The President's Brain is Missing

by John Scalzi

The question is, how can you tell the President's brain is missing? And are we sure we need it back?

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Humor, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery, Comedy

29 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 12, 2010

About the author

John Scalzi, having declared his absolute boredom with biographies, disappeared in a puff of glitter and lilac scent.

(If you want to contact John, using the mail function here is a really bad way to do it. Go to his site and use the contact information you find there.)

Reviews

[carol. · Rating 3 out of 5]

First published in 2010, in a time that seems somewhat innocent now, Scalzi plays this basically straight. Fun twist ending with the snarky little side commentary one might expect from the Beltway.

I suspect I was half-hoping to write a joke-filled review, but at the present time, I can't top reality.

https://www.tor.com/2010/07/12/the-pr...

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Mr. Vice-President, I have no answers for you at this time. All I know—all any of us know at the moment—are two things. One, the President is by all outward and most inward appearances entirely healthy for a 63-year-old man. Two, his brain is absolutely gone.”

short and silly, this would probably have been more fun for me if i hadn't a) already watched (and LOVED) braindead; a bigger n better version of this premise



or b) lived through the last handful of years, the more disastrous version of this premise.

still, lighthearted frivolity pairs well with iced coffee, and it was a nice way to start my day.



read it for yourself here:

https://www.tor.com/2010/07/12/the-pr...

come to my blog!

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Latest post on Scalzi's blog reminded me of this story. I have reread it now and, I must say, I have found it even more hilarious than the first time.

If you're in need for something light and highly amusing, this will be a very good choice.(4*)

You can find it on Tor.com, link below.

------


Humor and sarcasm, one of the best combinations.

I read half of it on the way to work and I got some odd glances from people in the subway because I chuckled almost continuously. However, I expected a different ending after the way it started. It’s like JS wanted to compensate all the irony from the first part.

But nonetheless, it was an enjoyable, light and funny reading. (3*)

http://www.tor.com/2010/07/12/the-pre...

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The President's Brain is Missing
By John Scalzi
I loved this book! Witty, crazy, and for this administration, it could be possible! Lots of fun no matter who you like!

[Stephen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.0 stars. First let me say that I am a big fan of John Scalzi’s work. I really enjoy the Old Man’s War series and I thought The God Engines was amazing. Unfortunately, this story, while not bad, is easily my least favorite of his stories to date. It is another story available for free at www.tor.com so you can check it out for yourself in case it turns out that I am "WAY OFF BASE" in my review (which is always a distinct possibility).

My biggest problem with the story was one of false expectations based on a spectacular title. I went into the story expecting something along the lines of either a light-hearted and humorous political farce or even a serious and scathing political satire. Instead, the story is a pretty straight-forward SF piece about a white house staffer asked to investigate what happened to the President’s brain which has apparently mysteriously vanished.

Now, it is true that the President in the story (no clear resemblance to any current or former President) is referred to as a bit of a bumbling idiot by those around him. However, this is more of a throwaway to the basic plot and is not really part of any central political message that I could see. From there, the story is played pretty straight and the resolution of the mystery is more a result of technological wizardry than comedic commentary.

In the end, it just left me a little disappointed after such a great premise. Oh well…it happens.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

First half was hilarious!

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title sounds like it's a dig against a specific person in particular, but it's not. Cute, funny and a short read by an amazingly funny author. 5, that's a pretty awesome concept, stars.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. #14 read in personal challenge.

I'm not really familiar with Scalzi's style, as I've been stalled with one of his novels for a while, but I picked this story because of the title, which I found simultaneously provocative and amusing.
This is a fast-paced, funny short, covering Area 51, Tunguska, the US presidency, and cheeseburgers. (I'm hungry now...)
The characters feel smart, somewhat snarky, and funny.

[Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun. Written in a simpler time when it would have been a bad thing for the president’s brain to go missing.

[Paul (Life In The Slow Lane) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well the rest of the world thinks it actually is.

Written in 2010, this wasn't as topical back then. Now maybe...

Does Scalzi's imagination know no bounds? A great little read.

[Badseedgirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Available for free at tor.com

In this political environment, this title is a cheap gift, but I'm not going to raise to the bait.

This was a humorous short story, and had a good ending.

[Lis Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an ebook-only short, barely a novella. It's also vintage Scalzi, funny and irreverent and insightful.

A senior staffer for an unnamed president gradually comes to the shocking realization that the president's brain is missing. He's walking, he's talking, he's functioning normally--but his brain is missing! (Yes, insert jokes here; Scalzi is careful to ensure you can't peg this president as being either Bush or Obama. He's not doing contemporary political commentary, here.)

The senior staffer starts digging for an answer to what's happened, and solution to the problem. But is it a problem? Who is responsible? Does this need to be fixed? And what's going to happen to the nosy staffer?

It's wickedly funny, and well worth the time you'll spend reading it. Recommended.

I bought this story.

[Peter Tillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Early Scalzi short, that has some resemblance to the current, soon to be ex-President. Of whom, Scalzi is not a fan! It has moments. Not one of Scalzi's shining stars, but not bad. 2.5 stars, rounded up. YMMV!

[Suaad (I just want a cat) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though it is a short story, its still better and more enjoyable than some books I read this year

[michelle (travelingbooknerds) · Rating 5 out of 5]

a really fun original take on the classic manchurian candidate / the parallax view / seconds style presidential mystery. i thought it was super creative and a really interesting framing with that ending and it’s just a quick little quirky short story! loved the propulsive pacing and the tone/humor. just take the story characters for what they are, though, like you would any other film with a president! the characters feel uniquely scalzi literary universe characters not stand ins for real life political personalities. this would make a fun indie film; or a cool fringe, black mirror, or jordan peele’s weird city episode. 4.5 stars rounded up :))

read it for free here: https://www.tor.com/2010/07/12/the-pr...

i also recommend the audiobook version as well!!!

[Fiona Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Now that we’re all here, we can get started,” Boehm said. “We have a situation. The president’s brain is missing.”

No one in the room had anything to say to that. Finally Alex spoke up. “I thought we all agreed to let Jon Stewart write his own jokes,” he said.

John Scalzi brings his trademark humour to a situation we all knew was going to happen one day - there's a man in the White House who's missing his brain (no, really this time). As Carol points out, this was written in the relatively innocent 2010, but for some reason the story still feels applicable.

Available for free from the wonderful Tor: https://www.tor.com/2010/07/12/the-pr...

[chvang · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember now why I like John Scalzi: his sense of humor.

The only thing better than a discovering a new favorite author is rediscovering an old one.

I was afraid this would be political, but it really isn't. It's a fun and humorous sci-fi take on an old joke.

You can (and should!) read it for free via tor.com:

http://www.tor.com/stories/2010/07/th...

[Bandit · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a concept…what a joke. Then again this was written in a much more innocent time. Imagine a world when the most alarming thing you have to worry about with your country’s leader is that he might not be the brainiest guy around. I like John Scalzi, he’s a funny guy. Actually, surprisingly, not all that funny in the interviews, but his books are always amusing. So this short was obviously going to be good for a few laughs, the title alone…well, with a title like that as a punchline, how can you go wrong. But once you get past the initial joke (and the title here is meant very literally), there’s a fun tale of aliens and alien technology here. This was a very random acquisition even for our somewhat random library system, for some reason they only got the audiobook version. So I figured I’ll give it a listen, it was only 40some minutes and definitely fun. The narrator did a very good job. The only weird (and actually annoying) thing was that every line of dialogue (and this is a very heavily dialogue driven story) featured a character attribution. So every time it was like blahblahblah…so and so said. It kind of threw the entire rhythm. All the saids. You’d think a reader or a listener would be able to follow a dialogue without every single line of it punctuated by the name of the speaker. In audiobooks a good narrator usually does enough with voices to make the difference and in a reading format it’s just math and alternation. But anyway, that’s a minor thing. The story was fun to listen to and pace to and Scalzi once again entertains and delights employing his excellent imagination and funniness. Also, Scalzi is totally Switzerland throughout the entire thing, very politically neutral, despite how a story like this with a title like that might have gone. The man might write about aliens, but he very deliberately alienates no one with his writing. Good for laughs and alien conspirators. Recommended.

[CatBookMom · Rating 3 out of 5]

LOL. This was written in 2011. Of course it's rather apropos right now, though the character as described of the Pres reminded me somehow of Dan Quayle.

And then today (4/3/19), I'm reading about the real lack of security at Mar-a-Lago and other T45 resorts; the Asian woman got past TWO Secret Service checkpoints and only bailed up at the hotel desk clerk, who flagged her because of asking about a non-existent event and wanting the pool with no evident bathing suit. Propublica link here (https://www.propublica.org/article/an...)

[Yuenne · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, a great time with a John Scalzi story!

[Kay Dee (what is your storygraph name? mine is in my bio. join me!) Meadows · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely GREAT short story!

read it here.
http://www.tor.com/stories/2010/07/th...

so fun! and a very quick read.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, I know this was originally released back in 2010 and isn't about one specific person or another, but I couldn't resist listening to this short, clever story by John Scalzi on today of all days.

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is everything a short story should be - immediate reader engagement, a clear and compelling plot, some humor sprinkled in, no overt political bias, and a surprise twist at the end with no loose ends.

[This Is Not The Michael You're Looking For · Rating 3 out of 5]

A science fiction short story about a president's brain which, well, disappears (the title is not particularly metaphorical). Very much Scalzi's style, with a light mix of humor and geekery.

[Troy Blackford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a hilarious and clever short story that was in no way very realistic, but that was definitely part of its charm.

[Dustin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun concept, funny delivery. John Scalzi style.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the authors sense of humour and timing. Just a short story but very satisfying.

[Readasaurus Rex · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird

Im Pretty sure I lost a bunch of brain cells myself while reading this short story... Its just goofy lol

[Dan Banana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic fun little short story.
Stupid and enjoyable.

[Konstantinos Georgokitsos · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Scalzi is able to take an SF trope, turn it on its head and actually tell a great story with it! I don't need to tell you that I laughed from beginning to end.