Play Book Tag discussion

I'll have to put this on my TBR. It's not a genre I rush to but also one I dabble in periodically. This sounds interesting.

I'd forgotten there was a book 3 to this series. I've enjoyed the first two. Thanks for this review KT.
Welcome to the group! It's good to know we have another audiobook addict. You'll find lots of recommendations here.

I listened to the first two and really enjoyed them. I didn't realize that the third one was available. I just downloaded it (and as a bonus it was free for me on Audible) so thank you.

I listened to the first one, which was really short and I didn't retain any impression of it. I love Scalzi's longer books, such as Agent to the Stars, Redshirts and Fuzzy Nation, all read by Wil Wheaton. I went to an author talk some years ago by Scalzi and was delighted to find out that he sounds much like Wheaton (that's why he picked him to narrate.)
I didn't care for Old Man's War, which seemed to be a male fantasy of older people getting a hot new body with all kinds of powers. I do admire Scalzi in general for speaking up boldly against sexism and homophobia in the online Sci-Fi community. The books I mentioned above that I like all have a message of tolerance - everyone deserves respect, whether they are a gloppy alien, a lesser life-form or even a fictional character.

If you want more of an adventure story, you might like Lock In (aftermath of a pandemic that left many people paralyzed, using AI to live their lives) or The Kaiju Preservation Society (a top secret effort to save fantastic creatures.)

For humor, I loved Agent to the Stars, which I think was Scalzi's first book. The hero is an agent to some wannabe, has-been or never-were actors. (Scalzi was an entertainment lawyer himself, I think.) Then it turns out aliens have been observing us for years and learning about us through the old TV programs beamed into space. Now they are ready to initiate contact, but there is a problem - they look like snot and smell like dead fish. They need a good agent!

I would second Lock In.

This was great on a recent long car trip with my husband. It was nice to have short books to hold our attention. We listened to the first two.

I own Lock-in, but haven’t listened to it yet. There are two versions and I chose the female narrator. I recognized her from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Robin, thanks for mentioning the AI aspect of the story.

Speaking of Buffy, there is a new audio out just in time for Halloween. I love the nostalgia. I loved the writing of the TV show. The writers used some postmodern terminology and concepts, which I only recognized because I was studying it in school when I first discovered the show.

NancyJ wrote: "This was great on a recent long car trip with my husband. It was nice to have short books to hold our attention. We listened to the first two.

I own Lock-in, but haven’t listened to it yet. There..."

I chose the male one because it was by Wil Wheaton. It didn't dawn on me till afterwards that the book is written so that "Chris" can be male or female.

I listened to the version with Amber Benson as the narrator. One day I think I will try to listen to the Wil Wheaton version to see if it changes the experience.