Redshirts by John Scalzi

Redshirts by John Scalzi
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was going to give this 3 stars, but the codas at the end really made it for me, and pushed it up to 3.5, which, of course, we don't have that option!

This is a pretty well done book, considering it's based on a single geek joke - the fact that on the original Star Trek series, away team members wearing red shirts were very often killed off, to provide immediate drama. So the author takes this joke and runs with it.

He bases his characters in a our future, with space exploration just like that of Star Trek. Our main characters get transferred to the flagship of the fleet, where they find everyone avoids away missions at all costs. They work together to figure out why this is happening. No spoiler here on what they find out!

I found the book wryly amusing, and laughed out loud in a couple of places, but didn't find it rip-roaring hilarious. The characters were unique and interesting, with some good sharp dialog. And the ending was satisfying. But, as I said, the codas made me like the book a lot more. Can't say more without spoilers.

If you're a Star Trek fan, this is a fun, light read. If you're not, I don't think you'll really appreciate it.