Blurb submitted by Pavel Klochkov
Redshirts is fiction
Redshirts in a movie are minor characters who appear on the screen only to tragically die a few moments later. The audience loves fatal danger, deadly adventures, and breathtaking tragedy. But it is a luxury for a TV show to kill the main characters, therefore, producers introduce into a plot Redshirts or cannon fodder to satisfy the dramatic appetite of the audience.
Ensign Andrew Dahl is glad to receive a new assignment: his favorite research work is waiting for him and not just anywhere, but in the laboratory of "Intrepid", the famous flagship of the Universal Union. However, soon the young xenobiologist understands that some people aboard the ship are bound by a secret that is not shared with the newcomers. Everything is suspicious: the amazing vitality of senior officers, the great mortality rate among lower ranks, and the obvious absurdity of the situation. After having accidentally discovered what "Intrepid" actually is, Dahl offers his shipmates an insanely risky path to salvation...
It's hard to write about this book without breaking into spoilers. The plot here is paramount, and its sharp turns shape the framework of the intrigue. To uncover them in advance will mean to spoil all the fun.
This is an unusual book filled with a curious mixture of humor (often black), seriousness and absurdity. Images of the characters and their world are quite standard, and this is not accidental. The main point is not to pay much attention to the scenery and settings at the beginning and not to be deceived about the entire book just by reading the first pages. The book is great and multidimensional. The epilogues (all three) are powerful, especially the third one, which can be called a great final point. Redshirts is a bright and strange novel which deservedly received a Hugo and Locus Award.
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