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adam_penny's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
laurammon's review
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
chaosetc's review against another edition
4.0
I was entertained. Props for being existential. A ding for the he-said she-said dialog. Come on Scalzi, are you still doing that just to taunt us?
***** Existentialism
It's all over everything.
**** Sci-Fi
The science is all wrong, but that's the whole point.
*** Humor
Not laugh out loud, but plenty of grinning.
** Dialog
7/10
***** Existentialism
It's all over everything.
**** Sci-Fi
The science is all wrong, but that's the whole point.
*** Humor
Not laugh out loud, but plenty of grinning.
** Dialog
7/10
saxifrage_seldon's review
4.0
Redshirts is the 2013 Hugo award-winning book by the prolific science fiction author John Scalzi. To begin, if you are a Star Trek fan, you know what a redshirt is. Scalzi center's his narrative on a group of redshirts and, takes the reader on a crazy ride through conspiracies, the multiverse, and ends with making us question about the consequences of every action we make. While the narrative is a little dry at times, I would definitely recommend this if you are a Star Trek fan, or a more general science fiction fan.
shhyawn's review
3.0
SPOILERS AHEAD.
I liked it but I was also disappointed. Scalzi is a great writer and I think, partially, I expected this to be an epic sci-fi IN SPACE...but it was not. The overall plot was predictable, and while I can normally get behind that, it took such an odd turn. I did not care about going into the past/different timeline (or whatever happened) and did not care about the alternate characters. I know the science was meant to not make sense but that aspect was too farfetch'd. Dahl discovers that he's the protagonist of a different story and then...nothing happens! What?! Instead of telling the rest of that story we get epilogues from other characters that are confusing and contradict the validity of the story. Overall, I was disappointed. I admit I'm a big Star Trek fan and I was hoping for something more comedic and similar to the series, but it just wasn't.
I liked it but I was also disappointed. Scalzi is a great writer and I think, partially, I expected this to be an epic sci-fi IN SPACE...but it was not. The overall plot was predictable, and while I can normally get behind that, it took such an odd turn. I did not care about going into the past/different timeline (or whatever happened) and did not care about the alternate characters. I know the science was meant to not make sense but that aspect was too farfetch'd. Dahl discovers that he's the protagonist of a different story and then...nothing happens! What?! Instead of telling the rest of that story we get epilogues from other characters that are confusing and contradict the validity of the story. Overall, I was disappointed. I admit I'm a big Star Trek fan and I was hoping for something more comedic and similar to the series, but it just wasn't.
shdnx's review against another edition
5.0
A deeply imaginative, very interesting and absolutely entertaining masterpiece! The story is "very meta": what happens when the characters realize that they're characters in a very poorly written story?
The biggest feature of the book is that it doesn't take itself very seriously. It's also very funny, without resorting to being a straight-out comedy.
Overall, very recommended if you're looking for a light sci-fi read (which is not easy to come by!).
The biggest feature of the book is that it doesn't take itself very seriously. It's also very funny, without resorting to being a straight-out comedy.
Overall, very recommended if you're looking for a light sci-fi read (which is not easy to come by!).
allisonncrow's review against another edition
4.0
This was absolutely delightful. The concept is so fun and the whole book was such a blast to read. The meta fourth-wall breaking second half was so entertaining and unique. I do think this book suffers from the author neglecting to develop concrete rules for the sci-fi aspects of the story, causing them to feel overpowered. Because of this I was forced to suspend my disbelief towards the end as to the fact that there were still conflicts at all. Regardless, it's been a long time since I've had so much fun reading a book. I highly recommend this to any sci-fi fans (and particularly Star Trek fans!)
techxplorer's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
chrissy_reads_books's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Another fun Scalzi book. This one wrapped itself up so nicely.