It's out? At last? The book about the subject we all joke about: how red shirts on a Star Trek episode meant the character was going to die. Well, John Scalzi has written a book that while not taking place on the USS Enterprise, is about what being a redshirt could be like, if you were on a ship exploring space, with a captain, first officer and doctor who somehow always survive dangerous encounters - and the lowly crew members selected to join the missions, do not.
It's not out yet! June 5! I. Must. Get. This. June 5. OMG!!!! Suddenly, my reading life looks exciting again.
I am waiting, not so patiently now, for:
All these to come out in soft cover:
- Outrage by Artur Indridason (Come on publishers, it was supposed to be out in April! It's JUNE now, where's my book????)
- A Monster Calls - Patrick Ness (ditto. Why are soft covers waiting so lo-o-o-ong to come out now????? There are so many of us with back problems who can't carry hardcovers! Move along, publishers!)
- Charles Dickens - Claire Tomalin - this doesn't even have a date yet!!!!
- The End of the Wasp Season - Denise Mina - at a huge size, this is soft cover, but much too large to carry around.
- The Beggar's Opera - Peggy Blair (ditto, really heavy oversize paperback. Not sure when it will be in a smaller size). A mystery set in Cuba, it sounds wonderful.
- Flashback - Dan Simmons - ooh! out this month ! hurray!
On the new books in paperback front, I am delighted to say that The Butterfly Cabinet by Bernie McGill is out in softcover. It just came out here, so I grabbed it on Wednesday.
Do you wait for books to come out in softcover, Gentle Reader? Can you wait that long?
*****All this being said, I am aware Redshirts is coming out in hardcover. I am also going to buy it June 5, take it home, and read it - I hope in one sitting, but at the house. I don't care. I know it's not 'Star Trek', but it is about how the red shirts find a daring plan to survive their missions. I have to read it asap!!
*****Added June 2: Peggy Blair left a comment this morning after I put up this post (I'm so excited!) The Beggar's Opera will be out in paperback (small size) next February, along with the second book in the series. Thank you, Peggy! I have a list started now for next year's books to come out!
****Also Raidergirl reminded me in the comments that Arnuldur Indridason's new book, Black Skies, is due out in Canada in July. It doesn't feature Erlendur, however, either. So I have TWO books now I'm waiting for by him! lol (added June 2)
7 comments:
I was confused, because I'm sure I read Outrage last year, but you're waiting for the paperback. It's really good! even with Erlunder - he's not in it at all. Actually, the newest one, Black Skies should be out July 24th, in Canada, and I think that includes the trade paperback version. Love me some Indridason.
There is also a new Tana French coming out in June (that's right now!)
Hi, there, and thanks for mentioning my book! The Beggar's Opera will be out in paperback next February, which is also when the second in the series, The King's Indian, will be released in that larger format you mentioned (the one with the French flaps). It's also available in e-book right now. Thanks again, much appreciated!
Cheers, Pepggy
Raidergirl: Outrage was out last year! Did you read the hardcover? And I was sorely tempted....any day now please let it be out! lol Yes, I meant to mention that the new one featuring him would be out next month and I was waiting for that too, so I thanks for the info that it's in paperback. I love me some Indridason too!
Peggy Blair: Thank you so much for leaving a comment! I don't want to wait another year lol to read it! It looks so interesting...I have it coming to me from the library, which fortunately ours did have some copies. Ottawa has a large mystery reader market.In the next few weeks I should have my copy. I'm delighted to hear there will be a sequel, too. This is great news!
I want to read the Scalzi, too. I figure I should finish the series I am reading by him first, but I could always change my mind...
Kailana: oh, go for the Star Trek novel! lol even if it's not technically one, it will be so much fun to read! lol :-)
This novel is emotionally deep but at the cost of complexity in this universe.
I am a huge fan of Scalzi's other works, and read this novel expecting sarcastic characters in an odd story set in an intriguing universe. This novel certainly satisfied the 'odd story' bit, but the universe's complexity was sacrificed to further the emotional development of the characters, and the characters themselves weren't as sarcastic as protagonists from Scalzi's other works. Furthermore, this story was much more intricate than any of the other science fiction Scalzi has written. I tend to appreciate stories which have a neat universe to ponder after the story has ended, which is one of the reasons I really love Scalzi's other books; this one is not as good of a universe, but is a much deeper and more emotional novel than any others I have read of his. It is still a great novel which still leaves the reader thinking about the implications of the story long after reading it, but in a fundamentally different way than Scalzi's other works.
Portugal: thank you so much for your thoughtful comment and assessment of the book! I intend to read it as soon as I get it from the library. Did you like the emotional depth, or do you miss the complexity of the development of the universe, now that you've had time to think through the different novels he's written? I"m curious how much I will like RedShirts, as I am a devoted original Trekker. And I enjoy complex science fiction novels too.
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