Audiobook Novella Review – The Dispatcher by John Scalzi, Narrated by Zachary Quinto (4/5 stars)

Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Science Fiction
Length: 2 hours and 18 minutes
Publisher: Audible Studios
Release Date: October 4th, 2016
ASIN: B01KKPH1NI
Stand Alone or Series: Stand Alone
Source: Audiobook from Audible.com
Rating: 4/5 stars

“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.

Enter Tony Valdez, professional Dispatcher. True to their name, these licensed assassins are tasked with humanely disposing of people in death’s crosshairs to offer them a second chance at avoiding the reaper. When a friend and fellow Dispatcher goes missing, Valdez is plunged into a web of intrigue both professional and personal.

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.”

I got this free as part of the Audible Originals included in my Audible membership. This was a well done investigative story with some interesting twists. I really enjoyed the concept behind this story; it was engaging and well done.

I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator did a great job. Definitely recommend listening to on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.

In this world is a person is killed by someone else they wake up naked in their beds the next morning. If they die in an accident or commit suicide they are dead for good. Enter Tony who is a Dispatcher, Dispatchers are hired to be around in risky situations. If someone looks like they are going to die or a critically injured, Tony kills them so they can come back to life in the same condition they were before they almost died. However, one of Tony’s co-workers has gone missing and the police want Tony’s consultation to help find the missing Dispatcher. Unfortunately, this will take Tony back to his less legal past.

I really liked the unique concept behind this book and world. It was very cool and really makes you think. At its heart through this is mainly a mystery/investigative story. Tony helps the police navigate a complicated web of clues and Dispatcher politics to figure out what happened to his former friend.

This was an engaging, if short, read. It is well done and presents a very large complex story for how short it is. I would love to see some full length books set in this world because the concept is so interesting.

Overall this was a very intriguing and engaging book. I loved the concept behind this story and the mystery was well done. I would recommend to those who enjoy investigative urban fantasies with a sci-fi bent to them.