Book description
Redshirts by John Scalzi - Audiobook Review
Scalzi's Redshirts takes the classic Star Trek premise and flips it on its head with brilliant meta-fictional commentary. What starts as another space adventure quickly reveals itself to be a sharp satire about narrative tropes and expendable characters in science fiction.
The story follows Ensign Andrew Dahl, who joins the Intrepid's crew only to discover that away missions always result in crew deaths-while senior officers remain mysteriously unharmed. This isn't just clever plotting; it's a thoughtful examination of how stories treat minor characters as disposable.
The audiobook format works exceptionally well here. Scalzi's wit translates perfectly to spoken word, and the narration captures both the humor and underlying frustration of the crew members who realize they're essentially background characters in someone else's story.
What makes this work so compelling is how it balances genuine entertainment with intelligent commentary about storytelling itself. The characters aren't just plot devices-they're fully realized people trying to understand their fictional existence. When they discover the truth about their reality, the stakes become genuinely personal rather than just philosophical.
Scalzi avoids heavy-handed preaching about narrative conventions. Instead, he lets the absurdity of the situation speak for itself while delivering genuine laughs and moments of real tension. The result is science fiction that's both hilarious and thought-provoking.
This audiobook succeeds because it respects both its source material and its audience's intelligence. It's funny, clever, and surprisingly moving-a must-listen for anyone who's ever wondered about the expendable crew members in their favorite space operas.
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Mr. Wholesome
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Chasm Face
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Poppin Loot
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Gov Skull
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Playing a wide variety of audio formats
Works on all devices with iOS 13 and newer
Huge amount of features for a small price
Frequent updates to add new features and improve existing ones
Advanced playback controls
Live sound processing
Changing the timbre of the reader's voice and noise reduction
Translated into more than 20 languages
If you love listening to fiction audiobooks, ListenBook has features to make the process easier.
Edit book data: title, author, cover
Use equalizer to make the sound comfortable for you
Adjust the playback speed
Enjoy dark and light app themes
Supported formats: MP3, M4B, AWB, FLAC, OGG audio files and many more (must be DRM free)
Auto-Bookmarks make it easy to find your place
AirPlay support allows redirection of audio output.
VoiceOver support
Dark mode for night owls
Convenient bookmarking system helps you mark the most important places.
Unlimited bookmarks for each audiobook
Put your own cover on the wager
Share your audiobook with friends
Lock-screen control
Customise app with extensive options
Sleep timer with shake to reset, set custom notification sounds, and a few unique options
Auto rewind depending on paused time, customize rewind times to your liking
Removing background noise from recordings made in classrooms and meetings
Changing the timbre of the reader's voice for a better listening experience