Redshirts by John Scalzi
My rating: [rating=4]
(Click here to see the Goodreads review)
I’ve been wanting to read this book for a while but something else always came up first (mostly the Dresden Files books). I’m glad that I finally got around to reading it. I knew the premise of the book going in and avoided all of the spoilers. I will try to remain spoiler free of my Redshirts book review.
Also, some interesting trivia about the author, John Scalzi. He was a creative consultant for the Stargate Universe live action television series.
Those Recurring Star Trek Themes
While I am a huge Star Wars fan, I still have respect for the Trek. I’m quite familiar with all of the Star Trek tropes so I was looking forward to reading this book. It’s a parody of the classic “Red Shirt” Star Trek theme (i.e. the red shirt always dies). The premise here is that Andy Dahl, a “red shirt”, stumbles on to this suspicious coincidence and he’s determined to figure out why it’s happening. Hopefully, before his inevitable demise. What he discovers is far more unbelievable then he ever imagined, and convincing his other red shirt friends is even more difficult.
The way in which the author addresses this common Star Trek theme is a lot more meta than I was expecting. In fact, at first I wasn’t sure if I liked it. However, as I kept reading I began to understand the allegory of it. I did enjoy this book and that last chapter, the one right before the first CODA, is the best. Chapter. Ever! It definitely breaches the fourth wall but it’s probably one of my favorite chapters of ANY book. I recommend this book to any Star Trek and/or sci-fi fan. It’s a fun read; just keep in mind it’s a parody and try not to get too hung up in it’s conundrums.
/LLAP
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
– Dr. Seuss