Wish List Wednesday #122: John Scalzi's "Redshirts"

WLW is a recurring blog segment in which I highlight a book I have on my wish list. Sometimes it's a new release, sometimes a beloved classic, and sometimes it's a hidden gem.

My introduction to science fiction came by way of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek. As early as five-years-old, maybe even younger, I stared at the TV goggle-eyed as Captain Kirk swashbuckled his way through the galaxy. I've never been a trekker, but there's always been a special place in my heart for that show. So when I heard that John Scalzi wrote a novel inspired by the show and its preposterous science, I was immediately intrigued.

Redshirts, published by Tor Books, centers around an ensign on board an intergalactic spaceship called the Intrepid (not the Enterprise, but in the ballpark), who notices that all of the low-ranking shipmates called upon to join away missions wind up dead. If you have seen even a couple of Star Trek episodes, you are well aware of this trope. Ensign Jones was the name I've always grown up knowing as those ill-fated extras that got between Captain Kirk and a deathray. Nowadays it seems they're called "redshirts," hence the book's title.

From some of the reviews I've read, the book gets pretty meta, and some critics say it takes itself a little too seriously despite the comedy. I am still very intrigued by this book and would love to check it out sometime to see if it would appeal to that inner child who spent Saturday mornings watching Star Trek reruns.

How about you? Were you a trekkie growing up? Does this sound like the kind of book you'd go for?