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ribbonreuben's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5
winkz's review against another edition
4.0
Funny book. A lot of dark humor. The epilogue is a bit too serious given how the rest of the book was told and kind of betrays it's original conceit IMO. It wasn't exactly thought-provoking given how ludicrous the original concept is.
chibishichan1x2's review against another edition
3.0
Dash of stranger than fiction, handful of galaxy quest, and a blue ton of Star Trek TOS mix them up and you get Redshirts.
Enjoyable, light and quick and ridiculously meta!!
Enjoyable, light and quick and ridiculously meta!!
spcummings's review against another edition
5.0
This book surprised me. Scalzi has an extensive web presence and several acclaimed books to his name. I knew nothing of his work and read this book as a matter of sheer interest in the genre. Simply put: I loved it, and now will be reading everything I can by Scalzi.
obsidian_blue's review against another edition
5.0
I am a sci-fi/fantasy nerd. I love the Stark Trek films (even though when you think about it half the things they do are not scientifically possible). And have watched everything from Doctor Who to Battlestar Gallatica. However, my secret shame is that I don't read a lot of sci-fi/fantasy novels with emphasis on the science fiction part (cue the horrified screams).
However, after being told by my friends that I needed to read this novel and also pick up a few books by this author (have Old Man's War on my To Be Read pile) I finally finished this novel.
Mr. Scalzi's fun take of anyone in a red-shirt (except for main characters) was expendable was cleverly done.
This book follows Ensign Andrew Dahlof and some of the crew of the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid. I really don't want to get too specific since I will end up spoiling for other readers out there (and I hate when reviews do that) and just say that this novel had some serious laugh out loud moments for me. The first chapter of the book literally took my breath away and from there I was engrossed. When we find out about the secret behind the Intrepid I did feel a bit of a letdown. After I read the secret I did feel letdown since I thought it would be one of those novels which throws a MacGuffin in at the last minute and try to wrap things up in a tidy bow and was all ready to write the entire book off.
However, I am glad I kept reading since the novel moved in an entirely different way which honestly moved me. This novel could have been just a slap-sticky sort of nonsense and a poke at the Star Trek and other like series but it really in the end was not. It was an interesting look at free-will, fate, and what makes "us" us.
The only reason why I gave this novel a 4.5 star out of 5 was just because I thought coda 1 ruined the momentum of the ending and the rest of the novel as a whole. I did love coda 2 and coda 3 just once again moved me to tears.
Would definitely recommend!
However, after being told by my friends that I needed to read this novel and also pick up a few books by this author (have Old Man's War on my To Be Read pile) I finally finished this novel.
Mr. Scalzi's fun take of anyone in a red-shirt (except for main characters) was expendable was cleverly done.
This book follows Ensign Andrew Dahlof and some of the crew of the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid. I really don't want to get too specific since I will end up spoiling for other readers out there (and I hate when reviews do that) and just say that this novel had some serious laugh out loud moments for me. The first chapter of the book literally took my breath away and from there I was engrossed. When we find out about the secret behind the Intrepid I did feel a bit of a letdown. After I read the secret I did feel letdown since I thought it would be one of those novels which throws a MacGuffin in at the last minute and try to wrap things up in a tidy bow and was all ready to write the entire book off.
However, I am glad I kept reading since the novel moved in an entirely different way which honestly moved me. This novel could have been just a slap-sticky sort of nonsense and a poke at the Star Trek and other like series but it really in the end was not. It was an interesting look at free-will, fate, and what makes "us" us.
The only reason why I gave this novel a 4.5 star out of 5 was just because I thought coda 1 ruined the momentum of the ending and the rest of the novel as a whole. I did love coda 2 and coda 3 just once again moved me to tears.
Would definitely recommend!
jpunz045's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Good easy read. If you like sci-fi tropes this will be even better (never a fan of Star Trek)
anoblesoul's review against another edition
4.0
This book wasn't what I expected, and I appreciated where it went. I thought it was going to basically be a Star Trek book written from the POV of the infamous redshirts. The twist and premise was more clever than that, and that is when the book went from being readable to being enjoyable.
I am finding that Scalzi is a readable author, but "it's not Shakespeare" to quote the book itself. I've read Old Man's War, The Collapsing Empire, and now this, and have enjoyed them all.
My biggest drawback was the way he wrote his dialog.
"Now," she questioned.
"No," he said.
"Soon," she asked.
"Maybe," he said.
"Okay," she said.
"You'll know," he said.
I don't know if that was done on purpose to add to the facetious and parodistic nature of the story, but it was painful at times. Once I noticed it I couldn't stop seeing it, and now it makes me want to look at the other books to see if that was done there, too.
I thought the Codas were quite clever, especially as they were titled First Person, Second Person, and Third Person, and written in those POVs. I almost considered not bothering to read them, but I'm glad I did, and they didn't take long to read.
I am finding that Scalzi is a readable author, but "it's not Shakespeare" to quote the book itself. I've read Old Man's War, The Collapsing Empire, and now this, and have enjoyed them all.
My biggest drawback was the way he wrote his dialog.
"Now," she questioned.
"No," he said.
"Soon," she asked.
"Maybe," he said.
"Okay," she said.
"You'll know," he said.
I don't know if that was done on purpose to add to the facetious and parodistic nature of the story, but it was painful at times. Once I noticed it I couldn't stop seeing it, and now it makes me want to look at the other books to see if that was done there, too.
I thought the Codas were quite clever, especially as they were titled First Person, Second Person, and Third Person, and written in those POVs. I almost considered not bothering to read them, but I'm glad I did, and they didn't take long to read.
laniusludo's review against another edition
2.0
I did enjoy the overall theme of the story, and felt like it could have been fleshed out more than the breakneck pace it was presented. The writing style seems to be geared more towards YA and the three Codas were the best part of the book.
dreaminthepast's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75