Redshirts

This is a review of the audiobook read by Wil Wheaton.

I loved this story. This approach to metafiction has been done before, but Scalzi brings so much wit and heart to it, this story stands above the rest. Of course it helps if you are a fan of Star Trek - any series in the franchise will do.

I found the first coda to be tiresome, but even that sour note is not enough for me to deduct a star. This is fresh and fun, and has the best quality of a parody - an obviously affectionate and thorough knowledge of the source material. It's also surprisingly emotionally engaging. I knew I'd laugh when I bought the book, but little did I suspect it would also cause some sobbing along the way.

Wil Wheaton isn't as dynamic as some audiobook readers (he doesn't create distinctive voices for the characters, and his reading does highlight how clunky and repetitive “he said” can become as a frame for dialog), but he clearly had a lot of fun with this, and I found his enjoyment infectious. Also, it's hard not to love him when his voice breaks a bit at a particularly emotional moment.