There is a lot to like about Redshirts and John Scalzi creates an interesting meta-universe that gives a backstory to all of the disposable extras the filled many an episode of Star Trek. The book pokes fun at a storied television franchise and goes from silly to absurd as the junior crew members do what they can to avoid going on away missions. These crew members are more savvy than the original redshirts and they fully understand their odds of returning from an away mission when they go down to a planet along with more important ship personnel. Seeing things from the perspective of an "extra" is somewhat unique and one inside joke after another keeps things entertaining.

The tale actually goes from simple to complex as it unfolds it gets more and more "meta" every step of the way. It is a fun book for any fan of Star Trek or any other Sci-Fi TV series where the main stars usually survive from week to week while the extras and guest stars regularly take the fall. That being said there are also things to dislike about Redshirts. The characters aren’t very deep and the story is more about the running joke than it is about the characters. The writing is pretty basic “he said/she said” dialogue and despite being a short book I feel it goes on a bit too long.



For audiobook fans, self-proclaimed geek and former actor on Star Trek, Wil Wheaton is a natural fit as the narrator. However, I didn’t feel like this was one of his better readings. He doesn’t do a lot of voices so it can be hard at the beginning to keep track of all of the various characters; however, Wil is still adequate and it is the story itself that will either keep you entertained or drive you away. If you are a Sci-Fi fan capable of having fun at the expense of a beloved television franchise then this book is for you.