Cannonball Read 16

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Highly intelligent cats and smack-talking dolphins. What’s not to love?

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

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Many people fantasize about an estranged relative dying and leaving them a fortune or a thriving business. Few people would indulge in this fantasy if the estranged relative’s business were villainy, and if, in addition to the job, they inherited a long list of enemies. This is the situation Charlie Fitzer finds himself in when his Uncle Jake dies and he’s visited by his uncle’s second-in-command, Mathilda Morrison. Even before Morrison shows up, Charlie has problems. Once a successful journalist, he’s now an underemployed substitute […]

Why So Unserious?

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

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I read Starter Villain after my hold came up in the library. That’s always fun, it’s like winning a small lottery, especially if the book has many holds. I liked this; I try not to read other people’s reviews of the same books I read before writing the review, but I did read one for this where the reviewer didn’t like the end and felt like it made the entire thing feel unreal. Which I can understand, but I did not feel that way. There […]

“Well, that’s science fiction television for you, though,” Abnett said. “Someone’s got to be the red shirt.”

Redshirts by John Scalzi

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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 […]

Listen to me or don’t. But if you don’t, you’ll be dead. And then where will you be? Dead, that’s where.

Redshirts by John Scalzi

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The failure mode of clever is ‘asshole.’ ― John Scalzi, Redshirts If knew you were going to drug me, kidnap me, and take me back to the dark ages with out my pants, I never would have slept with you. ― John Scalzi, Redshirts Andy Dahl has seen plenty of strange things. A former acolyte of an alien religion, Andy was scooped up by the Universal Union when the religious factions on his adopted planet went to war. Now, with a couple of years of […]

“They have vegan cheese.” “No, they don’t. They have shredded orange and white sadness that mocks cheese and everything it stands for.”

The Kaiju Preservation Society by John Scalzi

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I was looking for something light after a few dense reads and this came recommended by a friend as a fun romp for the brain, or in the author’s own words, a “pop song” of a book. Scalzi had me at page 21, with this hilarious exchange. “They have vegan cheese.” “No, they don’t. They have shredded orange and white sadness that mocks cheese and everything it stands for.” And yes, I know that vegan cheese certainly exists, but as a person who unabashedly loves […]

thoughtful villains to start the year off right

Starter Villain by John Scalzi

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Starting the year off right by a) fudging the read date of my first few books and b) writing reviews soon after finishing them!!! Let’s see how long this lasts this year. Many recommendations for this book from the Cannonball community, and really this should have been an easy one to pick up given how enjoyable The Kaiju Preservation Society (just tried typing “Kaiju Appreciation” and didn’t find anything) was. I’d characterize Scalzi as a unique voice amongst those writing today–you can really tell the […]



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