Redshirts

by John Scalzi

Softcover, 317 pages

Published Jan. 14, 2013 by Tor Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-7653-3479-4

(290 reviews)

THEY WERE EXPENDABLE . . . UNTIL THEY STARTED COMPARING NOTES

Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the 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 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) sadly, at least one low-ranking crew member is invariably killed.

Unsurprisingly, the crew belowdecks avoid Away Missions at all costs. 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 …

THEY WERE EXPENDABLE . . . UNTIL THEY STARTED COMPARING NOTES

17 editions

Elise reviewed Redshirts by John Scalzi

Almost too self-conceited; very enjoyable and memorable regardless

4 stars

I don't think I've ever seen a properly published piece of writing like this that was so in love with itself and it's premise; it's an absolute credit to Scalzi that this worked for me, because I got absolutely lost along with our crew of eponymous redshirts. I have only a passing familiarity with The Original Series but I had enough to grok the similarities between the bridge crew and that of the Enterprise; safe to say the depictions are imminently recognizable, which is good, because almost every page is the characters discussing the very peculiar meta-narrative dilemma they find themselves in and trying to figure a way to weasel out of it. Characterization takes a back seat; the only things we really learn about our characters by the end of the book is how they react, first to the realization of their predicament, then to the death of their peers, then to their evolving problems as they try to solve the overarching one. The main character, Dahl, is practically just a problem solving machine and snark generator; if the core conceit of the book didn't work I'm sure I would have found him terribly aggravating. If you don't like meta-meta-meta-narratives, stay far away; but if you enjoy a bit of the shameless self-indulgence that entails, you'll probably finish it in two sittings.

Jens reviewed Redshirts by John Scalzi

Review of 'Redshirts' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

This fun Star Trek parody with a twist was super entertaining! John Scalzi's trademark humor carries the plot even in those moments when it's not top notch, the characters are likeable and felt, to me, more refined than in [b:The Kaiju Preservation Society|57693406|The Kaiju Preservation Society|John Scalzi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1624897234l/57693406.SY75.jpg|90049719], the only other Scalzi book I had read before this one.
The solution to the problem of the mysteriously dying crew members wasn't exactly the most creative, I have to admit, but it was interesting to follow nevertheless. The second half of the book was, surprisingly, somewhat less captivating than the first.

My edition contained a foreword in which this book was praised as "almost philosophical" and overall much more intellectual than I had the impression it actually was - not sure if I missed something, or if the author of that foreword just felt fancy. It's a good book, I …

Leaving_Marx@wyrmsign.org reviewed Redshirts by John Scalzi

For those who like to trek

4 stars

Redshifts was funny, goofy, satirical. Definitely a fun read. I went in blind without a synopsis and I'd recommend the same for you.

If you're a fan of lower decks or the Orville you'll probably like it. Or truly hate it. But at 300 pages it is worth the risk.

Jorge Sanz reviewed Redshirts by John Scalzi

Inesperado

5 stars

Ya en el prólogo te dicen que esto parece una parodia de Star Trek, y que siéndolo, también es otra cosa. Y así es.

En mi segunda novela de este autor he vuelto a disfrutar de ciencia ficción mezclada con comedia. Los diálogos son otra vez rápidos y llenos de humor sin descanso, pero la historia evoluciona hacia algo más interesante que una Space Soap Opera al uso.

No quiero meter spoilers pero esta cosa de acabar la historia y tener todavía un buen tramo por leer en este caso funciona muy bien y los últimos tres capítulos no son relleno y realmente cierran la historia de manera genial.

Maxim reviewed Redshirts by John Scalzi

Postmodernism at its finest

4 stars

An excellent piece of postmodern literature, with a good share of self-irony without which postmodern can't exist.

Aaron reviewed Redshirts by John Scalzi

Redshirts

4 stars

Pirandello meets Star Trek. Scalzi takes an interesting premise and has a great deal of fun with it as the "below decks" crew of a starship in the future start to wonder why so many of them suffer horrible deaths while the bridge crew remain unscathed. The crewmen and -women decide to investigate, and the ensuing romp gives Scalzi plenty of opportunity for humor. A fun read with some poignant moments as the plot develops.

Frank Burns reviewed Redshirts by John Scalzi

Scalzi brings the snark

4 stars

I felt the need for a little Scalzi snark and this is the snarkiest of his novels. It delivered on that in spades along with the entertainment. I inhaled this in one sitting, and there were definite snorts and giggles as I went through it. Yes, its only 4 stars on the top line but that's because a reader needs to be in on the joke. You have to be into Star Trek etc for any of this to make sense. Quality Scalzi, can recommend.

EtherReads reviewed Redshirts by John Scalzi

Review of 'Redshirts' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

Interesting premise well executed but loses a star because it needed one more proof read (there are a couple of really jarring errors where the wrong character is said to be speaking for example), and honestly I'm not sure all three Codas were entirely warrented. All in all though it was an enjoyable read, I would thoroughly recommend it to Sci-Fi fans, especially those who enjoy a touch of the meta.

Ablaze3594 reviewed Redshirts by John Scalzi

Lasers get you killed... Who knew, am I right, clones ? (oops, wrong franchise)

4 stars

Might seem like a harsh review, but I just want to be concise. The plot seems obvious rather quickly, and the story stays hilarious right through the end.

I was weirded out by the second part/ending. I think I got a bit bored by the pseudo-blog gimmick.

Excellent either way, and I'm not a star trek fan, like at all !

Tyler Cipriani reviewed Redshirts by John Scalzi

Borgovian land worms!

4 stars

John Scalzi's dialog crackles with quick banter that makes his books worth reading:

Corey looked down and furrowed his brow. "Where are my pants?" he said. "We took them from you," Dahl said. "Why?" Corey said. "Because we need to talk to you," Dahl said. "You could do that without taking my pants," Corey said. "In a perfect world, yes," Dahl said.

-- John Scalzi, "Redshirts"

The only other Scalzi book I've read, Kiaju Preservation Society, let me down on plot—even when you remove the expected suspension of disbelief required of all sci-fi.

Fortunately, this book's plot holds up throughout the narrative.

John Scalzi's dialog crackles with quick banter that makes his books worth reading:

Corey looked down and furrowed his brow. "Where are my pants?" he said. "We took them from you," Dahl said. "Why?" Corey said. "Because we need to talk to you," Dahl said. "You could do that without taking my pants," Corey said. "In a perfect world, yes," Dahl said.

-- John Scalzi, "Redshirts"

The only other Scalzi book I've read, Kiaju Preservation Society, let me down on plot—even when you remove the expected suspension of disbelief required of all sci-fi.

Fortunately, this book's plot holds up throughout the narrative.

The plot falls right out from the title. Think back to season one of "Star Trek: The Next Generation"—when the show was terrible. Think about all the nameless crew members who died on away missions. All those people had lives and families and worries. And their sad fate was to be devoured by Borgovian land worms. Now imagine those people get wise to the narrative, and you can piece together most of the plot from there.

I enjoyed the irony that the twist of this novel could ALSO be a throw-away episode of Star Trek. And that Wil Wheaton narrates the audiobook—Ensign Crusher in the flesh.

But this novel is funny, heartening, and lovable in the same way as my previous encounter with Scalzi. Plus it won the Hugo award for best novel back in 2013.

The codas were wonderful thought experiments. Imagine reckoning with all the characters you wrote into sloppy deaths. Or owing your life to a fictional version of yourself. Or living a more meaningful life as a fictional character who wouldn't exist except for you.

The idea of inadvertently spawning a fictional version of myself left me thinking of the lines from Whitman:

What I assume, you shall assume, for every atom belonging to me as good belongs to you.

-- Walt Whitman, "Song of Myself"

I enjoyed this novel. The dialog sparkles, the characters are sympathetic, and the plot is fun and serviceable.

And it gave me a writing gem to take home: you're the general for the army of characters you create.

Sooner or later the Narrative will come for each of us. It'll use us however it wants to use us. And then we'll die from it.

-- John Scalzi, "Redshirts"

Everyone dies. Your characters, if they're mortal, will die. And they may even die in your narrative. But you should never send them into a stupid situation to let them die from a blunder or for a cheap thrill.

If your characters must die, you owe them a good death, at least.

Niko reviewed Redshirts by John Scalzi

Review of 'Redshirts' on 'Storygraph'

4 stars

I almost put this book down within the first few chapters because the characters were so one-dimensional... then the plot got going and I stayed up until 3am because I needed to know what would happen. This book definitely appeals to a very specific nerdy audience and I'm glad I've watched enough Star Trek to get the lampooning. I probably won't read it again but it was a fun ride nonetheless.

Mark Crocker reviewed Redshirts by John Scalzi

Review of RedShirts from memory

5 stars

Layers and layers of (mostly) fun and thought provoking reading.

Most importantly: DRM-Free

ScottSchlueter reviewed Redshirts by John Scalzi

Review of 'Redshirts' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

The main portion of the book was just average; however..that led up to CODA II and CODA III, which were both excellent.

Matthew Royal reviewed Redshirts by John Scalzi

Review of 'Redshirts' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I think this book is revered among nerds because it's an introduction to self-referential literature. Sort of a Never Ending Story for Star Trek fanboys. It was fine.

Phillip J reviewed Redshirts by John Scalzi

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

4 stars

I'd rate this a 4.5 if I could. It was fun, made me laugh, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It got a bit too meta for my taste at a couple points, but hit one of my points I was thinking about throughout the back half.

It's fun, melds hard sci-fi with more pulpy stuff, and like Galaxy Quest, I recommend it for anyone who is familiar with and loves Star Trek.