Book Review: Redshirts by John Scalzi

By georgelthomas on 18 Apr 2025 • ( 0 )

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well. Today is Friday, and it’s time for another review. Today, I’m sharing my review of John Scalzi’s Redshirts.

Redshirts was published in 2012 by Tor Books and is 317 pages long.

The Plot
The story begins aboard the Intrepid, the flagship of the Universal Union, where the ship’s crew has noticed an unsettling trend. Every time the senior officers partake in a dangerous mission, a minor crew member bites the dust—and it’s not just bad luck—there’s an ominous, almost supernatural inevitability to everything.

Characters
Andrew Dahl
Dahl is the story’s protagonist, and he’s instantly likeable.

Beginning the story as your average curious and hard-working crew member, his growing realization about the deadly absurdity of his world makes him the leader of the resistance—so to speak.

Dahl acts as our anchor in this universe—or multiverse, as it turns out. He’s intelligent, resourceful, a bit snarky, and leads the charge as the group tries to make sense of their redshirt doom.

Ensign Maia Duvall
Maia Duvall, a security officer with medical know-how, is sharp, determined, and a powerhouse of intellect on the Intrepid.

Maia plays a significant role in driving the group’s efforts to uncover the mystery behind the perilous operating patterns of their ship, and what I appreciate about her (and I’m sure you will, too) is her no-nonsense approach to existential chaos. She’s that practical friend who manages to stay level-headed when everyone else is spiralling.

Jimmy Hanson
Henson is Dahl’s best friend, and his father is one of the wealthiest men in the galaxy.

Although he is part of the core group, his backstory isn’t as detailed as the others, which causes Dahl to question his overall motives.

Hester
Hester’s character is the only one of the central group who doesn’t have any backstory, which turns out to be a vital aspect of the story’s overall arc.

While not as bold or outspoken as some of his peers, his reflective nature offers a profound depth to his character. There’s a particular vulnerability to him that makes his story arc particularly compelling. He’s a reminder that courage in the face of ridiculous odds isn’t always loud or aggressive—it’s quieter, often managed with just a steady willingness to show up.

Ensign Finn
Finn is the wildcard of the group. He’s bold, brash, and unafraid to butt heads with authority. He also has quite an affinity for substances, and it’s through this that we first meet him when he is brought to the ship by security, so he can’t restock his supply.

Jenkins
Jenkins is a peculiar conspiracy theorist hiding in the ship’s ducts and is delightfully paranoid in all the best ways. He plays the role of the story’s mentor, revealing key information that pushes the plot forward.

Lieutenant Anatoly Kerensky
Kerensky is a senior officer aboard the Intrepid who becomes tangled up with the core group due to his romantic relationship with Duvall. If this were a traditional sci-fi story, he’d probably be the protagonist—the hero everyone wants to be—or be with. But in Redshirts, he’s always narrowly and inexplicably dodging death, which becomes a primary plot point of the book.

What makes Kerensky shine is Scalzi’s ability to humanize him; instead of (only) being an incredibly arrogant man, he has a vulnerability, making his character more rounded.

Writing Style
John Scalzi’s writing in Redshirts is razor-sharp, snappy, and incredibly readable. He has a knack for blending snarky humour with genuine warmth—and he delivers that in spades here.

The dialogue is brilliant and crackles with wit, helping keep the character dynamics organic, and the descriptions of sci-fi technology and tropes blend satire with affection for the genre. The story is funny, and I chuckled out loud more than once.

Beyond the humour, Scalzi uses the story to explore deeper themes, like agency, mortality, and storytelling itself.

The metafictional twist that comes about halfway through the book is bold, offering layers of complexity you might not expect.

The shift challenges traditional narrative structures while still delivering a satisfying payoff.

One area where the book occasionally falters is pacing—the main story zips along nicely—but there are three chapters or “Codas” at the end, which I felt the book could have done without, or at least Coda 1 and Coda 3; the second one was interesting.

While these chapters tie up some loose ends, they feel separate from the rest of the book.

Final Thoughts
Overall, Redshirts was a delight (the codas notwithstanding); it’s a clever satirical tale that doesn’t take itself too seriously while, at the same time, telling a great story about what it means to be alive.

The book will be a fantastic read for sci-fi fans and, in particular, fans of Star Trek—but it’s funny and captivating enough for everyone.

I’m giving Redshirts a solid 9/10.

Have you read Redshirts? What did you think?

Thank you, as ever, for stopping by to read my review.

Until next time

George