Redshirts

Any Trekkie would recognize the significance of the title: ever notice that the landing party is Kirk, Spock, Bones, and some ensign in a red uniform that you've never seen before? Guess which three are going to make it back and which one isn't... You're led to believe, really, that you're reading a parody of Trek, from the perspective of poor Ensign Redshirt, and a handful of his colleagues who have noticed a certain pattern. You are. And then at some point you realize you're also reading a book about what it means to be human....and I have to say that the third "coda" brought a tear to my eyes. Highly recommended.

What if you could recognize the hidden rules your reality is ruled by? What if you noticed that the new guy always dies? And, what if you could get the attention of the writer responsible for your predicament? A funny and sometimes poignant look at personal agency, and what it means to be autonomous or not. Highly recommended for even the most casual Star Trek or SF fan. If you enjoyed Galaxy Quest even a little bit, you should read this book.

I recently finished this book and it turned out to be a lot better than I had thought it would be. Looking at the book and reading the description, I thought for sure it would just be one really long Star Trek joke, but it ended up being a lot more, to the point that it kept me wanting to read what was next!