“A loving homage to the redshirt-wearing, barely-knew-him-before-he-got-eaten-by-an-evil-space-pickle away team members of TV past. Fun, surprising, and a delight, both to fans of Star Trek, and to the rest of you who haven’t come ‘round to our cult-like fandom…yet.” --Jaclyn
— From Jaclyn Taylor
BEST BET BOOK OF 2013
Welcome aboard the Universal Union's flagship Intrepid - is this real life on a spaceship in the 25th century or truly a horrible Star Trek-inspired mess of a television show in the 21st century? Five low-ranking officers newly assigned to the Intrepid are determined to discover the truth. In their desperation to avoid being the obligatory "redshirt" death on away missions, the newbies discover human good luck charms, a magic healing box, and a "yeti" living in the cargo tunnels. Fans of Star Trek (and other good science fiction) will be amused by the cliched plots, questionable extraterrestrial animals, as well as the always popular time travel solution. Though plausible "science" is missing in Redshirts, just relax, turn off you communicator, and immerse yourself in life on the Intrepid. Oh, and be sure to have a cup of coffee while reading - it's vital for your on board survival.
— From Adrean Darce BrentEnsign 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, 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 a lethal confrontation with alien forces, 2) the ship's senior officers always survive these confrontations, and 3) sadly, at least one low-ranking crew member is invariably killed. Unsurprisingly, the savvier crew members below decks avoid Away Missions at all costs.
Then Andrew stumbles on information that transforms his and his colleagues' understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is...and offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives.
Redshirts by John Scalzi is the winner of the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel.
Old Man's War Series
#1 Old Man’s War
#2 The Ghost Brigades
#3 The Last Colony
#4 Zoe’s Tale
#5 The Human Division
#6 The End of All Things
Short fiction: “After the Coup”
Other Tor Books
The Android’s Dream
Agent to the Stars
Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded
Fuzzy Nation
Redshirts
Lock In
The Collapsing Empire (forthcoming)
“John Scalzi sets his imagination to STUN and scores a direct hit. Read on and prosper.” —Joe Hill, New York Times bestselling author of Heart-Shaped Box
“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
“Scalzi takes apart the whole Star Trek universe and puts it back together far more plausibly--and a lot funnier too.” —Lev Grossman, New York Times bestselling author of The Magicians
“A real joy to read… It's hard to imagine a reader who wouldn't enjoy this one.” —Booklist, starred review