The Dispatcher by John Scalzi

January 18th, 2017 Kimberly Review 41 Comments

18th Jan
The Dispatcher by John Scalzi
The Dispatcher
by John Scalzi
Series: The Dispatcher #1
Narrator: Zachary Quinto
Length: 2 hours and 19 minutes
Genres: Science Fiction
Source: Purchase
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star
Narration: 4 cups

Zachary Quinto - best known for his role as the Nimoy-approved Spock in the recent Star Trek reboot and the menacing, power-stealing serial killer, Sylar, in Heroes - brings his well-earned sci-fi credentials and simmering intensity to this audio-exclusive novella from master storyteller John Scalzi.

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.

Audiobook FED-THE-NERD mystery SUSPENSE

I was fortune enough to download The Dispatcher by John Scalzi when it was free on Audible. I thoroughly enjoy the stories Scalzi creates and find I prefer them on audio. The Dispatcher narrated by Zachary Quinto was an addictive and suspenseful science fiction tale.

While this falls into the science fiction genre, fans of mystery and suspense will love how this tale unfolds and should find themselves quite at home. What if it was impossible to murder someone? What if anyone who is intentionally killed came back? Not as a zombie, but back.  It would change everything.  In the futuristic world of The Dispatcher, Scalzi tackles the afterlife and introduces us to Tony Valdez. Tony is a Dispatcher – a licensed, bonded professional whose job is to humanely dispatch those whose circumstances put them in death’s crosshairs. He is hired by the government, insurance companies, and private businesses to ensure death allows them to get a restart.

Scalzi gives us a fully developed world sharing how this new development regarding death alters human society, philosophy, and religious beliefs. The story reads like an exciting suspense mystery thriller when a fellow Dispatcher goes missing. Entirely paved with twists, and newly discovered tidbits I consumed this in almost a single listen. Due to the length, we did get some info dumps, but I shrugged them off because as is typical with this author I found the dumps fascinating.

Tony Valdez is the perfect anti-hero who reluctantly gets involved. The tale is more story driven, but Scalzi presented solid characters I could connect with on some level.

This was my first time listening to Zachary Quinto, but I felt he nailed the characters and tone of the story. He has an excellent flow and clear tone, making it pleasurable to listen.

Fans of science fiction, suspense and mysteries will enjoy The Dispatcher. I wouldn’t mind revisiting this world in the future.

Narrated by Zachary Quinto The Dispatcher by John Scalzi offered suspense and mystery Share on X
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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41 Responses to “The Dispatcher by John Scalzi”

  1. Danielle Nolan

    This is an author I need to make time to familiarize myself with. I loved Old Man’s War, but have yet to read any other work. I will be adding this to the list!

  4. Melanie Simmons

    I can’t believe I missed this as a freebie. I’m going to have to check my email settings. I used to get those emails all the time. I know I’m getting some emails. Anyway, this is an author that I’ve seen around on Twitter, but I haven’t seen anyone that I can remember review one of his books. This does sound interesting. Great review. I’m going to have to check it out.

  6. Deborah

    I downloaded this when it was free as well and loved it. I don’t listen to many audiobooks and loved this was bite-sized, though hadn’t realised that at the time and was on a long road trip!

  8. Michele

    Oh wow! Free AND narrated by Zachary Quinto (love him!)? That is wonderful! So glad you enjoyed this interesting sounding tale! I think I’ll be adding this to the list 🙂

  9. Heidi

    I haven’t listened to a good scifi book in a long time. I will look this up, I always like having a few shorter listens.

  11. RO

    Never heard about this one, but it sounds fascinating. Interesting that such Quinto would lend his voice to a novel. Very cool!

  13. Rowena

    Another fabulous review and I’m mighty curious about listening to an audiobook narrated by Quinto. It’s going on my list!

  14. Laurie

    I am so glad you posted about this! I downloaded it when it was free and never did move it from Itunes onto the Ipod. I can’t wait to check it out 🙂

  17. Sophia Rose

    I listened to this one last fall, too. It was great like an old detective noir mixed with sci-fi. I agree about Quinto being a great narrator.