Who Would Like This Book:
Looking for a hilarious, fast-paced sci-fi romp? "Redshirts" is a smart, loving parody of Star Trek and cheesy TV tropes, packed with snappy dialogue and tongue-in-cheek humor. It doesn’t just poke fun at sci-fi clichés - it explores deeper questions about free will, fate, and what it means to be a side character. Fans of Star Trek, Galaxy Quest, or anyone who enjoys pop culture satire and meta-fiction will love this. Even if you’re not a hardcore Trekkie, as long as you know the basics, you’ll find a lot to enjoy.
Who May Not Like This Book:
Not everyone will beam up for this ride. Some readers found the characters a bit flat and the joke wore thin after a while, especially if you aren't into meta, self-aware fiction. The story leans heavily on insider references - you’ll miss out on many of the jokes if you’re not familiar with classic sci-fi TV. Others found the writing style a bit repetitive, especially if you’re listening to the audiobook (‘he said,’ ‘she said’ aplenty!). Lastly, the three codas at the end are divisive: some found them thoughtful, others felt they dragged.
About:
'Redshirts' by John Scalzi is a humorous and meta take on science fiction, particularly Star Trek. The story follows a group of junior crew members on a spaceship who discover that their life expectancy is short, leading them to investigate the mysterious high casualty rate among lower-ranking crew members. The book delves into themes of self-awareness, existentialism, and the nature of storytelling, all while providing a satirical and entertaining look at the sci-fi genre. The writing style is quick-witted, clever, and filled with inside jokes that would particularly resonate with fans of Star Trek and classic science fiction.
The plot of 'Redshirts' is centered around the junior crew members of the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, who unravel a conspiracy involving time travel, clandestine meetings, and the realization that they are merely expendable characters in a sci-fi show. The novel cleverly blends humor, metafiction, and social commentary, offering a fresh perspective on the traditional sci-fi narrative. Scalzi's writing keeps the reader engaged with its fast-paced storytelling, witty dialogue, and unexpected twists that challenge the conventions of the genre, making it a fun and thought-provoking read for fans of science fiction and pop culture.
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From The Publisher:
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, with the chance to serve on "Away Missions" alongside the starship's famous senior officers.
Life couldn't be better...until Andrew begins to realize that 1) every Away Mission involves a lethal confrontation with alien forces, 2) the ship's senior officers always survive these confrontations, and 3) sadly, at least one low-ranking crew member is invariably killed. Unsurprisingly, the savvier crew members below decks avoid Away Missions at all costs.
Then Andrew stumbles on information that 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.
Redshirts by John Scalzi is the winner of the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel.
Old Man's War Series
#1 Old Man's War
#2 The Ghost Brigades
#3 The Last Colony
#4 Zoe's Tale
#5 The Human Division
#6 The End of All Things
Short fiction: "After the Coup"
Other Tor Books
The Android's Dream
Agent to the Stars
Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded
Fuzzy Nation
Redshirts
Lock In
The Collapsing Empire (forthcoming)
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4 comment(s)
Loved it, except for the weird, navel-gazing, overly-long epilogue.
This is so meta as to be metameta or possibly even a third degree, to the point where it is a little grating sometimes. But it's Scalzi, it's fast, clever, and fun, and this might be unfair but I'm bumping it to a four because I listened to this one and Wil Wheaton's reading absolutely fucking made the experience. His delivery is outstanding.
If you are a fan of the TV show “Star Trek,” you’ll love “Redshirts.” The novel begins with a prologue which has security officer (aka redshirt) Ensign Tom Davis on an away mission to the planet Borgovia with Captain Lucius Abernathy, Science Officer Q’eeng, and Chief Engineer Paul West. As anyone who has watched “Star Trek” knows, by the end of the away mission, someone dies and unfortunately, that someone is Ensign Davis.
Chapter one of the takes the reader to the year 2456 and we are introduced to Ensign Andrew (Andy) Dahl as he waits to board the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid. The Intrepid is the flagship of the Universal Union, is a prestige post, and is lead by Captain Lucius Abernathy.
As Andy is waiting for the shuttle to arrive to take him to the Intrepid, he’s waiting for his friend Jimmy Hanson to show up as well as becoming friends with three other people:,Mia Duvall, Finn, and Hester.
Once everyone arrives on the ship, Andy is assigned to the xenobiology lab and is given the opportunity to serve on “away missions” along with the starship’s famous senior officers. As time passes, Andy starts to see three patterns: (1) every away mission has a lethal confrontation with aliens, (2) the captain, chief science officer, and Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations, and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is invariably killed.
Unbeknownst to Andy, other crew members have discovered these patterns as well and therefore avoid away missions at all costs. Andy eventually stumbles upon information that completely changes his and his friend’s understanding of the Intrepid thereby giving them unique opportunity to save their lives.
This book was a fun read and provides a unique story arc. The story was entertaining in that although Andy and his friends don’t fully know what’s going on, they know enough to work together to figure it out.
Somehow Redshirts is incredibly deep and emotionally powerful while also being a goofy metafictional scifi genre parody. No shit.
What can you read after
Redshirts?
About the Author:
JOHN SCALZI is the author of several SF novels including the bestselling Old Man's War and its sequels and the New York Times bestseller Fuzzy Nation. A winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, Scalzi won the Hugo Award for Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded, a collection of essays from his wildly popular blog The Whatever. He lives in Ohio with his wife and daughter.
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