Redshirts

A Novel with Three Codas

By: John Scalzi

Narrated by: Wil Wheaton

Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins

Publisher's summary

Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the year 2456. It’s a prestige posting, and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be assigned to the ship’s Xenobiology laboratory. Life couldn’t be better…until Andrew begins to pick up on the facts that (1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces; (2) the ship’s captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations; and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.

Not surprisingly, a great deal of energy below decks is expended on avoiding, at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission. Then Andrew stumbles on information that completely transforms his and his colleagues’ understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is…and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives.

©2012 John Scalzi (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

One narrator, one voice

What made the experience of listening to Redshirts the most enjoyable?

Very humorous sci-fi

What did you like best about this story?

That it didn't take itself seriously.

Would you be willing to try another one of Wil Wheaton’s performances?

No. I did not enjoy his reading. Every character, even the females, had the same vocal inflection. I have never had so much trouble tracking who the speaker was than with this audiobook.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Love the story; It made me laugh. Hated the narration; it made me cry.

Any additional comments?

Please, Will: vary your vocal presentation, please.

Don't be a Red Shirt

Would you listen to Redshirts again? Why?

Yes, it was definitely read by the right person, Wil Wheaton was absolutely great! It had everything I though it should, many Red Shirts dodging things that shouldn't happen, the "mystery box" etc. Just a great fun read. The second and third codex were a little slow and hard to follow at times, but it made sense in the end. Love it when a book ends well.

Have you listened to any of Wil Wheaton???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, Fuzzy Nation and Ready Player One. Both good books and he is an excellent narrator.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laughed so hard at times!!!

Any additional comments?

If you ever watched Star Trek, this is a must read. Such a great "behind the scenes" spoof!!!

Interesting, But a Miss

Redshirts has what sounds like a can't-miss setup: why wouldn't someone in Star Fleet ask about all those "redshirt" security extras dying on every Enterprise away mission?

Unfortunately, I felt like Scalzi should have gotten a lot more out of this fertile ground. Too many of his characters feel like stock players - and while that's got to be a tricky balance, when you're dealing with a meta situation in which characters are supposed to be badly written, it just doesn't fully work.

The action and pacing felt sketchy, too -- if you're going to elide some of the details of the action, that's fine (though more about the LAPD chasing down a shuttle craft would have been fun), but then every single pause, breath and poignant look during dialogue scenes doesn't need to be telegraphed.

The codas were overlong and didn't really work for me, with the partial exception of the third - there's the germ of a great, weird love story somewhere in there, but it's out of place, and it neither fully stands on its own nor particulary redeems the rest of the story.

All in all, it wasn't unenjoyable - there's enough red meat in there to resonate with even the casual Trek viewer - but more than anything, the story made me miss the vibrant energy and weird specificity of Gene Roddenberry's original.

This make me want to be a red shirt.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to any friend that enjoys nerding out on Sci-Fi TV, and who "get" it. I wouldn't expect just anyone to be able to pick this up, and understand why a lot of these jokes are funny, or even what the term "red shirt" means.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I enjoyed the Jenkins and Weinstein story line the most. The seemingly minor characters make such a strong impact to the story.

Which character – as performed by Wil Wheaton – was your favorite?

The Captain was my favrotie performance. Wil channeled his in William Shatner for the Captain, and for all the "narrative" bits. I laughed out loud so many times.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The last 2 hours of the book are particularly moving. The main storyline was great and funny, but the final individually stories are very emotional.

Any additional comments?

Short story that packs a big punch. I will definitely be listening to this book over and over.

Read the book, ugh my ears.

I don't know why Wil Wheaton is such a popular narrator, he has zero range.

Fun listen.

What made the experience of listening to Redshirts the most enjoyable?

A good listen. The story is funny, but quite absurd. . . so absurd, in fact, that near the end of the main story, I didn't think much of the book. For me, the three codas brought it back and made the book much more interesting and meaningful. Wil Wheaton's performance is excellent.

A delightfully Nerdy Distraction

A fun read/listen that is unabashedly nerdy. Having a Star Trek alum narrate is perfect.

Great story

This was a surprisingly funny and moving story. Based on the books description, it sounded interesting to an old sci-fi geek, but it turned out to be a great story too.

Great idea, just too short

I truly like the idea, it feels fresh even though it isn't. And it is even openly said. And still. Love it. But there could have been so much more, the only downside is the shortness of the story. There can't be a sequel either, because the idea only works once. The codas are a good addition, extra short stories making the while story a bit deeper.

Almost Great

What a fantastically entertaining story.

The major weakness of this audiobook is the limited vocal range of Wil Wheaton. He hits the snarkiness factor perfectly, but his performance is weakened by the fact that every character is either Wesley Crusher or "Chaos" (Leverage). Unfortunately, these seem to be the limit of his vocal range.

Other than every conversation sounding like a monologue, this is a great book and well worth a read/listen.