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After The Coup (2008)

by John Scalzi(Favorite Author)

3.93 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1429952121 (ISBN13: 9781429952125)

languge

English

genre

Science Fiction

publisher

Doherty, Tom Associates, LLC

review 1: I come to this story with no previous knowledge of Scalzi's ouvre, and only a passing fondness for the story's military sci-fi trappings. However, I am a fan of sharp characterization and snappy dialogue, and this story has both of those in spades. It's a screwball tale of diplomacy with unknown odds, and you can just about see Abbott and Costello playing the leads. The climax of the story is a science-fictional element, but its resolution is all too human, which I also appreciated. It's free, and it's enough to make me want to check out both more of the author and of the stories on Tor.com.
review 2: Short stories don't get enough credit, nor do their authors. It's hard to tell a complete story with a beginning, a middle, and an end. It's harder to be concise ... morethan long-winded. And it's very hard indeed to create an entire new world, with all that entails, and convey it to the reader in a few key details.As much as I enjoy the novels, which are amusing and thought-provoking, it's Scalzi's short stories that really amaze me. Perfectly crafted and entertaining, funny, but with a high-stakes challenge to them as well. That he manages to create an alien race which is both surprising and plausible, and the sheer difficulty of sustaining the confusion of first contact while not confusing the reader: brilliant. Props, too, for not falling back on xenophobia.Oh, it's about an inter-species diplomacy mission that isn't going well, and what is necessary for it to succeed. Fun stuff. less

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