Redshirts

John Scalzi's novel, Redshirts, has a very fun premise. It's told from the point of view of an ensign, stationed on board a ship where ensigns have an unusually high likelihood of being killed in strange ways on away missions. It doesn't take too long for Dahl and his friends, all new transfers to the ship, to figure this out and start searching for a way to stay alive, despite the heavily stacked odds.

This book is a really straightforward, quick read. It's almost bare bones, making it much more plot driven than character driven. But that plot is exciting and twisty, growing ever more meta until the fourth wall eventually shatters. It was, at times, a bit too clever for me. But fun nonetheless, and packed with Star Trek and Galaxy Quest references. A fun bit of escapism to wile away a few hours.

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