

Obs: if you like this, get "Redshirts" and/or "Fuzzy Nation"

Funny!

I laughed hard enough that strangers asked me if I was all right. It was the Janissaries.

Snippets not short stories

I enjoyed Red Shirts, but just struggled through these shorts. These felt more like snippets or notes for novel scenes than short stories. I guess the title should have been a tipoff, but I assumed these were more finished pieces than they were.

Great variety of stories, with intros by author.

What did you love best about Miniatures?

Most of the stories made me laugh out loud! And since I listened to it in the car, I got some really funny looks. (Which, in my opinion, makes it just that much more fun!)

What was one of the most memorable moments of Miniatures?

Hard to choose because each of the stories is so unique. My favorite is 'Denise Jones, Superbooker'. OMG!! So hilarious! The last 'story', though, is a poem he wrote to Penelope (wife of Odysseus), which is extremely sweet. Very touching.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

So many characters, so many voices.... The kids in the Lemonade story had the perfect whiny tones. Ha!

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

Not necessary because the stories are so short, but I did want to because it was so entertaining.

Any additional comments?

Could not have asked for a more enjoyable two+ hours of entertainment. If you like Scalzi's work, this is a must-have.

Hilarious Sci-Fi

A hilarious compilation of short sci-fi stories that has a little for everyone: Star Trek fans, Star Wars fans, pet lovers, teachers, corporate employees and diplomats.

A quick and relaxing break between the normal read

I enjoyed the format and the stories told. For such short stories, he covered some detailed material. It was a nice break between my longer reads.

ha ha ha. lol haha

Where does Miniatures rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

more, i want more. I SAID MORE!

Any additional comments?

a really great little read. like a shot of espresso and some 100 proof moonshine.
POP!

laugh out loud

This collection of short stories had me laughing! These clever little snippets are sure to brighten your day.

Brighten a dull day some fun

This book is short and light weight but gloriously funny, filled with John Scalzi's imagination par excellence. I laughed all the way through and was sorry when it ended. Recommended with happy laughter to brighten your day.

Excellent narrators, each perfect for the particular part they read, made it even more enjoyable. Thank you Mr Scalzi.

This collection is worth your time

Incredible science fiction. It amazed me! It was humorous, amusing, and thought-provoking. I recommend it to people who enjoy a bit of sarcastic humor, but if does go low-brow occasionally.

From Adequate to Badequate

This collection is a mixed bag, much in the same way that a bag of garbage is also a mixed bag. Not everything in there is useless, if you were to rewire the plug in the toaster it'd probably work fine, but as no one wants to go to the effort of making any of it good it'd just being heaped together and thrown out.

There were occasions where I thought something was sort of funny but on these rare occasions the story would immediately swing back and beat the joke to death. It's almost as if the author is afraid to do a subtle joke as that would give the reader too much of a chance to miss it, instead it has to begin subtle and then immediately make it perfectly clear just what the joke was, why it was funny and why hearing it another dozen times will re-enforce just how funny it was. This entire series feels like some kind of scientific experiment to grind jokes into dust and then examine the remains to see if we can discover the funny atom. We can't, joke is dead.

Narration was generally fine though.

More a selection of lists than short stories

If you're a Scalzi fan, as I am, then you may find this interesting simply to see how he approaches short stories and how his ideas may have evolved. But if you're just looking to listen to some good stories, then this is not for you. They are musings rather than perfected stories. Some interesting ideas, though.

Great, imaginative, funny stories

Really enjoyed this. I had already heard colapsing empire and red shirts but this was good as it showed a nice breadth of ideas.

My particular favourite was the fall of the society of the frogs and the first squid on the moon.