Audiobook Review: The Dispatcher by John Scalzi

Novella
Narrated: Zachary Quinto
2 hrs. 19 min.
Unabridged
Publisher: Audible Studios
Published: 10/4/16
Source: tbr pile (free until Nov. 2, 16)

One day, not long from now, it becomes almost impossible to murder anyone - 999 times out of a thousand, anyone who is intentionally killed comes back. How? We don't know. But it changes everything: war, crime, daily life.

Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher - a licensed, bonded professional whose job is to humanely dispatch those whose circumstances put them in death's crosshairs, so they can have a second chance to avoid the reaper. But when a fellow Dispatcher and former friend is apparently kidnapped, Tony learns that there are some things that are worse than death and that some people are ready to do almost anything to avenge a supposed wrong.

It's a race against time for Valdez to find his friend before it's too late...before not even a Dispatcher can save him.

My thoughts:

This is a quick listen and I was curious since Zachary Quinto narrated it. He did a superb job of voicing the characters and his smooth voice seemed to lend an edge to the telling. It almost felt like a bit of a suspense novel as well.

In this short the world is firmly developed. In fact the world building really seemed to be the main factor in the story. Why are people who are murdered coming back? How? What is the timeline for the reset? Most of these things are answered and others (like why and how) are left to your imagination, but all feels plausible in this world. Plus it makes sense that the first things humans would do with what seems like a miracle... monetize it and make it a job. That is the dispatcher. They make sure people survive in circumstances and are given a second chance to get things right. It also lends itself to exploitation and an underground which has developed within this type of "job".

The characters are interesting but I didn't really connect with them. It is understandable since this, to me, is not a character book but really an exploration of a mystery and the world it inhabits. That part of the story is fully told and I was left satisfied after 2+ hours of this novella. I give this book 4 stars and highly recommend it to those that enjoy a different kind of world and a good sic-fi story.

Bloggy Freebie Note: This audio novella is free until Nov. 2 so get yours free now! A good way to try this one and see if this sci-fi is for you. :) Go HERE to get the audio (that is not an affiliate link).