Redshirts

Paperback

Published May 9, 2013 by Gollancz, imusti.

ISBN:
978-0-575-13430-0
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(329 reviews)

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.

17 editions

Review of 'Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas' on 'Goodreads'

If there is any topic writers like to write about more than any other, it's writers. Hemingway wrote about writers; John Irving writes about writers; now, John Scalzi has written about a writer.

("But wait!" you protest, "I thought this story was about a bunch of redshirts?" It is, until...well, dammit, read the book!)

It's worth reading, but as I read it, I kept picturing Scalzi sniggering gleefully while he typed the story up on Google Docs. The last chapter overtly confirms this image. I've never been a huge Star Trek fan, and I have a feeling there's a lot of little things I missed — nods to particular episodes, characters, situations, etc. That said, the influence of the redshirt extra has permeated science fiction television, and television in general, enough that I appreciated the scenario. I get the joke, even if it's a bit protracted.

The codas are the …

Review of 'Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas' on 'Goodreads'

I thoroughly enjoyed this. John Scalzi takes the accepted knowledge about 'redshirts' and builds it into a funny and sometimes poignant look at the life of a redshirt from the inside, while still being a science fiction novel in its own right. The characters aren't all that deep for a good part of the novel, but there are good reasons for that. The story is engaging, and the humour, especially for those of us who remember the original Star Trek series, is spot on. Recommended to geeks everywhere, especially those who have fond memories of Star Trek, but are still able to acknowledge and appreciate its flaws!

Review of 'Redshirts' on 'Goodreads'

I'll be honest. I didn't finish the book. It started out funny, but around the halfway point, I just lost interest. Eventually, I put the book down and never picked it up again. Anyone who hasn't seen Star Trek should pass on this one, because without the show as a reference point you just have cardboard characters running around in a nondescript spacecraft. It's worth a glance if you enjoyed Star Trek or simply enjoy poking fun at the show.

Review of 'Redshirts' on 'Goodreads'

This starts off looking like a really trope-y sci-fi piece. It starts off looking like really bad sci-fi. Like a Star Trek rip off to be a little more precise. But then it starts to get more and more meta, and the author starts taking apart all the things that make campy sci-fi so appealing, and you get twists and turns that make this one of the best books I've read in recent times. I cannot stress enough how much this book dragged me in and pulled me along to its end. I freaking loved every moment.

Review of 'Redshirts: A Novel with Three Codas' on 'Goodreads'

When people talk about a book being “meta”, I have to admit that I often wonder what they are talking about because it really doesn’t say anything about the book itself but it is a good way to sound pretentious. John Scalzi’s Redshirts is so meta; I think the author must have had a lot of fun writing this novel and playing with the red shirt concept. For those people that don’t know what a Red shirt is; it’s a concept made famous by Star Trek in which the character wearing the red shirt on a mission was always the one that died for dramatic effect.

The book Redshirts follows a copy of characters who decided why there was a high mortality rate for the people on missions with high ranking officers. Through their research they found that the only other ship with the same mortality rate was the USS …

Review of 'Redshirts' on 'Goodreads'

If the title didn’t tip you off, Redshirts is Scalzi’s loving parody of Star Trek. All the familiar characters and tropes are there, even if the names have been changed to protect the (not so) innocent. I found it to be a fast and hilarious read – if anything I kept having to stop to read portions to my longsuffering wife. The 3 codas add a nice balance to the book with their poignancy. Highly recommended.

Review of 'Redshirts' on 'Goodreads'



A light read. Like others, I had a hard time discerning the difference between the different characters - they all seem alike. Once the plot started focusing on Dahl I gave up on trying to keep them separate and enjoyed it more. The straight line plot is fun. Don't bother with the epilogue. Like any good Star Trek episode - you're better off not trying to read too much in to it or question the details.

Review of 'Redshirts' on 'Goodreads'

Love Scalzi. Love his irreverent sense of humor. Love how he makes things matter to us.

This is a light, philosophical romp through the lives of redshirts with generous tweaks of the nose of the tropes. Until we get to the endings. Scalzi brings it home in the codas.

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