John Scalzi\u2019s Redshirts<\/i> had me laughing out loud in public more than once. Both parody and homage, the book employs well-known sci-fi tropes to hilarious effect, while still delivering an enjoyable story: quick and fun, if not terribly deep. Considering the main focus of the book\u2014the high death rate of low-ranked crew members serving aboard the Universal Union\u2019s flagship, Intrepid, especially on away teams\u2014I\u2019m not sure the humor could have been sustained with a deeper treatment of the material.<\/p>\n
The author\u2019s ability to write deeper characterizations is demonstrated within the book’s three codas. The reviewer<\/a> who brought the book to my attention said that the codas made him cry; I wisely waited to read the end of the book in private.<\/p>\n I originally purchased this book as a gift, thinking I would eventually borrow it back. Before wrapping it I read the prologue and knew I\u2019d have to get my hands on it faster than that. Thank goodness for Interlibrary Loan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" John Scalzi\u2019s Redshirts had me laughing out loud in public more than once. Both parody and homage, the book employs well-known sci-fi tropes to hilarious effect, while still delivering an enjoyable story: quick and fun, if not terribly deep. Considering the main focus of the book\u2014the high death rate of low-ranked crew members serving aboard … <\/p>\n