Red Shirts by John Scalzi
I read the first half, which pretty much met my expectations for the plot of the book, given the obvious premise from the title. It was by turns amusing and mildly intriguing. And much like the show it emulates, the problem was sussed out, defined, a solution created and implemented. I don't think I have a sense of humour that maps onto the public average very well, but I could see the setups that were comedic, and they weren't forced, so I enjoyed it despite my issues with humour.
Then comes the second half, divided into three codas. The author segues from humour over the length of the first coda to episodes of self awareness and discovery, in very human depictions of ordinary people coping with the severely abnormal events that had impacted their lives. This becomes actually moving. I'm very impressed, and want to see where Scalzi goes from here.
Then comes the second half, divided into three codas. The author segues from humour over the length of the first coda to episodes of self awareness and discovery, in very human depictions of ordinary people coping with the severely abnormal events that had impacted their lives. This becomes actually moving. I'm very impressed, and want to see where Scalzi goes from here.