The bulk of Dahl’s story, and the Intrepid’s narrative, is cardboard dull. The trio, living lives that have only the remotest of connections, influence (or are influenced by – the narrative leaves that an open-ended exploration) events and lives for Dahl and his friends. I am not quite sure that I would say that “Redshirts” disappointed… but I am sure that I can say that it’s not what I expected.įor one, the story doesn’t remain confined to a far-flung future, but finds a firm connection to the here and now, namely in the minds of three Orange County, California residents – Nick Weinstein, Matthew Paulson, and Samantha Martinez. As president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and a New York Times bestselling author, Scalzi’s name brings a certain expectation with it to reading (even if only by way of these distinctions). To be honest, having never read Scalzi, I had no real idea what to expect in terms of writing style and perspective. Now he just needs to send Andy Dahl and his friends on a bit of a trip, and what could possibly be a better excuse than to have Dahl sent on a mission back to Forshan where he would, of course, be facing a particularly gruesome death. Of course, ‘middle management’ has already figured out a solution, compliments of a certain biological entity aboard who has already managed to figure out the system, a way to game it, and the insanity behind it.

No, not survive in the sense of make it on the Intrepid… survive in the sense of live and breathe. Welcome to the world created by John Scalzi in his new novel, “Redshirts”.Īs the story unfolds, Andy Dahl befriends several Intrepid crew members who quickly discover that everyone on the ship is aware of a very real trend among new recruits – they don’t tend to survive very long. Gibberish passes for science, the same decks keep getting blown out, a wild yeti roams the bowels of the ship, and new crew members routinely die in the most improbable of ways. After some time at the Union’s Academy, he is posted to the Intrepid, where he quickly discovers that little is quite what it appears.Īboard the Intrepid, nonsense seems to be the normal routine. Enter Ensign Andrew Dahl, fresh off a stint in a monastery on the planet Forsham, where an ongoing religious brouhaha has ensured that his safety is less than minimal. REVIEW: Redshirts – A novel in three codasĪs far as things go in the Universal Union, it doesn’t get much more prestigious than the Intrepid, fleet flagship, and home of Captain Abernathy, Science Officer Q’eeng, and a whole host of other spectacular and not-so-spectacular spacers.

It isn’t an official Star Trek novel, but the title gives it away as a Trek spoof. The secrets of the Universal Union’s flagship are exposed as newbie crew members continue to die exquisitely meaningless deaths in John Scalzi’s new sci-fi sendup, “Redshirts”.

Red shirts by john scalzi