Scalzi takes sci-fi fans for a ride in this tale that takes one of the oft parodied elements of the Star Trek franchise: During away missions, the guy in the red shirt (security) is usually the first one killed. Some members of a starship crew (not in the Star Trek universe) notice something is awry when they realize certain higher-ranking members always seem to survive the seemingly unsurvivable, while newer members tend not to fair so well. Adding to the mystery, why have some crew members learned to avoid being picked for away missions by disappearing when these officers show up? Do you need to be familiar with Star trek to enjoy this book? No, but it does make some of the situations more entertaining.
'I can honestly say I can't think of another book that ever made me laugh this much. Ever' Patrick Rothfuss, New York Times bestselling author of The Name of the Wind
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 even more delighted when he's assigned to the ship's Xenobiology laboratory. Life couldn't be better ... although there are a few strange things going on:
(1) every Away Mission involves a lethal confrontation with alien forces
Could you paddle a canoe from the center (almost) of North America (Winnipeg) to Belem at the mouth of the Amazon? Yeah, I'm going to say that's a hard no for everyone reading this. Now imagine doing it before home computers, cellphones, and GPS.
On July 1st, 1980, Don Starkell and his two sons set out to do just that. A two year trip that could have ended up in tragedy many times over, completed by a somewhat obsessive compulsion on the part of the father, straining relationships to the breaking point.
Written in diary style, this is a book for all who crave adventure and those who just want to live vicariously through someone else.
It was crazy. It was unthinkable. It was the adventure of a lifetime.
When Don and Dana Starkell left Winnipeg in a tiny three-seater canoe, they had no idea of the dangers that lay ahead. Two years and 12,180 miles later, father and son had each paddled nearly twenty million strokes, slept on beaches, in jungles and fields, dined on tapir, shark, and heaps of roasted ants.
They encountered piranhas, wild pigs, and hungry alligators. They were arrested, shot at, taken for spies and drug smugglers, and set upon by pirates. They had lived through terrifying hurricanes, food poisoning, and…
Three friends. One European pub crawl. Throw in an alien, some conspiracy theories, and a multi-national chase and you have one heck of a fun ride.
I like how each character brings something to the table so that you can’t imagine any of them being able to get through the challenges they face without each other.
There is a variety of ways the author presents the story, alternating between lines of back-and-forth dialogue with little description (not everything has to be detailed, people do just talk), one-sided text messages, and email correspondence.
Some of the humour is definitely regional, but other than that, it’s an entertaining read.
Ready for an adventure that’s out of this world?. Hutch has it all planned. College is out – backpacks ready for a summer train trip around the famous sights of Europe.. Sure, it means matching party animal, Sully, drink for drink, and dealing with conspiracy nut, Jed, who’s along for the ride. But it’s nothing that Hutch can’t handle – until they meet a mysterious stranger on the way to Berlin.. Faced with an extraordinary truth, they are drawn into a life-changing adventure – one that will have repercussions down the years.. Off the rails and on the run, they’re…
A young man wakes up to the sound of his alarm and the announcement blaring. Looking around the room, he realizes he is a member of a starship crew. There’s only one problem: he doesn’t remember who he is or how he got there. With no time to think, he finds his way to the bridge, while being careful not to call attention to his predicament.
The first problem is piecing together the puzzle of his missing memories to reveal his knowledge, rank, and friendships. Another problem is being stranded on an alien planet during his first away mission.
