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Redshirts by John Scalzi | DNF

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I was really excited to read Redshirts it had all the hallmarks of a story I thought would like.   It's a story that pokes fun at some of the Science Fiction tropes, kind of like Douglas Adams Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy or any of Terry Pratchett's Sci-Fi or Fantasy novels.

Here are the notes that I took while still reading it:



  • A lighthearted read with Scalzi’s trademark humour.  
  • It breaks the '4th wall' quite a bit which is a bit jarring to start of with.
  • Blatantly pokes fun at science fiction writers and the tropes however it does grow on you and get better and better as the story goes along.  


Without giving away to much of the plot the story deals with existential crisis and the topic of whether we have free will to determine our own fate or if it's all ready been predetermined for us and we can't escape it.

In the end though, I found it hard to suspend my disbelief while reading it and this has hampered my enjoyment of the book.  It could be that the plot doesn't take itself very seriously at all or just my state of mind at the moment but I hope to be able to pick it up again at a later time and enjoy it.

Have you read Redshirts? If so what did you think?


DNF means Did Not Finish. When reading for enjoyment we sometimes come across a book which we can't finish. If you aren't enjoying a book stop reading it immediately and go onto another one you will enjoy. Don't take this as a failure on your behalf, just chalk it up to experience and move on.

Just remember to enjoy reading more and thinking more... with your favourite beverage, of course!

Redshirts

by John Scalzi
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 even more delighted when he's assigned to the ship's Xenobiology laboratory. Life couldn't be better ... although there are a few strange things going on:

(1) every Away Mission involves a lethal confrontation with alien forces

(2) the ship's captain, the chief science officer, and the handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these encounters

(3) at least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.

Suddenly it's less surprising how much energy is expended below decks on avoiding, at all costs, being assigned an Away Mission. Andrew's fate may have been sealed ... until he stumbles on a piece of information that changes everything ... and offers him and his fellow redshirts a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives ...
In these post titled 'Up and Coming Reads', I want to provide you with some suggested reading material. These are books which look interesting to me and that I'd like to share with you. The links will be affiliate links, so if you going to make a purchase at Amazon I'd appreciate you using the link. Doing so will help me buy more books so it should be a win-win for us both.

Enjoy reading more and thinking more... with your favourite beverage!


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