This book is a satirical love letter + wink + elbow nudge for fans of Star Trek. As any Trek fan knows, those wearing redshirts get killed. Minor background person you don’t know anything about getting more backstory? Killed. Someone about to do their “last away mission” before moving on? Super killed. Though on the Universal Union Capital Ship Intrepid (which exists in a different universe) the redshirts are dying in a similar fashion, they band together to try to figure out what is going on. This book is heavy on the zanyness and shenanigans and chucks the laws of science right out the window, buuuut so does its inspiration Star Trek. It’s a masterful takedown of the genre and its many famous tropes.
If you aren’t familiar with Star Trek well, this just might not be for you as it is brimming with in-jokes and references from that fictional universe. Scalzi spends all 320 pages yanking the reader’s chain, and this reader was here for it.
And when I learned this book was narrated by Wil Wheaton? TAKE MY MONEY. He is the hilarious cherry on top of the ridiculous sundae that is this pop culture sugar rush of a book. Having the guy who played Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation is positively giggle-inducing. Plus, knowing what a complicated relationship Wheaton has had with his own online persona makes his reading of the first coda (which narratively involves him reading internet commenters responses to someone anonymously looking for help online) is a real meta boost of delight.
I enjoyed listening to it a lot, so much in fact that a week and a half later I roped my family into listening on a road trip. My husband’s chuckles told me I made the right decision.