Ever wonder what the redshirts feel about the high probability of meeting a sudden violent death? “Screw this, I want to live,” said one… before he was eaten alive by Borgovian Land Worms.
“Let someone else get stabbed through the eyeball for a change.”
Meet the expendable crewmembers of the Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union, where the chance of an away mission experiencing a critical failure increases exponentially if two or more senior officers are on the mission.
Why is this on our bookshelf?
Hmm… the adventures of the Intrepid bears a strange resemblance to those of a certain starship from the United Federation of Planets. Oh, and the audiobook is narrated by Wil Wheaton. Win!
Rating (4 stars)
I admit being hooked from the prologue, but by the end, I was a little disenchanted with the whole story. I absolutely love Star Trek: The Original Series and as a fan, I loved the references to plots, logic flaws, and science fiction in general.
Although sometimes hilariously perfect, some of the jokes started to feel grating by the end. In addition, once the book takes a “Stranger than Fiction” twist the sense of anticipation from the beginning chapters fades. The addition of three “codas” after the conclusion seems unnecessary and it ends on an oddly thoughtful note that feels out of place for a wholly-comedic romp.
My high expectations of this book led to my disappointment, but despite my complaints, I stayed up until 2 a.m. so I could finish it. That is a pretty good recommendation by itself. It is satisfying to see ensigns with a personality and purpose other than dying to increase the dramatic tension.
Despite its flaws, Redshirts is good fun, if not a satirical masterpiece.
Read this book:
you own a personal phaser (Type II).
Don't Read this book:
if you’re wearing a red uniform. Sorry, dude.
Once you're done, do this:
re-watch the entire three seasons of Star Trek: TOS.
