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Kelsey Ford: From the Stacks: J. M. Ledgard's Submergence (0 comment)
Our blog feature, "From the Stacks," features our booksellers’ favorite older books: those fortuitous used finds, underrated masterpieces, and lesser known treasures. Basically: the books that we’re the most passionate about handselling. This week, we’re featuring Kelsey F.’s pick, Submergence by J. M. Ledgard...
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  • Kelsey Ford: Five Book Friday: Year of the Rabbit (0 comment)
  • Kelsey Ford: Powell's Picks Spotlight: Grady Hendrix's 'How to Sell a Haunted House' (0 comment)

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Redshirts

by Scalzi, John
Redshirts

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ISBN13: 9780765316998
ISBN10: 0765316994



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Awards

Staff Top 5s 2012 2012 Powell's Staff Top 5s

2013 Hugo Award

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

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, 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 belowdecks 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.

Review

“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

Review

“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

Review

“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

Review

“A real joy to read....It's hard to imagine a reader who wouldn't enjoy this one.” Booklist, starred review

Synopsis

From the bestselling, award-winning author of Old Man's War, a novel that answers the question: What happens when all the expendable ensigns on the exploring starship start comparing notes?

Synopsis

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 thrilled all the more to be assigned to the ship's Xenobiology laboratory.

Life couldn't be better until Andrew begins to pick up on the fact that (1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation with alien forces, (2) the ship's captain, its chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations, and (3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.

Not surprisingly, a great deal of energy below decks is expendedon avoiding, at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission. Then Andrew stumbles on information that completely 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 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)

"

About the Author

John Scalzi is the author of several SF novels including the bestselling Old Man's War sequence, comprising Old Man's War, The Ghost Brigades, and the New York Times bestselling The Last Colony. He is a winner of science fictions John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, and he won the Hugo Award for Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded, a collection of essays from his popular blog Whatever. His latest novel, Fuzzy Nation, hit the New York Times bestseller list in its first week on sale. He lives in Ohio with his wife and daughter.

4.6 10

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating 4.6 (10 comments)

`
Jeffrey Bluhm , February 22, 2014 (view all comments by Jeffrey Bluhm)
Clever tale about the experience of being one of the poor bastards fated to wear a red shirt in a Star Trek-like universe. I was disappointed that it wasn't as funny as the reviews had led me to believe, certainly not a par with, for example, Douglas Adams. However, the plot is clever, the characters are engaging, and there is humor, just more tongue-in-cheek than laugh-out-loud. The three codas at the end, told in first, second, and third person, from the perspective of various minor characters from the main story, was an unexpected and nice surprise (though not for you after reading this review, sorry).

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pandora , December 10, 2013 (view all comments by pandora)
Hilarious and affectionate send up of the original Star Trek series that surprises with both entertaining twists and genuinely touching moments. John Scalzi is not only a gifted writer but he creates delightful characters you look forward to spending time with. A perfect Christmas gift for the geek in your life!

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Nancy McClure , January 15, 2013 (view all comments by Nancy McClure)
Delightful to read. It has both characters to care about and meta-commentary on the world of creating speculative fiction. Not just for Star Trek fans (I never liked its statism) but it helps if you've experienced some SF stories in some media.

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Celtland , January 08, 2013 (view all comments by Celtland)
Redshirts is an outstanding book. Not only is it funny (laugh out loud funny in places), but the three codas are more thoughtful and make up the perfect ending. You don't have to be a sci-fi geek/junky to enjoy it, either. I normally read epic fantasy. (It's not a big jump from fantasy to sci-fi. However, after being used to 800-1000 page books, I love that I can read a complete story in 300-400 pages and still come away knowing my money was well spent.) John Scalzi is a master. I won some of his books in a Tor giveaway a couple years ago and became an instant fan. I've recommended Redshirts to all of my friends. It's a great read!

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Virtually snowbound , January 04, 2013 (view all comments by Virtually snowbound)
Who hasn't thought that the characters in sci-fi movies who wear the red shirts should notice that they're expendable and are usually the first to be eaten by outlandish alien animals, incinerated in intergalactic battles or simply sucked into the endlessness of space? This book is about what happens when they do notice and what it means. Quick moving, funny and even heartwarming, "Redshirts" is a great read.

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Kristen N , January 02, 2013 (view all comments by Kristen N)
Just plain fun.

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dan.garciasatx , January 01, 2013 (view all comments by dan.garciasatx)
More than a sci-fi book satirizing the tropes made famous and familiar by TV shows like Star Trek, John Scalzi's Redshirts takes the reader on an unexpected ride into the most unfamiliar territory imaginable. The three codas are icing on an already delicious cake of fiction fun. The book is funny, sad, and all too human. Treat yourself today.

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Antonio Gonzalez , January 01, 2013 (view all comments by Antonio Gonzalez)
This book was so much fun to read and every time a theme started to feel played out, it got a little deeper. This is a great airplane book or beach book because it flows so easily and it really stirred my enthusiasm. If you're even slightly familiar with star trek or enjoy sci fi the tiniest bit then this is a great read.

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JohnLee , December 19, 2012 (view all comments by JohnLee)
The premise is marvelously clever, and the story is filled with throwaway gags and fandom shibboleths that go some way toward lightening the comic tone, especially once the hapless ensigns manage to end up in Los Angeles in 2012. And while the adventure part of the book is fun, the heart of the story lies in its three tie-in "codas," which include a first-person freak-out by a guy who writes for a science fiction show figuring out how to treat his characters respectfully, a second-person medical mystery, and a third-person Cloud Atlas-esque love story. The good thing about the codas is that they explore the motivations and fears of people who are minor characters in the story, which is an effective way for the author to put his money where his mouth is, regarding seeing characters as actual people with lives and hopes and dreams. The bad thing about the codas is that they make you realize that the primary narrative is pretty slight.

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mulliner , June 07, 2012 (view all comments by mulliner)
This is a book that's got some really splendid surprises, so be careful reading reviews of it, because you'll have even more fun if you read it without any spoilers in advance. This is a spoiler-free review. As the title indicates, this book is set in a Star-Trekkian world with hapless redshirt crew members. It works as a hilarious send-up of the Star Trek world. There's a point early in the book where I had to put it down and howl with laughter for a bit. It moves on from that satire to another level (and another, and another...) as the redshirt protagonists recognize their fate and take things into their own hands. There are twists within twists, but they are so deftly done that I was never confused as to what was going on, even while the action dashed along at high speed, from one meta-madness to the next. The structure of the book is a complete novel, and then three short pieces (the "coda" of the title) set in the same universe, with some of the same characters, taking place after the action of the novel. It's lovely seeing the aftereffects of the dashing action of the novel. The codas are at a more personal level, with characters reacting to what happened in a mad rush of life-and-death action.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9780765316998
Binding:
Hardcover
Publication date:
06/05/2012
Publisher:
TOR BOOKS
Series info:
Hugo Award Winner - Best Novel
Language:
English
Pages:
320
Height:
1.15IN
Width:
5.79IN
Thickness:
1.00
Copyright Year:
2012
Author:
John Scalzi
Author:
John Scalzi
Author:
Scalzi
Subject:
Science Fiction and Fantasy-A to Z

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