Redshirts

By John Scalzi,

Book cover of Redshirts

Book description

'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…

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Why read it?

5 authors picked Redshirts as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Funny? Check.
Fast paced? Check.
Meta? Very.

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…

It’s hard to beat Scalzi for nailing the execution of a high concept.

Redshirts could have so easily been nothing but a gimmick, but Scalzi really gets into the guts of the horror and humor of being a character written for the sole purpose of dying. I picked up the book with a cynical eye, expecting to hate it, but it drew me in.

Scalzi went so much further with the concept, shined a light on every corner of the idea, that he managed to create a deconstruction and reconstruction of the same trope at the same time. 

From Justin's list on bridging high art and B-movies.

I especially enjoyed this book because I'd passed over it several times. I thought I knew what to expect: a one-joke tribute to the Star Trek trope of anonymous red-shirted security guards being killed while the heroes dodge every phaser blast. But... ha! I was wrong, and I loved it.

I found an unexpected parallel universe the Trekker in me adores. These redshirts are characters to root for. As they unraveled their predicament, I huffed, giggled, and laughed out loud. I want more books that prove me wrong.

Spoliation

By Ian J. Miller,

Book cover of Spoliation

Ian J. Miller Author Of A Face on Cydonia

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Research scientist Composer Retired Theoretician

Ian's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

To hide a corporation’s failure to properly service a space ship, Captain Jonas Stryker is prosecuted but saved from imprisonment by a dying man, who hires Stryker to collect asteroids for their mineral content. Stryker soon finds he must stop a shadowy corporate group called The Board, who employ space piracy, terrorism, and even weaponised asteroids to overthrow the Federation government.

Set in Lagrange points, space stations, the Moon and outback Australia, it is a fast-moving story with some speculative future technology. If you were interested in the NASA attempt to alter the orbit of the asteroid Dimorphos, you might…

Spoliation

By Ian J. Miller,

What is this book about?

When a trial to cover-up a corporate failure ends Captain Jonas Stryker's career, he wants revenge against The Board, a ruthless, shadowy organization with limitless funds that employs space piracy, terrorism, and even weaponised asteroids. Posing as a space miner, Stryker learns that The Board wants him killed, while a young female SCIB police agent wants retribution against him for having her career spoiled at his trial. As Stryker avoids attempts to kill him, he becomes the only chance to prevent The Board from overturning the Federation Government and imposing a Fascist-style rule.
A story of greed, corruption and honour,…


Maybe more military sci-fi than space opera, this is probably the most surprising book on this list. It’s often sold as satire, or the quintessential humorous commentary on the Star Trek franchise, but Scalzi’s Redshirts actually goes beyond fourth-wall-breaking meta into the sublime. It’s not a particularly new take on the question of predestination versus free will, but it’s certainly an unexpected and emotional one, and I’ve always cared a lot about the question of “What’s Out There” and “Why Do We Suffer,” so this book resonated with me.

An extremely meta book that is both an ode and a spoof of star trek themed science fiction. There is more than a little humor as Andrew tries to figure out what is going on with his world. This book made me laugh and grin more than a few times as it harkened back to my youth, waiting and watching all the treks on TV to come on each week.  It was very much like a warm cup of nerdy cocoa on a cold day.

From Kit's list on feeding your inner nerd.

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