The Dispatcher

I originally went on the store looking for thr paper bag and couldn't find any but this is a really good book. You have a short story that gets right to the point and has the feel of a full novel. John did a great job with this one.

This was my first exposure to Mr. Scalzi and so I having nothing of his for comparison. But as a thought experiment, it was quite interesting and amusing. His writing style is also engaging and I will me reading more. As to the comments from others regarding the value given the price, it is true that this is not even a complete dessert, let alone a full meal. More like a trifle, but a very tasty one.

Interesting, though absurd and far fetched premise. I liked the characters, so the book kept me engaged. However, without some explanation and/or resolution to this premise, the book was a bit shallow and not worthy of
anymore stars.

The best authors (think Asimov, Clarke, King, Straub, Shakespeare - you didn't think I'd leave HIM out?) share one overarching trait. They all have the ability to capture you with their characters, drawing you into their world (the characters' world - the author rapidly withdraws behind 'the curtain' as the characters and their dynamics apparently do the work). As you inhabit their world, you do not even realize you have suspended disbelief - well, you haven't really - you simply accept the World and its new properties because you live alongside the characters as they go about their business.

Such is the art of John Scalzi, and The Dispatcher. I have grown to know and respect Mr. Scalzi's work. I tend to avoid 'shorts' and novellas because - for me - one of life's most depressing things is turning the final page and returning to the "real world". That happens quicker with a novella. My enjoyment of Scalzi's work is such that - even with the rapidly approaching end - I could not help picking up the book. I was not, however, prepared for what I would find.

While John Scalzi is primarily known as a Science Fiction writer, although anyone who has spent time with his books and will probably tell you that Science Fiction is merely the stage or backdrop for his characters. With The Dispatcher, Scalzi has taken a HUGE step, not just by setting his story in the here and now, but in the quality, depth and richness of his writing. There is some science, and it is definitely fiction; but, by setting The Dispatcher in present-day Chicago, he has dropped Science Fiction from the bill entirely. His characters, his world, and his writing are right there, on their own, in all their glory, without the safety net of a Science Fiction Universe. To do this in novella, or short story format is even MORE impressive! He has taken his writing skills - already well known and formidable - and displayed a new level of mastery (not a term I bandy around lightly!)

The Dispatcher is simply Brilliant! Tightly constructed, thoroughly engaging, and entirely captivating, I would not have been able to put it down had I even wanted to! I whole-heartedly recommend The Dispatcher. You will find, as I did, that it is a new level of 'Best' for Scalzi!

What can one say about a novella without giving the game away in a review? This is a (very) near future urban fantasy mystery about mortality. It's a good story with a chewy center that will have you thinking after as all good mysteries should. If the description above catches your interest, give it a chance. I doubt you'll be disappointed.

Quick read with no wasted time. I appreciate a story that is all substance. This would make a great movie. The only thing I fe!t that wasn't fully explained is why Langdon was so willing to work with him.

Wonderfully creative, highly readable, and most importantly, thought provoking. The world was thought provoking in terma of possibilities, and the situation was ethically thought provoking. And better yet, all that in a package that fits nicely in a single three hour flight.

It was a fun read. As always John Scalzi is great at constructing worlds based on an amazing premisse. My problem with this book is that the premisse is really unbelievable and it take you out of the narrative. A good book but not one of his best.

A good quick read. The major plot device pretty much goes unexplained, but it is pointed out as an unknown in the story and isn't a necessary explanation for the story to be told. I highly recommend it.

Scalzi takes a premise and squeezes from it an incredibly juicy tale. He writing is precise, intelligent and witty - and he creates a universe alive with possibilities. I’ve read ALL of his works and while this may be a short read it’s every bit as satisfying as his other stories.

The dialogue within us crisp and maintains lifelike realism. The characters are easy to get into, especially with the short development (as it is <200 pages). The story seems to be rather straightforward with unique character types (the dispatchers), but provides enough twists and turns to keep you anticipating what's next.

Scalzi is still easily one of my favorite writers. But while the premise for this is interesting, the book ends before a real plot even develops. This is more like a sidequest to another story, one in which no one is even around long enough to develop a personal, much less an emotional connection

I generally like this author a lot but the basic premise of the book is just to far out there, it's beyond magic. I'm glad it was sort of short. That was the only thing that kept me from quitting and moving on to another book

Originally posted at Fantasy Literature

A weird thing has happened in our world. Suddenly, people who are murdered can come back to life. Nobody knows why. It doesn’t happen when people die naturally — only when they’re murdered. To take advantage of this new death loophole, the job of Dispatcher has been created and Tony Valdez is one of them. His job is to murder people so they can end up in their own beds a few hours before they died. For example, in one scene we see Tony murder a man who is about to die on the operating table and in another we see him shoot a woman who just got hit by a bus. Dispatchers occasionally do less savory jobs, too, such as shooting injured stuntmen on movie sets so the studio won’t get sued for damages.
When one of Tony’s fellow Dispatchers disappears, a policewoman asks him to help with the investigation. Tony is reluctant, but she is persuasive and he gets roped in. As he tries to uncover the crime that has been committed, we get to explore the consequences of our world’s new rule.
I’m not the type of reader who needs everything explained to me, but I found it difficult to suspend disbelief while reading The Dispatcher because there’s no explanation for the sudden new murder loophole. I’m having a hard time imagining the physics of this, especially how whatever/whoever is controlling the new reality is distinguishing between types of murder (first degree, second degree, manslaughter). The only explanation I can come up with is that it’s God, but I’m pretty sure that’s not what Scalzi wants me to believe.

John Scalzi is sometimes clumsy with his infodumps, and that’s the case again here. It’s awkward that Tony’s explaining his job and the rules of this world to the police investigator he’s working with. She would know all this. I also never quite understood why an official Dispatcher needs to be hired to murder someone. Why can’t anyone do it? And why does everyone consider dispatching to be such a distasteful and shady job? I would think that people would be happy to have found a way to defy death.

So, I couldn’t believe in this story, but I admit that the strange situation leads to some interesting thought experiments about what life would be like if it was impossible to murder someone, so it did make me think, which is a quality I appreciate in a story.

The Dispatcher was written for audio and, for that reason, reads a lot more smoothly than some of Scalzi’s other fiction in which the overuse of dialogue tags (“he said,” “she said”) makes the text feel choppy. It helps that the novella is narrated by Zachary Quinto (Spock) who is a great performer.

John Scalzi is an author that’s been in my to-read pile for a while, but I somehow have been unable to get around to reading his work. Thankfully, he and Audible teamed up to produce The Dispatcher, an audiobook that runs a bit shy of two and a half hours, and which fit nicely into my daily commute.

Scalzi presents a world much like our own in The Dispatcher, with one crucial difference – people who are murdered or who die of unnatural causes automatically come back to life. Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher. His job is to intervene in a moment of crisis. Say somebody gets hit by a car or is about to die on the operating table. Tony’s job is to kill them in a humane fashion so they can come back to life and get another chance. There are loopholes, of course, because aren’t there always? And some of these loopholes are what drags Tony into a police investigation for another Dispatcher who has gone missing.

This premise of a world where murder is largely impossible is certainly an intriguing one, and it makes for a highly effective, attention-grabbing MacGuffin. While the mystical or theological elements undergirding the premise are inexplicable and unexplained, the effect this odd and new state of being has on the world and daily life is well rendered.

The investigation into the missing Dispatcher is well written, and poses plenty of questions, most of which the authors approaches directly and satisfactorily. The real star, though, is Zachary Quinto’s narration. Although he’s best known for his roles in Star Trek and Heroes, this dude can truly and utterly perform a book reading in spectacular fashion. He inhabits the role of Valdez nicely, and demonstrates a wide range of voice talent in tackling the other characters, as well. While the story alone is great, Quinto elevates the material to the next level with his narration. As expected from Audible Studios, the sound quality and production values are top-notch.

The Dispatcher is free through Audible until Nov. 2, 2016, making this a very low-risk investment if you act fast, and one that presents wonderful returns for the price. On his blog, Scalzi noted this freebie is a thank you to his and Audible’s audience, as well as a nice enticement to draw in new readers and listeners. As someone who falls into this latter category, The Dispatcher is certainly a terrific incentive to lure me deeper into Scalzi’s backlist. I may even have to reshuffle a few commitments so I can get one or two more of his titles in before year’s end.

Fantastic story. Normally I don't like audio books but this one is extremely well-narrated. The voice of the protagonist sounds the way I think I'd imagine it if I read this in book format. It was thoroughly engrossing--sci-fi, murder mystery (double murder mystery?), love story, and ethical dilemma all in one. It's short but thorough, with a well-developed main character (which is hard to do in a novella), thought-provoking enough that after the first half I couldn't wait to talk to my husband about it. I would have listened to it all the way through in one sitting if I'd been able to. It's written from a first-person perspective, which I'll admit is my favorite, and although the protagonist is "ethically-flawed", to use the words of one of the characters, he's likable and sympathetic. Very original concept. I also loved how the plot unfolded slowly, so you had to figure out what was going on through the context. It really takes the entire first chapter even to get a clear picture of how the dispatcher does what he does, and why he's there in the first place. Granted, I didn't read the description of the book before I listened to it, because I'd rather be surprised than read a description that goes into too much detail. I've learned this the hard way. The clever way it comes out is intriguing, and you'll most likely have to listen all the way through the scene because you won't be able to resist getting to the part where it becomes clear. I said it's sci-fi, but it's not so sci-fi as to be the main element of the story. Anyone who enjoys a good mystery and/or is interested in stories that explore what it means to be human, mortal, and just trying to do your best with what life throws your way will enjoy this book.

This is a review of the Audible audio book narrated by Zachary Quinton - I actually had no clue who Quinto was and didn't particularly care, because I am a fan of the author, John Scalzi. If he writes it, it's on my must read/listen list and I am rarely dissatisfied. Quinto did a superb job as the narrator - bringing Valdez to life with believable emotions, calm and humor. His intonation and voices for the other characters are clear and easy to distinguish. Especially difficult is pacing in a book without big action scenes, chases or the like, but Quinto never missed a beat and dry humor of Scalzi's words shines through.

This story is yet another glimpse into the sly genius that lives in Scalzi's brain. The idea of a state regulated agency to murder you before you die....so you don't die...awesome. And health insurance companies mandate this service be available in operating rooms - sounds right. The questions that naturally arise with this premise are handled deftly and smoothly in the story with out unnecessary exposition. For a short story, The Dispatcher was well rounded, finished smoothly and felt just right. I would be delighted to see a series from this world actually.

The Dispatcher is a great futuristic story, in a world where people never really die. Dispatcher Tony Valdez reluctantly takes a journey into the underground world of Dispatcher's along with Detective Langdon in order to find his fellow Dispatcher Jimmy Albert. Will they find Billy dead or alive? Will Tony survive the hunt?

The concept of this story reminds me of a the Twilight Zone. The world is just so odd, and really screws with your mind. Dispatcher's are a part of a government run program, like part of the police department. They wield an applicator that when used on someone who has just died, it brings them back to life. The success rate is pretty high, but there are times when it doesn't work and the person is really dead. There are rules that the Dispatcher's have to abide by, so when they take side jobs, (which is legal for them to do) the gray area of the rules are pushed to the limits.

Tony is a straight shooter when it comes to his work. He has in the past worked private gigs, but when the waters started getting muddy, he left. But not before introducing Billy to all the extra money he could earn. Turns out Billy was more about the money than his own morals, and that is what got him into trouble. While investigating Billy's disappearance, Langdon lands on Valdez's front door. They use to be partners, and Langdon wants to know everything Valdez knows. Langdon is a sneaking one though and basically blackmails Valdez into helping her with the investigation. Well blackmail may be the wrong term, but she forces his hand. The investigation takes Valdez way beyond his comfort zone, and he uncovers just how seedy the side jobs can be. It was really fascinating how people managed to work around the rules to their benefit, and profit. I enjoyed the hunt as much as I enjoyed the concept of the story, which led me to loving the character Valdez. Although he was on the up and up, he knew how to kick booty too!

Narrator Review

Zachary Quinto did a fine job with his narration. His tone was the perfect blend of masculine and soothing, with a touch of sensitivity when called for. He never once took me out of the story, and the sound quality was excellent. Great job Zachary! ~ 4stars ~

A dispatcher attends high-risk surgeries and, when it appears that a patient is about to die, steps in and uses a device to kill the patient. The body then disappears and the patient almost always wakes up in his or her home. Insurance companies love this. The patient still needs surgery, but maybe the do-over will be successful.

The device has nothing to do with the resurrection, which happens to all murder victims … but only to murder victims. Everyone else who dies is staying dead. Why the laws of nature have decided to make an exception for murder victims is a mystery.

It is such a mystery, in fact, that its defiance of logic or even religious dogma (you can believe in resurrection if you want, but why only murder victims?) sends the story into the realm of fantasy. But that’s the premise, and you need to suspend disbelief if you want to enjoy the story.

Tony Valdez is a dispatcher. He’s substituting for another dispatcher in a hospital. After performing a dispatch, the police tell him that the other dispatcher has disappeared and that Valdez seems to be the last person who spoke to him. At that point, the story becomes a mystery (although presumably not a murder mystery since the dispatcher has not resurrected) as Tony is enlisted by a police detective to help find the dispatcher.

The plot is reasonably clever and, given the brevity of the story, the characters are sufficiently developed. I wouldn’t shelve it with John Scalzi’s best works, but I can recommend it as a fun diversion … assuming you can buy into the premise.

Tony Valdez is a professional dispatcher. Dispatchers are around to make sure that the bodies that didn't die naturally or by their own hand come back safely. After a normal dispatch, Tony is sought out by a detective. It appears that a college of Tony's has gone missing and the detective wants his help to find him.

I really liked this book a lot. I can't say I'll be gushing over it or calling it a favorite. I won't be saying it was a horrible or dull read either. It was very creative and very unique. I loved it very much. I'm glad that I stumbled across it. I would have never read this book if I hadn't found it the way I had. The narrator did a fantastic job as well. I think he gave a lot of flair to the story.

The story was very unique. I don't think I've ever read anything that even comes near it. I would have liked it to be longer and more drawn out, but it was a good story nonetheless. I wonder if it would have made a good series.

I can't say much about the characters. I didn't really get much of a connection to them honestly. The story was too short to really build that kind of connection. They were pretty amazing for the most part though. I kind of wish I could have seen a bit more of Tony's past personally, but who knows. Maybe one day a book about his past and some other endeavors will come to play.

I am giving the overall story a four out of five stars. It was good and I enjoyed it a lot. I give the narrators performance a full five stars. Perfect job. I'd like to read more books by this author and listen to more books from this narrator. I'm very thankful that I stumbled on this book.

The story of "The Dispatcher" is built on the premise that people who get murdered will come back to live in the state they had some 6-12 hours before. So someone may die from natural causes or from suicide but not from getting killed.
The job of a dispatcher is to kill people that otherwise would die, so that they can have a fresh start.
The story will not give you any insight into why those people are not dead. Instead it shows you, how this makes killing people to a legal job, but also how dispatchers can make some money in not so legal ways. Finally it tells us how even on this premise it is possible to kill someone.
There are some pretty surprising ideas, John Scalzi delivers in telling his tale. All this is presented in the form of a mystery, the dispatcher has to solve. That is told fresh and entertaining. But the novella more or less omits the psychological and philosophical aspects of the premise. Its focus is mainly on the "How ...".
So if you like this sort of intellectual game in an entertainig presentation, than this is the right book for you.

* I got an e-arc for review from the publisher via netgalley *

This story takes place in a world where insurance companies employ dispatchers to help prevent the costly premature death that failed surgery often presents. They’re present during surgery and if the patient is on the edge of death they are there to zap them with a lethal dosage of premature death. They the person usually awakens naked and good as new in their home rather than dead and buried and saddling their families with grief and lots of expenses.

See in this world if you die naturally you’re gone for good but if it’s accidental or due to murder you typically come back. Why? Who knows. No one knows! You just have to go with it. You’ll drive yourself crazy waiting for answers if you’re a questioning type like me.

Of course with this type of scenario certain reckless morons do stupid reckless things like cutting off each other’s arms for fun or joining a fight to the almost death club. Thus the shadier dispatchers step up to earn a little side cash to fix the mess and keep it quiet. Who can blame a guy for wanting to make a few extra bucks? But this type of work comes back to haunt our main character when a former colleague goes missing.

A mystery ensues and this is where my tired brain started to shut off and daydream about chocolate cupcakes and my next book. Needless to say, it wasn’t able to fully engage me after the enthralling beginning but that may be my fault. I went into this one blind and vaguely remembering that I read somewhere online that Scalzi was a funny writer. Or maybe I've mixed him up with someone else? I didn’t find this one funny but it may be an anomaly or I may have no sense of humor. Either way, it just okay in the end.

If you have the chance and inclination, check out the audio version narrated by Zachary Quinto. He does a fine, fine job with the material.

The Dispatcher has an interesting premise to it: If you die at the hands some someone else, 999 times out of 1000 you come back to life. If you die of natural causes you do not come back to life. It is a mystery why this started happening, but we do learn about the first person that this happened to. The Dispatcher is short at just 2 hours 18 minutes long. And it covers a lot in that short time period! I listened to the Audible version which was narrated by Zachary Quinto and I couldn’t help but picture him as Tony Valdez as the story progressed.

Tony is a Dispatcher, one who helps to bring people back. In other words, he murders them. We see several examples of Tony doing his job, which he has done for eight years. One of his dispatcher friends disappears and it is a race to find out what happened to him.

This is a novella that will make you think about many things: who could become a Dispatcher and how do they handle their job when there is that one chance out of 1000 that the person will not come back? What does someone experience when they die and then come back? There are also theological, ethical, and moral issues that surround this story and the novella brings those up as well.

I liked Tony’s character and hope that Scalzi will expand on him and write more. If this ever comes to life on film I hope they cast Quinto in the Tony Valdez role!

The Dispatcher is highly recommended.

I was very unsure what to expect from this story, but since it was a manageable time length and recommended by a friend, I gave it a try. The story itself goes by very quickly and I actually would have enjoyed it more if there were more information on "dispatching" and how it came about. For example, it would be great to know how much about "dispatching" the dispatchers actually know because I kept getting the feeling that there was so much left out that the reader or listener will never have the opportunity to understand.

The narrator was okay, he wasn't horrible, but I found that his voice was very constant and almost like a computer reading the book except for the occasional change in character tone. I found my mind wondering a few times because of this lack of enthusiasm in the tone of voice and had to back track to re-listen to parts that I accidentally drifted during.

Overall, the story is compelling, but I can't give it a full five stars because there is just too much left unsaid and too many questions left unanswered. For the length of this story it is probably worth the read or listen.

A neat little noir tale where murderers are heroes. Killing someone can now bring them back to life. And that forces criminals to be even more clever and cruel, and that's exactly the fear when 'dispatcher' Jimmy disappears.

Dispatcher Valdez and the detective Langdon are serviceable, but actually pretty bland protagonists. Meanwhile all of the side characters -- like a dispatcher watching over a brutal fight club and mobsters gone 'legitimate' -- are fascinating oddballs. Valdez and Langdon are mostly exposition dumps, and obnoxiously discuss things that could've been inferred. It also bothers me that Langdon asks a bazillion questions about the mechanics of dispatching, but it's been around for a long while now...shouldn't a cop have a good grip about the whole 'murder actually revives people' gimmick? Despite being setup as a clever, ballsy detective, she especially comes off like a moron when she needs to be told how an elaborate murder would work at the end of the book.

However, this is mostly refrigerator logic, and it only really bugs you when you think about it afterwards. During the journey, it's a fun and interesting mystery, and filled with some darkly humorous moments. This was my first Scalzi outing and I'm definitely interested in trying some more.

Also, Zachary Quinto was an excellent narrator. His vocal talents are really top notch. I'd love to hear more books narrated by him.

The novella has been called the ideal story length for science fiction. It's become very popular in recent years with both authors and readers. Novellas certainly don't take as much time to write as a full length novel does, and there are many markets for writer to sell the novella to. Readers love them because they are not huge doorstops that consume entire lives and yet satisfy because there's enough room for a bit of world building, characterization, and plot development.

John Scalzi has dabbled in the novella form in the past with the outstading "The God Engines". He returned to the form with 2016's "The Dispatcher", which was originally released as a free audio book narrated by Zachary Quinto, the actor behind Skylar in the television series "Heroes" and Mr. Spock in the Star Trek movie reboot (and will be released as a physical book later this year).

In the not too distant future, it is very difficult to commit murder. The victim pops out of existence and reappears in his or her home, naked and alive, in the condition he or she was a few hours before the act was committed. Nothing is known about how it happens, just that it does.

And it has created a brand new job, the Dispatcher. Dispatchers are licensed, bonded operatives who are present in times and places where people could die - say as a result of a risky operation, or getting hit by a car - to kill the person who is about to die so they get another chance at life. Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher, and a good one. He has never failed at a Dispatch (there is a 1 in 1000 chance the Dispatched person will remain dead), and is in demand at hospitals as well as for private jobs where a person may be on their deathbed. One of Tony's friend's, a fellow Dispatcher, has gone missing in an apparent kidnapping, and Valdez must race against the clock to find him before he dies irrevocably.

In "The Dispatcher", John Scalzi has done a terrific job in fleshing out the occupation of Dispatcher. We discover that the role of Dispatcher is not always that of the good guy, that there's a good side of the street as well as a bad side of the street when taking private jobs. Tony's friend's wife accuses Tony of getting her husband in trouble, since back in the day Tony would get him the wrong kind of Dispatching job. It's really an interesting thought experiment to try to work out the morality of a Dispatcher - how they feel about their job, how other's feel about their job, and the line they sometimes cross to earn a living.

Scalzi set the story in a place he knows well: Chicago. He went to school at the University of Chicago, and a portion of the story is told there. The places and streets he references are recognizable to me, which made it that much easier for me to slide into the story and stay involved in it. One might suggest that it's a bit trite to set this kind of story in Chicago, given it's history, but it works well.

Zachary Quinto does an adequate job narrating the story. His ability to change voices between male and female is not the best, but it didn't throw me out of the narrative, so in that regard he was okay. On the other hand, his voice quality was hypnotic, and kept me focused on the story no matter what my situation was when I was listening (typically in a car going somewhere driving in Chicago area traffic). It wasn't bad, and it wasn't outstanding. It just was.

It wouldn't suprise me if Scalzi decided to write more Dispatcher stories. It's plain to see that there are a lot of possibilities to be explored using this fresh (to me) idea. I would certainly welcome them and hope he does write more.

After giving up on several audio novels, I finally came across The Dispatcher, which for whatever reason was a free audio book on Audible.

It's a John Scalzi novel, so it's breezy and easily read and understood. It's not really science fiction, closer to urban fantasy. Well, not quite urban fantasy either, since my understanding is that the genre incorporates werewolves, vampires, etc., and this isn't quite it.

It's a short novel, based in a world where (for no particular reason) murders would 99.9% of the time simply cause the victim's body to disappear and the victim to recover in bed just seconds later. Scalzi uses this premise to contemplate how society would deal with this. His answer is that you'll end up with people licensed and bonded to murder people in order to salvage a poor surgery outcome, for instance.

He has fun with questions like: "How would the mob actually murder someone so he stays dead?" Overall, there aren't really very many deep questions explored, but as easy light reading (and listening), it succeeds.

Mildly recommended.

Ahoy there mateys!

From the Captain:

This was me first attempt at an audio book. While I have no real interest in them, this novella has only been released in audio book format and I wanted to read it. Having no way to get a hold of it otherwise, the first mate and I listened to this one together.

In terms of the audio book experience, I could do without. The first mate listens to them frequently. Now to be fair, I thought that the narration of this story as performed by Zachary Quinto was extremely well done. Way back in the day I listened to radio plays and enjoyed the medium. Now, I just feel like listening to a book is too darn slow. I can read much faster. The first mate claims that ye can listen to audio books at enhanced speeds so maybe that would help. And of course the short length of the novella was a bonus. But overall I want text.

Now the beginning of the novella was extremely well set-up. I loved the concept that 999 times out of a thousand, anyone who is intentionally killed comes back to life and that there are Dispatchers whose job it is to take advantage of this “glitch” for the betterment of society. I totally enjoyed the main character, a Dispatcher named Tony Valdez and how we were introduced to both him and his work.

But I have to admit that once the set-up is over and we get into the mystery plot of the novella I was not as excited. I mean it was fun and enjoyable but seemingly predictable in terms of the hows and whys of the who-dun-it. The world itself was the fascinating part and it was not explored nearly enough. We get glimpses of a crazy underworld, snippets of how Dispatching affects “normal folks,” and tidbits of the varied uses of Dispatching.

I sorta wish there had been no murder mystery. Of course there was a scene involving frat boys that made me happy and chuckle. I don’t believe this is Scalzi’s best work but it was worth me time for what it was.

From the First Mate:

Very interesting premise. Execution was middle of the road. Like with “Lock In,” Scalzi sets up a society-changing situation and then uses it to tell a more or less mundane noir story. The noir story is well written and the main character is fun, but the character of the detective is practically worthless (she exists solely to have the main character explain the world she lives in to her). Basically, the sci-fi elements of the story weren’t central (you could tell the same missing person story set in 1920s Chicago) and are merely whiz-bang moments.

Side Note: Apparently a print version will be coming out in 2017!

**** 4 Dispatcher stars ****

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"I had purposely and intentionally killed a man. I was the direct and immediate cause of his death, That's who I am. That's my job. I'm a Dispatcher."
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I really enjoyed this just over 2 hours long audio novella! I picked it up for free on Audible (until November 2), not knowing anything about it except it's narrated by Zachary Quinto.

The blurb tells of a day, not long from now, where people who are murdered comes back to life. Like "poof!", the dead body is gone, and they return in a blink of an eye at their home or the place they feel safe. No one knows why or how this started happening, and the story won't tell you either. So the premise is, we learn about the world, but not why it is the way it is.

Having people return once they gets killed made for a new profession where licensed professionals dispatch people (basically killing them) so they can return to life. For instance, they can work at a hospital ER "dispatching" fatally wounded victims of a car crash. Dispatching makes the person reset to hours before the fatal events happened, so it's as if nothing happened. The person returns in 999 cases, though, but there's always a chance that they won't.

In the story we follow Tony Valdez, a Dispatcher, who is approach by Detective Nona Langden, investigating his fellow Dispatcher and former friend, James "Jimmy" Albert's disappearance. Tony reluctantly team up with Detective Langden to help find him. So the plot of the book is the mystery of Jimmy, not how or why people can be dispatched and reappear.

Zachary Quinto was perfect as the narrator. I felt his voice and narration cast an almost noir detective feel to the story. The setting wasn't noir, it just made me feel like it, due to Quinto's deep, slow "Detective" voice, the mystery and the investigation.

There were no smoking, or damsel in distress, though. LOL
I loved that the actual detective in this story was a woman. She had a take no prisoners attitude, and she and Tony had a "I'll mostly tolerate you" partnership, at least in the beginning.

Quinto had great voices for all of the characters. Some of the differences were more subtle, not so easily differentiated from Tony's the main character. But it wasn't hard follow along, or to know who was talking. Zachary Quinto did a great job of the narration. I was especially impressed with the narrating of a very emotional scene at the end. Also having seen Quinto in various roles on screen, I know that he can act angry like no other. There was a brief scene where Tony argues with someone and gets really pissed off. I think it's the first time I've experience a narrator yelling! I loved it. Quinto brings this suppressed rage to some of his characters, and when it gets let loose, it was awesome.

Highly recommended for a short mystery listen with excellent narration.

One day, the world changed, in a simple but far-reaching way. It's now nearly impossible to intentionally kill anyone.

If you kill yourself, you're dead. If you die in an accident, or of natural causes, you're dead. Butif someone intentionally kills you, 999 out of a thousand, you come back. You wake up alive, naked, and in what you consider a safe place.

Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher, a licensed, bonded professional whose job is to humanely dispatch someone in immediate danger of death so that they have (999 times out of 1,000) a second chance at beating the cause of death. Dispatchers are, for instance, required to be present for all surgical operations by both the patient's and the hospital's insurance.

But dispatchers can also take private jobs, some more legitimate than others. Tony doesn't like the "unofficial" work and doesn't do it.. He only does "official" jobs and some very select, wholly above-board private jobs now. An old friend of his, though, continued doing private jobs routinely--and has now disappeared.

The police are looking for him. The missing friend's wife blames Tony. A rich, powerful old man who was the missing man's last client before he disappeared asks Tony whether it has ever happened that a dispatcher has "failed," i.e., had the dispatched person not return twice in succession.

And a mobster who has supposedly gone legit has a lot of questions about Tony's interest in the case.

I really like Tony, even though it gradually becomes clear he hasn't been entirely honest with us. The police detective on the case is also quite likable, though she and Tony find each other a pain in the posterior.

Recommended.

I got this on Audible while it was being offered free.

Being how this is my first Scalzi book, I'm certain I'm going to be adding his books to my reading list.

In the near future, murder becomes obsolete as 999 out of one thousand people who are killed by the hands of another return to life. Their corpse disappears, they wake up, naked, back home with the memory of their murder still in mind but are otherwise perfectly fine. The rhyme or reason for this is unknown. It just happened. No need for an explanation, although some of the characters in the book believe it is proof of the divine.

This major difference in the world gives rise to the profession of the Dispatcher, whose job it is to ensure people who may die from circumstances other than intentional killing are able to return.

Dispatchers are murderers for hire.

In this novella, part supernatural, part mystery, and part crime thriller noire, we follow a Dispatcher named Tony Valdez as he assists a detective in finding his fellow Dispatcher and friend, after he goes missing. Any more of a plot summary would ruin the mystery and experience.

Zack Quinto narrates this speculative thriller of a tale and does an incredible job giving voice to each character and bringing the story to life. At 2 hours and at a price point of Free, this audio book was an incredible deal and an incredibly entertaining tale. Balancing the perfect level of mystery, fantasy, and intrigue, it's difficult not to get absorbed by the narrative.

I liked this better than I expected. Other works by Scalzi have struck me as overly glib and insincere, and this has elements of those traits, but ultimately won me over with a touching relationship that makes a brief appearance at the end.

The concept: people are resurrected if murdered. This is nothing more than a gimmic to tell the character story, and as such works decent enough. Don't go looking for explanations, they aren't there and really aren't relevant.

This is absolutely worth checking out if you are a Scalzi fan, and if you are looking for an intro to Scalzi, I'd say this is a good place to start (but I haven't read Red Shirts which I know is quite popular), as it is short and adequately illustrates his style.

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.

For a short Audio Book - this was very well done. The narration by Zachary Quinto - best known for his role as the Nimoy-approved Spock in the recent Star Trek reboot was spot on.

The story kept a good pace, was informative despite being so short and finished up with no lose ends.

I hope this turns into a series as I really liked the main character.

I do plan to check out more of Mr. Scalzi's other books.

In a world where it is possible to come back to life after an unnatural death, there are professionals called Dispatchers. Licensed murderers, whose sole job is to dispatch a person before natural death can occur, are supposed to only work legitimate jobs, but some work in the grey areas. Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher who ends up working with the police when one of his coworkers goes missing. As Tony and Detective Nona Langdon investigate, will they uncover the truth?

For a short book, The Dispatcher packs a punch. With well developed characters and a unique plot, the book brings up an interesting idea that goes far beyond our present capabilities. Of course, the grey areas would eventually be exploited by the criminal element, as the book eluded. I was not really a fan of the writing style, as the short, choppy sentences did not help to convey the story. Overall, I would recommend The Dispatcher to readers, regardless of whether they like books in the genre. It has an interesting concept that many will find thought provoking and has the possibility of future books.

In the not too distant future, it is almost impossible to murder someone. Or for most people to die- permanently. Unless you die of natural causes or suicide, within hours you return to life, naked, but alive. No one knows how or why it happens, but 999 times out of a thousand, it does. When a person is close to death, trained and bonded professionals, called Dispatchers, are called in to, in effect, murder you so you can come back. Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher, on call at a hospital when a detective comes to see him about a friend and fellow Dispatcher who has disappeared. Jimmy had been doing side jobs- unauthorized Dispatches for the wealthy and powerful, and sometimes, the more unsavory element of humankind. As they dig deeper into the disappearance, it becomes clear that they are in a race against time to find Jimmy, before not even a Dispatcher can help.

This was quite a good story. The premise is unusual and interesting. How far would you go to preserve your own life? Or the life of a loved one? And what would you do, how far would you go to exact revenge, if things went wrong? At the beginning of the story, Tony is secure in his job. He doesn't really question what he does. He doesn't have many moral issues with what is essentially legalized murder, since the returning from the dead was a spontaneous, seemingly natural thing. As he and the detective probe deeper into Jimmy's disappearance, Tony is forced to question some of that solid ground he stood on, especially when things get rather personal.

There are, of course, many moral issues with a premise like this, and they are handled, for the most part, quite well for a shorter story. There isn't a lot of extraneous preaching or extended exposition. And yet, the issues are there, and if not neatly tied up (when are moral issues ever?), they are given room to breathe without sacrificing the action and movement of the story itself.

This is an audiobook, and it is performed by Zachary Quinto, who does an excellent job. The reading is smooth and nuanced, and characters are voiced without seeming forced. It was enjoyable to listen to.

The audiobook is free for the next couple of weeks, I believe. If you are a fan on John Scalzi, you really want to get this. If you have not yet sampled his work, this audiobook would not be a bad place to start.

When a mysterious and miraculous phenomena of people resurrecting after a murderous death begins transpiring all over the world, it reshapes the concept of the afterlife. It's now impossible to murder someone. The business of dying and returning has now a new career opportunity known as 'dispatching'. Governments, insurance companies, and private businesses are interested in having professionals on hand to send a dying person into death so they'll return and get a re-start on life. Murder victims, surgeries, medical testing, and more now are not so permanent.

Against this backdrop that alters science and religious thinking, Dispatcher Tony Valdez is called on by the police to help find the whereabouts of fellow dispatcher, Jimmy. The detective needs Valdez to help discover clues to find Jimmy by navigating this world of legit work done for the company and side work that may be on the shady side of the business. The detective is nearly ignorant about dispatchers and the little she knows has her skeptical about the ethical side of it all.

This is a shorter piece, but it is a fully developed and engaging story. Tony Valdez is the sole narrator and I enjoyed getting the story from this character's wry perspective. The Dispatcher was an interesting blend of mystery with sci-fi of a world where people suddenly can't be permanently killed and how that alters human society, philosophy, and religious beliefs. It has a detective noir tone to it as it gently paces forward as they track down clues and meet witnesses and suspects. Tony Valdez is an anti-hero sort with his reluctance to get involved, but allowing the detective to strong-arm him into doing the right thing.

This was my first experience with this author and the narrator Zachary Quinto, but it most definitely won't be my last for either.

Another great example why Scalzi is a master of his craft. The balance of this short story hinged on whether or not the details surrounding how people come back were explained. By not fully explaining everything and by giving just enough details that it doesn't suffer from the rules of "Gremlins", the setting for the story is pretty much perfect. While taking place in a sci-fi genre, the story is more of a mystery novel. I would love to see more in a series or a longer book as the world Scalzi created lends to a lot of fun. Because it's a short story, Scalzi doesn't have the room to fully explore characters or implications of his universe fully. The characters are well rounded for the length though. It would have been nice to understand more about what the world became with this "change in the rules" on death. Very much recommend this book - Final Grade - A+

*3.5 stars*

I'm into books that are different with cool concepts, and this is certainly one of them. I LOVED the ideas in The Dispatcher, but I felt like it was a bit too one-note.

In the world of The Dispatcher, no one can be murdered. Or, I should say, if they get killed by another person, they come back to life. Thus, when someone is about to die, they have someone murder them on purpose so they can come right back to life.

Right away, I had 1,000,000 questions. I wanted to know the WHYS sooooo badly. And the hows, and the details! The details! But we don't get any of that. It is sort of, shruggy shoulders, just accept it. I didn't want to just accept it.

They mystery wasn't very mysterious, and I'm not sure it was supposed to be. I wanted the whole book to be more sci-fi, but I was engaged the whole time. It is a short, easy read, so it will please all readers with short attention spans.

While I liked the gist of the story, I think I just wanted more overall.

*Copy provided in exchange for an honest review*

Solid little short story with the germ of a really interesting idea that deserves fuller treatment. At some point in the near future people who are murdered start coming back to life (as in you get shot, disappear leaving your clothes, etc., behind, and then reappear naked at your home a few seconds later). The person killed only comes back if they are killed intentionally (so no accidents) by someone else (so no suicides), and they come back in same state as they were 12-72 hours before their death, and it gives rise to "dispatchers" who are on hand and licensed and bonded by the state to murder people if they are in imminent danger of non-intentional death. Scalzi explores what this might mean (insurance companies insisting on licensed "dispatchers" being on hand for surgery to kill the patient once it becomes clear they could die by accident or natural causes; brutal fights where both combatants know a bullet to the brain means they are likely to come back to life; the revival of dueling). There is a mystery surrounding a missing dispatcher, and the forced teaming up of a fellow dispatcher and a Chicago cop. The mystery was fine, if nothing special. A quick vignette that does more to make one wonder what a full length book would be like and a bit slim on its own.

A mark of a great author is when you read something of theirs and your first thought is “That’s genius! Why didn’t I think of that?” and then you’re annoyed the whole time because someone else came up with the brilliant idea.

Scalzi does this all the time.

This time around the idea is a world where people who are murdered come back to life 999 times out of 1000 and the societal changes that this engenders. The main character is a Dispatcher—his job is to kill people right before they die so they re-set, appearing as they were right before the incident. This is only the premise upon which the mystery is set, but Scalzi dips just far enough into the ramifications of Dispatching.

A note on the audio version: Zachary Quinto did an amazing job narrating.

I really, really, enjoyed this book. It popped up in my recommendations and I picked it on a whim. Sci-fi is not usually a go-to for me and maybe I should read more of it because this was really good. I was telling my husband about the book when I was done and when I mentioned the author’s name he knew exactly who he was. I am glad I know who he is now too.

The book is an Audible original and is a quick listen at just shy of two-and-a-half hours. Zachary Quinto did an outstanding job narrating the story. He has such a distinctive voice. He manages to convey a unique mix of authority, contempt and worldliness with his voice and that was perfect for the character he portrayed. The story itself was just plain good and engaging. Even though my husband had not read it we had a great discussion about the ins and outs of the scenario and the questions it raised. It was fun! The mystery overlay on the sci-fi angle just made it even more engaging.

I've never read or listened to anything written by John Scalzi before but this story is amazing. It holds your interest throughout, no see saw action here. Zachary Quinto while unknown to me in the audibook arena like in the cinema does an amazing job also.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this audiobook, although it was much shorter than I expected and didn't last me the 6hr drive I needed it to... :-)

The concept was intriguing - if difficult to comprehend (for we readers AND the dispatchers themselves). It was almost as if I needed to know how - suddenly - people who were murdered / died not of natural causes or at their own hand, returned to life. In fact, they disappeared from a location and returned, naked in their beds.

Scalzi ekes out the why well and we slowly understand the job of the dispatcher and its many many pros and cons. There are (of course) a myriad of ethical dilemmas posed and to be considered but ultimately this is a mystery of sorts, as Tony helps a detective look into the disappearance of a colleague.

The mystery itself and its resolution poses yet another moral conundrum but it's the sort of book I know I will ponder on from time to time.

It's the first thing I've read by Scalzi and must confess I only downloaded it because it was free.... But I enjoyed it immensely.

And Zachary Quinto was wonderful as the narrator - although I kept picturing him as Tony. (Which was kinda pleasant!)

In the near future, those who are murdered start returning. Their bodies vanish, then reappear, naked, in their homes; their bodies reset to the state they were in a few hours before their death. Only those who are intentionally killed are affected - if you die from suicide, accidentally or of natural causes, you die for good.

Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher—a licensed, bonded professional whose job is to humanely dispatch patients in hospitals right before they can die on the operating table, and give them a second chance at survival. But when a fellow Dispatcher goes missing, Tony has to team up with a police detective to track down his former friend.

An intriguing sci-fi/ urban fantasy/ noir pastiche filled with Scalzi's trademark humour and deft plotting and characterization, The Dispatcher explores the potential loopholes (and grey areas) in a world where murder is nearly impossible.

John Scalzi sets his tale on an Earth in which victims of violent death are returned naked to their beds with all trauma for the last day removed. The Dispatcher ( hard from Subterranean Press) of the tale, Tony Valdez, kills people after surgeries go wrong, almost fatal traffic accidents, and other near fatal events. His friend, another dispatcher, has been kidnaped and the police want his help in finding his friend. The trail leads through powerful gangs and a man whose elderly wife has just died. At one point he gets tossed down a elevator shaft to his death as a way leaving a building secretly. Yes, he wakes up naked in his bed after dying. Light fun. Review printed by Philadelphia Weekly Press

First, thank you to the author and publisher for offering the story for free.

So, this is, I believe, my first encounter with John Scalzi. Frankly, I came away a little underwhelmed. The story is just OK (3 stars), the narration is a solid 4 stars, so maybe the real average is 3.5 stars? I'm not a huge sci-fi buff anyways but I do enjoy it once in a while, but the concept of this story was just not real exciting (nor was it believable).

I've heard/read good things about Mr. Scalzi's works so, I'm not sure if this was just not representative of his better writing or if this was what you get. I might give him a try again in the future but right now I'm just not excited about continuing on with his works.

YMMV

I really loved how original the story was. The thought of people showing up back at their homes naked after being murdered is a pretty cool concept. I especially loved how they basically made a business out of it, too. I really enjoyed the conversations about "gray areas" as well. I wanted to know a little bit more about the world though, like were there more problems with overpopulation? Is nobody paranoid that one day people might go back to being murdered and not coming back to life? Did religions form over this? I get that you can't really cover all that in a short story but it would have been interesting. Overall, I really liked this story I just thought there could have been a little more world building.

Got the book via Audible (it was free for three days) and absolutly loved the story! I have never read/listened (via audible) to anything by J. Scalzi. However was pleasantly surprised by this book! The idea and concept of the "dispatcher" is a facinating storyline, and Zachary Quinto did an excellent job at narrating the story; he really bought the characters to life.
I'm hoping that the author will continue the Tony Valdes story and create a sequel or three full novels! (vs. the short novellete). More background on how he became a dispatcher perhaps?

I loved the idea of no more murder. Or should I say no more staying dead from murder? The entire idea this story is based around is truly awesome. I just loved how sweet and sad it is all at the same time. This makes me hope that this story is part of a series because how hard would it really be to track murder when it doesn't really kill someone?I've never heard Zachary Quinto narrate before, but if he always gives performances like this one I definitely want to hear him again.

My first audible. My first Scalzi too. Very enjoyable introduction to both. Liked the premise of homicides coming back to life for no apparent reason and it being managed professionally by the main character and those like him. Liked the mystery within. The length was perfect, 2 hours 16 minutes, that's a lot of a story that can be finished in one walk. Zachary Quinto (Spock 2.0) did a very good job narrating. Looked up the author and turns out sadly he mostly does series (where the money is), my preferences are for stand alones and this one was a lot of fun. Recommended.

The narration was fantastic, and I loved the premise and story. I kinda cringed at all the language, seeing how it was an audiobook and I have three young kids, and the only time I have to listen to the thing is while riding in the car... But otherwise a super intriguing story, and great characters.

I have listened to this one the second time now and I'm still quite blown away. The world-building is exceptional and the dialogues are just as witty and lively as you are used to with Scalzi. Zachary Quinto's narration is exceptional as well.

This is why I like audiobooks.

Every time I finish a John Scalzi book, I think "That could have been longer. Is this part of a series?" The ideas he comes up with are so fascinating, and I'm always left wanting more. Definitely my favorite Sci-Fi author. I won't summarize, just start reading it, and all will be explained swiftly.

I utterly adore John Scalzi's work but this novella fell short for me due to a plot that required too much suspension of belief to work well. (I fear I can't elaborate more without spoiling it so I'll keep my mouth shut.) That said, it was worth the Audible version for Zachary Quinto's narration alone....he is utterly fantastic!

Great story, one of the best narrators, I have heard in a long time. Which is always a pleasure! So many times, I have picked out a novel, because I really like the author, but when read by a bad or a not suited for the particular narrator, the book is forever ruined to me. To the point, that I will skip over the paperback book, instead of reading it myself.

Wow! I figured this would be a good book because of the author and Zachary Quinto as the narrator! (very cool by the way) I honestly didn't think it would be this good though since it was short and a free preorder. Excellent book!!!

Meh. Suddenly everyone who is murdered automatically returns to their home a few hours before their deaths. I can live with a preposterous premise if the author creates a believable world around it, but Scalzi doesn’t. Almost from the start, it rings false. Insurance companies hire “dispatchers” to shoot high-risk surgery patients right before brain death if the procedure goes badly so that the people are “reset” to their previous state so the doctor can get a second chance to do it right. That’s good, but then a case sparks the interest of the police and a dispatcher has to explain how dispatching works to a cop because apparently homicide detectives have never learned about this world-changing event before and the media has decided not to report on it. There’s never even a hint as to why the laws of physics stopped working, and Scalzi uses the gimmick merely as an excuse for interesting killings and not to explore any philosophical ideas. Again, meh. Grade: C

If you want something completely different, this book is for you. Imagine if you will, where people who are murdered most likely don't die. Think of all the consequences. The pluses. The minuses. All of the possibilities. John Scalzi delivers big on this sort story!!! I want more of this story line!!!

This book was entertaining, but brief. I found myself wanting another missing persons investigation helped along by the dispatcher. Interesting character, just doing his job, killing people to save them. Will check out another book by this author.

Interesting premise for a mystery story. I enjoyed listening to this audio book - Zachary Quinto was a good choice for the narrator. I hope that there might be some continuation of this storyline in the future.

I'm always looking for a new and unique sci-fi story and Scalzi has totally delivered. It reminded me a lot of Torchwood's Miracle Day, but with a twist. I would love to read a longer story set in this world.

A nice little short story with an interesting concept. If you’re a fan of “The Returned” this is a book will be right up your alley. Always well written and thought provoking as Scalzi always does.

This is a great story. Normally free books aren't the best, but this one is keeping me extremely interested. I could listen to the narrator all day. He has an amazing voice and is easy to listen to. The pace is excellent.
The main character is no dummy. He sticks up for himself and knows he could be in some deep trouble very easily.
I'll definitely be purchasing more books by this author.