Redshirts

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I enjoyed this book but the original premise could only take it so far and around half way through it ran out steam and turned into a run of the mill sci-fi book.

This was great fun. Not, perhaps, laugh out loud funny, but entertaining and clever. Redshirts was the first book I've read by John Scalzi. It won't be the last.

Very clever stuff based around the fact that the red shirted crew member always died on Star Trek away missions. No need to be a Trekkie/Trekker (my splitting of the term might give something away there) either, it's light comedy and some existential musings. It's not perfect, but you get the impression that Scalzi knows that and is happy with it.

This book is FUN!
The audiobook read by Wil Wheaton is SUPER Fun!

Read with an open mind and a fan-person state of mind.
I want to say more but anything I can think of gives things away. I read this after reading nothing more than a few vague reviews saying it was a good story and well written. I also love John Scalzi and if you know anything about him or have read any of his other books this will be a treat.

You know the guys with red shirts in Star Trek, always in deadly peril on away missions? This is a book about them. It's full of pleasant meta trickery. Quite an entertaining little novel, really.

Great fun! All those Codas stuff, it is just ok, but the main plot, awesome. Great fun, nice homage to Star Trek, amazing plot twists. Yeah!

Redshirts is a science fiction spoof that pokes fun at the high death count in the original Star Trek television show - at least among the less important crew members. In his novel, Scalzi introduces five new members to the crew of the Intrepid - the flagship United Union's fleet. They are a bit like the Breakfast Club - five people you wouldn't expect to get along somehow become friends. As they spend more time on the ship, they begin to realize that everyone who goes on an away mission seems to die a tragic, horrible, and really bizarre death. They compare notes, search for clues, and try to understand what is happening to them. In the end, they come up with a plan that is so crazy it just might work...

I have to say this book was... Interesting. It won the 2013 Hugo and Locus Awards, so I expected it to be good, and it is by John Scalzi, so I expected it to be funny. I guess what I wasn't expecting was for it to be so meta. It came at me sort of unexpectedly, especially the second half of the book. Which wasn't to say I didn't like it, because I did. It was just a much different reading experience than I thought I was getting when I picked it up. I thought it worked well in the context of this story, and, honestly, really made for a satisfying conclusion to the book. It was just odd having a book that I thought was going to be something to share with my mother (the other sci-fi reader in the family) turn into a book that would be perfect for me to share with my sister (the girl who is proof-reading too many new scripts by “emerging artists”).

As someone who has been indoctrinated to the world of Trekkies since birth, the winks, nudges, and not-so-subtle digs at the source material were much appreciated. On the other hand, I think this book could be fantastically funny to anyone, even people who don't have a lot of love for the science fiction genre (actually, especially those people), because the book points out a lot of the ridiculousness and hand-wavery that happens in the television episodes. The concept of the book is easy to grasp, the humor is on point, and due to the nature of the material, readers get to bypass a lot of technical jargon that can bog down a lot of stories in this genre. All in all, this book was a fun, quick read that was just perfect for the end of summer before school/work starts up again, and I recommend it for anyone looking for a bit of fun.

Having seen every Star Trek episode and being a huge fan of Galaxy Quest, this one was amazing. The story revolves around a space ship (like the Enterprise) where a surprising number of crew members are dying on away missions – especially those lower on the totem pole. Once the bit characters begin to realize this trend they divise ways to take advantage of the situation.

Much of what made this great was how meta it was. Almost like a darker version of Glaxy Quest.

Having seen every Star Trek episode and being a huge fan of Galaxy Quest, this one was amazing. The story revolves around a space ship (like the Enterprise) where a surprising number of crew members are dying on away missions – especially those lower on the totem pole. Once the bit characters begin to realize this trend they divise ways to take advantage of the situation.

Much of what made this great was how meta it was. Almost like a darker version of Glaxy Quest.

Very original and very funny Definitely worth a read

Haven't finished it yet, but so far unimpressed.

I'm confused why everyone seems to love this book so much.
Aside from he plot tangling around itself, and the characters constantly quipping back and forth to each other in over the top sitcom manner, it's practically impossible to tell the characters apart without attribution. Early in the first chapter there's a long exchange between two characters of different genders, and even with that difference it was still extremely difficult to tell them apart. The dialogue is stiflingly bland and the humor falls flat more often than it succeeds.

I think that I would have enjoyed this book, as the humor and style is something that I would normally like very much, if the characters had a bit of variety to them.

Ensign Dahl representin' the Redshirts!

4.5 out of 5

Although I'm not a Trekkie myself, I thought this was a delightful book. I grew up with a casual Star Trek fan–my dad–so I knew what redshirts referred to, and I think Scalzi gave these guys the homage they deserve with this novel. It was fun, light, and just a really fast read. I flew through this in less than a day (mainly because it was a library book and, of course, I waited for the very last minute to pick it up...but also because the material wasn't too dense).

I think my favorite part was the Coda, where the reader basically gets served three different endings from different POVs. I really enjoyed that–it was like a really satisfying meal, you know? ... delicious but still nutritious, and you ate just the right amount, leaving space for some dessert.

I highly recommend this one to science fiction fans (especially Trekkies) who are looking for something fun =)

Even if you don't know anything about Star Trek, I think it's still worth a gander–especially if you're on vacation or something.

Much of what I have to say about Redshirts has been already said, and better, by other reviewers: the core of the novel is a fun, scifi-ish, meta-ish romp that is of decent quality, whereas the novel really comes into its own in the three codas, which are each beautiful and existential meditations.
I have only two complaints: Scalzi tags his conversations way too much (“she said”) and it particularly bugs when listening to the audiobook. Wheaton, who is an exceptional narrator – full of verve and hitting exactly the right cynical tone – uses exactly the same cadence for every tag and it almost sounds rhythmic in this way that is very distracting. The second complaint is that the conceit of the books was well known a priori, and yet the majority of the book is spent leading the reader to it and describing it – I would have rather spent more time with the characters – and more fun, satirical romps through SciFiVerse.

This was excellent. I loved it.

This book was so much more than I was expecting. I wanted a clever insight into what the Star Trek universe would be like from the perspective of the red shirts. I got that. Maybe Ina sort of ‘Galaxy Quest' way but I got it. What I didn't expect was to get science fiction's ‘Stranger Than Fiction' complete with an internal reference to ‘Stranger Than Fiction'. That was awesome. I'm a sucker for breaking the walls, 4th, 5th, 12th, whatever. And wha t I really didn't expect and especially loved we're three codes that built up an emotional summary of what's really important in life and brought few joyful tears. Well done Mr. Scalzi.

I would have gotten to this book eventually even if it wasn't picked for book club, even if I'd never read anything by John Scalzi before, even if it wasn't Wil Wheaton's number one recommendation. I would've seen it on a shelf with its bright red cover and bought it based on the title and nothing else.

Redshirts is exactly the sort of humor I adore. It's witty, referential, clever, and the kind of break I needed during what's proving to be a trying month in the real world. I wouldn't call myself a Trekkie, but Trek has always been a part of my life. This is largely due to my father at whom I am going to shove this book the first chance I get. All right, I had a period of impressionable adolescence when I was obsessed with Voyager and all of my avatars were named B'ellana... and I did have an irritable cat named Worf, but again that's more a Trekkie by proxy situation. It was a show that was always on and one I could always talk to my dad about, so it's special to me.

That said, boy does Scalzi call original Trek on every haphazard plot device ever used. I love the concept of this book, the story of the unsung ensign. I love the blend of Galaxy Quest humor with genuine philosophical musings. I want this to be a movie directed by Joss Whedon and staring Wil Wheaton. Honestly, I'd like most of Scalzi's work adapted to films directed by Joss Whedon and staring Wil Wheaton, but this one would be especially good. Nathan Fillion could be Kerensky! Without pants! Back me up on this, internet.

Scalzi's writing always puts me in mind of a film script, and if I have one criticism for this book (and honestly his work at large), it's that he really should be writing more of those. His dialogue is brilliant, clever, and realistic, but it's also awkwardly thrust into his larger story with dozens and dozens of unnecessary speech tags, mostly “said” and “asked.” I think I've written about this in other reviews, but it didn't bother me until I listened to The Human Division on audiobook. Said said said said said. It takes all the fun out of otherwise wonderful scenes. Stop with the speech tags, Scalzi. You genuinely do not need them. I've read fanfiction with fewer tags. You are better than this.

Mini-rant aside, this book has heart, humor, and action. The philosophical overtones get a little heavy in the codas, but mostly it reads like a blockbuster film with philosophy thrown in for people who like overthinking fiction (certainly that doesn't apply to Trekkies... ). It only took me two days to read it because A) I'm not working and B) The cat would not be budged from my lap, so I sort of had to finish it. Neither of those change the fact that it was easily the most entertaining way to spend my time this vacation. If you love Trek but recognize its many flaws, read this book. If Galaxy Quest is as much your favorite movie as it is mine, read this book. If you like Scalzi at all, read this book even if you've never watched an episode of classic Trek.

If you are Wil Wheaton, Joss Whedon, or John Scalzi, please call somebody about making this movie. I want to watch it.

Executive Summary: This is one of those books that is likely to be something you either love or hate. If you enjoy [a:John Scalzi 4763 John Scalzi http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1236228326p2/4763.jpg], and/or are a fan of Star Trek, you'll likely enjoy this book. If not, it's probably not for your.Audio book: This is the second audio book I've listened to that is Narrated by [a:Wil Wheaton 37075 Wil Wheaton http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1356706649p2/37075.jpg] (The other being [b:Ready Player One 9969571 Ready Player One Ernest Cline http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333576871s/9969571.jpg 14863741]). I really enjoy him as a narrator, especially for a book like this. I couldn't think of a more perfect reader for a Star Trek Parody book.That said, this book does suffer what I like to call “Unabridgedness”. That's where the author does something that in print would likely be ignored or read differently (like an image, or specially printed text) that is a bit painful to listen to.I won't say the particular issue with this book so as not to plant it in your head (like it had been in mine before listening). Maybe you won't notice :)Despite that, I think this is great to listen to in an audiobook, and I especially enjoy the way Mr. Wheaton reads sarcastic statements (of which this book has many). Oh, and he does a great drunk voice!Full ReviewA [a:John Scalzi 4763 John Scalzi http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1236228326p2/4763.jpg] book making fun of Star Trek? Read by [a:Wil Wheaton 37075 Wil Wheaton http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1356706649p2/37075.jpg]? YES PLEASE!I had heard some mixed things about this book (and the audio in particular coming in). That didn't really deter me, I just hadn't gotten around to it yet.Things sort of converged where I got the chance to review it for SFF Audio and it was the alternate July pick for Sword & Laser.This book really cracked me up. I found myself going between chuckling to myself and bursting out into embarrassing fits of laughter. Thank goodness no one was around to see it. And you won't tell people about it, will you internet?Anyways, Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union. Oh so he's an Ensign in Starfleet on the Enterprise? Got it.The book extrapolates on the ridiculousness of sending Kirk, Spock, Mccoy and Ensign Timmy, in his bright red shirt, down to the dangerous planet on an away mission. One of them dies. Guess which one?The original series was before my time (I'm a Next Gen/DS9 Trekker), and I've only really watched the movies and very few episodes, but the meme of being the Redshirt on an away mission is well known to just about everyone at this point.The book gets pretty Meta, but I found it to be an enjoyable book, even if it loses a bit of steam as it goes along.The main story was very enjoyable and the three Codas were alright. I liked the first one the most. The second two were OK, but I don't think either added too much to the story.That said, it's a quick read (~8 hours for the normal speed audiobook), and the perfect summer/vacation book.

Wanted to like it, but between the lackluster narration in the audio book combined with the very repetitive language (I can't count the number of times “He said” “She said” etc.) in the beginning, it wasn't enjoyable. It also felt like one hugely long-running in-joke of Star Trek, which obviously it was meant to be, but it stopped being exciting before long. Would not read / listen to again.

Redshirts has got to be one of the most geek-friendly book titles I have encountered. The uninformed might guess that it's about wearing a certain colour of clothing, and they might be wondering why it's a single compound word. However, any sci-fi fan worth his salt knows that it actually refers to the laughable tendency for characters on the original Star Trek series who wore red uniforms to be entirely expendable and prone to being hurt or killed on away missions. So we know what this story is going to be about. The story of Ensign Andrew Dahl is clearly set in a copy of the Star Trek universe with its starship Intrepid and Universal Union as clear analogues to the starship Enterprise and the Federation. Nevertheless, Redshirts is not merely a spoof of Star Trek, but attempts to tell its own very “meta” story. When Dahl arrives aboard the Intrepid, it doesn't take him long to notice that certain people are dying on missions (and in gruesome, ridiculous ways such as “death by ice shark”), while others never get hurt or seem to recover miraculously when they do. The behaviour of certain crew members changes without explanation and other reality-defying incidents start to pique Dahl's interest, so he starts digging for answers — hopefully before he falls prey to whatever is happening as well. Because of the obvious Star Trek comparisons, we same sci-fi fans who are worth our salt can also predict quite easily what is going on, so thankfully, author John Scalzi doesn't keep that a “mystery” for long. Instead, partway into the story, the plot takes a huge “meta” twist and the fictional reality kind of wraps in on itself. I don't want to give too much away (maybe I already have), but this twist makes the story pretty interesting (a cool little variant on the time-travel story — another sci-fi staple). This plot change also comes right at the time when I was getting very confused by the various characters and their names. (I listened to the audiobook, which was wonderfully performed by Wesley Crusher himself, Wil Wheaton — How's that for “meta”? — but that made it even harder to keep characters straight since they all sounded similar until the story started to focus on a small away-mission crew instead.) The writing style is very light and humourous — and not particularly literary. In fact, we don't delve too deeply into the characters' minds or motives. There isn't even very much description. It's essentially all plot and dialogue (much like a TV script would be). In many ways, this story feels like an episode of Star Trek (or better yet, an epic, two-part episode — maybe even a cliffhanger season finale). Everything moves along rather briskly. After the end of the main story there are several long epilogues which add layers of emotion and character to this story, but it seems weird to relegate them to the post-script. It may have slowed down the pace of the plot, but I would have preferred if that kind of depth could have been a part of the main story all along. In the end, there's not much I can say about this book. It's fun for anyone who is familiar with and enjoys Star Trek and other similar space shows but for anyone outside the fandom I think there is probably not nearly as much here to hold their interest. Thankfully, though I am not a fan of the original Trek, I do enjoy everything that came after — and that includes this book. (4 out of 5)

As the title indicates, this is a story about the bit-part characters on a ship not entirely unlike the one from a certain famous franchise, written from their perspective. In particular, about what happens when they realise their role in the grand scheme of things, and what they decide to do about it. To say more is to spoil the plot, but I can say that it's a combination of black comedy, a humorous swide-swipe at bad TV SF, and that... well, it's all very meta.

The story is pretty good, although (as the author makes a point of saying) not without antecedents in other works. I do have a criticism, however, although I have to concede that it may have been relevant that I was feeling rather ill when I read the book - not always conducive to really enjoying something.

But, anyway, the criticism is the codas at the end, which feel out of place and rather self-indulgent. I get what the point of them is - they're describing how the events of the story have had life-changing effects on the characters who are bit parts in it. All very meta, and, frankly, a worthy idea. But it's one that doesn't quite work, perhaps as much because of the change of tone as anything else. And, so, yeah, its the codas that knock this down from a 4-star to a 3-star book.

On the whole I liked it. I thought some of the afterwords were too meta.
Parts were funny, some of it was a little confusing.
Quick to read and I am a slow reader.
The parts involving Jenkins and his wife were very moving.

Maybe this suffers because I was so excited by the premise; but I didn't enjoy it or laugh very often. Maybe I just don't know enough sci-fi references...After the he said/she said was pointed out to me, it was all I could see!Plan to give this another chance though, because I liked the premise so much and I think it may have suffered from being read between [b:A Feast for Crows 13497 A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, #4) George R.R. Martin https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1358261107s/13497.jpg 1019062] and [b:A Dance With Dragons 10664113 A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5) George R.R. Martin https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327885335s/10664113.jpg 2936175]. I'd just read the first 4 books of A Song of Ice and Fire very quickly and wanted a break for a completely different type of book; but maybe I was too much in the Ice and Fire world and was expecting a book with equal depth which was impossible for this book to deliver as that's not what it's trying for.OK, second reading has been lemmed (T said). I don't know why I ever wanted to give this a second chance (said T). Even Wil Wheaton's narration couldn't save this (T said); in fact, listening to the audiobook may have highlighted the sheer pain of the ‘Dahl said/Duvall said/Hansen said/etc' every few seconds (said T).

This book is broken into various sections, or codas, the first of which was very fun; I really liked the characters and found myself laughing-out-loud numerous times. As a huge fan of the Star Trek Universe I very much appreciated this story and the setting. I especially enjoyed the poking fun at the ‘science' involved (e.g. ‘the box'). It left me wanting more of the characters introduced and I feel that each one could support their own tale. I did have a hard time getting used to the use of the word ‘said', though this may be due partly to the fact that I was listening to the audiobook (narrated by Wil Wheaton, very funny) and it was hard to ignore its frequency.
The second story came from the writer of the fictional show itself, and was my least favorite part. It added to the story as a whole, but I don't think it was necessary.
Story number three brought us back into our world and was a nice close for the character and provided a transition from the science fiction to the world we sort of live in.
The last story was my favorite, possibly overly sentimental but I very much enjoyed being connected to a character that I had just met in such a meaningful way. I personally liked the closure it brought to one of the earlier minor characters that we don't often get to see.
All-in-all, it was a very fun little read and I am interested in investigating other works by this author.

Redshirts was an extremely fast read. Not only is it a short book, it moves very quickly. Humorous at times, with a twist in a direction I did not anticipate, I enjoyed the book from start to finish.

Interestingly, the “Three Codas” part actually takes up at least the final fourth of the book. And, as opposed to the rest of the book which tends to maintain a fairly light and silly tone throughout, the codas are surprisingly emotional.

All in all, a quick, fun read, but I don't see myself going back to this one regularly as it is rather thin. I am intrigued by reading something else by John Scalzi, hopefully something with a bit more depth.