The Human Division #2: Walk the Plank

Was disappointed on how short this installment of the series is. Also seems disconnected from the first chapter plot wise. Seems almost like a writing exercise than a genuine chapter. Well, there are 11 (?) more chapters to go, hope it gets better, Scalzi's a good writer most of the time.
UPDATE: have now read through chapter 8, and have a little better opinion of this chapter and the series.
It's not a traditional novel in the sense that these are chapters in ongoing plot and/or character lines. So far at least, each chapter stands on its own as a short story, or maybe vignette is a better word. There's a thematic tie between them - the Colonial Union needs allies, and somebody doesn't want them to succeed in that - but there's no real plotline(s) or character development. Some characters make an appearance in more than one chapter, or are referenced, and the same with events in previous chapters. There's no traditional narrative though. It's sort of like Tales of the Colonial Union, the Treaty Building Years.
Whether you like this approach or not is up to you. It's not bad once you accept it for what it is, but if you're looking for another Old Man's War, this isn't it.

This installment has zero overlapping characters from the last story, but in itself is interesting and hearkens back to Golden Age scifi again, with a tip o' the hat to Stopping at Slowyear.

Once again, the story starts with a bang and ends with a crash and I'm dying to see what happens next week.

Read if: You want a short story/vignette of a harsh wildcat colony and some mysterious Space Pirates.

Skip if: You are waiting until the whole thing comes out.

Read while you're waiting:
Stopping at Slowyear

There's a lot of complaints about the length of this short going around, but I for one am perfectly fine with it. I love the idea of an episodic novel and I understand that certain stories may seem disjointed until the entire work has been unveiled.

I like that Scalzi is willing to try different formats (ie. dialogue only, and "episodes"). The book market has drastically evolved in the past 5 years and I applaud him for looking for ways write in the digital age.

I look forward to the role this story will play in future episodes. Read it, read all of Scalzi's Old Man's War books if you haven't yet. Then go read everything else he's written.

An interesting, and yes, short, interlude of sorts. Several new characters are introduced, and the stage is set for what I assume will be an interesting next chapter. If you don't like unresolved endings, you might want to hold off on this one until the subsequent volumes are out.

This story seemed so lacking in depth compared to the first installment in the series. I don't mind episode style releases, but it was advertised as having each story be a stand alone with a threaded plot (I had imagined something like CSI on tv). For being so short, the plot trudged along with both characters and colony containing little development or engaging banter. I know we're still in the opening act of this series, but I didn't see much relevance to a larger plot and was mostly bored throughout this read. I'll still try the next one or two before abandoning the series. I'm a huge fan of the universe and Mr. Scalzi's other works... I'm nervous though.

The second installment in "The Human Division", we get our first contact with the bad guys--whoever they are. In grand Scalzi fashion, a lot of story is packed into a small package. "Walk the Plank" is surprisingly poignant for its brevity, but leaves me panting for more. Thank goodness tomorrow is Tuesday!

This episode was great had a very unique and interesting way of moving this episode along. I know some people a complaining about the length but i have purchased many short stories from various authors and find this is not an unusual size. Looking forward to the future episodes

After the first double length release (The B-Team) I was initially displeased with the length of this chapter of the story. Upon reflection and re-reading the story, I have to revise my feelings. The chapter is significantly different in style and emotional impact. "The B-Team" could stand alone as a short story and as such was a satisfying read. "Walk The Plank" is a much darker chapter in a larger story that is yet to be revealed. The writing is as tight and expressive as anything Scalzi has written but it leaves me wanting to know more about what is going on. I am impatient with the one chapter a week release schedule and would prefer to read the whole novel in one go, but I don't want to wait for the complete novel. So, I am reading it as it is published. Hey Scalzi, Is there any chance we could get more than one Tuesday in a week?

Yes, it was short and not as complete as the first story, but from what I understand these are meant to be "episodes" - not self-contained short stories - and that is just what this felt like to me. I expect what we learned in this one will be important later. Anyway, I hope so. I am intrigued. Don't let me down, Scalzi!

This story probably won't end up being my favorite one in the whole book of The Human Division, but it is not only a good story, but looks like it's doling out information that I'll need when I read the rest of the book.

Yes, it is shorter than the B Team. It is apparently one of the shortest episodes that will be offered. Overall, I like how the story is building and I quite like the concept of low priced episodes that build to a complete story. I loved the B Team and thought this was OK. I'm optimistic about how this will contribute to the whole story in time.

First of all- yes, it's short. It's a short story and you can see that is about 30 pages before you buy it. HOWEVER- it adds another layer to the Old Man's War universe that we've never seen before and may provide some clues about the villains in The B-Team. Pay the $0.99 and enjoy the ride, and know that you are getting an important part of a larger story.

As a single episode this one seemed a bit short, but as the shortest episode I'm okay with that. After reading the first two episodes I look forward to the the rest and will be purchasing all on kindle and audible by the episode.

As a single episode this one seemed a bit short, but as the shortest episode I'm okay with that. After reading the first two episodes I look forward to the the rest and will be purchasing all on kindle and audible by the episode.

I liked it overall, but it really didn't live up to the first installment. If the first episode was a hour long TV show pilot, this was a webisode. At 32 pages, it was more of an interlude then a episode.

I think this is a good continuation of the story line for The Human Division. As readers we are getting a better idea of the context of the story, which doesn't hurt. It is a little short, but I am still hooked.

I really enjoyed this entry in the Human Division. The concept of serialization has been around since the time of Dickens (indeed, most of his works were published in serial form), but has fallen out of favor since the primary mode of literary consumption became the printed book.

Scalzi has noted *repeatedly* that the episodes vary in length. If you think you're not getting your money's worth from this episode, you're certainly getting more than your money's worth for the other episodes, particularly the B-Team, which was originally posted for free. It all averages out.

I think this episode would have suffered if more had been added to it. The writing was fantastic and for a story that was nearly entirely dialogue, there was a LOT of information and context provided in a very subtle way, which can be difficult without expository details.

TL;DR: Quit b*tching and remember that you are participating in literary history, in more ways than one. GOOD STORY.

Be warned: if you're expecting this installment to be as long as the first episode, you're in for a surprise (of course, you would know this if you looked at the description more carefully (32pp) - I didn't). This makes me question whether buying this whole series makes any kind of financial sense - but that't something you need to figure out for yourself.

This episode seems to have nothing at all to do with the characters we met in The B Team, although I'm sure there will be a smart tie-in at some future point. I appreciate that, unlike the Kindle Serials, the author doesn't spoon-feed you the plot, and you have to make connections on your own. This episode could thus be read entirely on its own as well - I'm not sure why you would want to though, since, as stated above, it's really really short.

This episode comprises of a transcription of a conversation between the colony leader of a wildcat (rogue) colony and an uninvited guest - a crew member from a spaceship who was made to 'walk the plank' and landed up, heavily injured, on the colonized planet. The transcription/dialogue idea is an intriguing device, and I very much enjoyed reading this episode, in spite of its by now well-documented brevity.

You do not have to have read Old Man's War to enjoy this series.

Yes the episode is short - get over it.

The whole point of the episode is how it moves the "whole" story forward. Its needed to drive the story and I enjoyed it!

We need to understand what is happening to the CDF - if we didnt have chapters like this then we would be like "WHOA! Why is this happening!"

I can hardly wait for tomorrow and get the next chapter!

Look, I could wait until May and pay less and read it all in one chunk, but then I wouldn't get the serial aesthetic, and I'm pleased to watch this story unfold one week at a time. I found this second installment of The Human Division, Walk The Plank, completely captivating. It had a different voice and POV than The B-Team, it introduces a new (completely pitiless) menace, and also tells us something about life on a remote colony. As a fan of reading and writing and watching serial episodic stories, I was completely happy with this and can't wait for The Human Division #3.

Definitely enjoyed the second episode and look forward to learning more about what is going on. I did feel a bit lost going into it though due to the fact that it had been nearly three weeks since I read the first ep. I can't wait to see where this thing takes us next.

Taking place on a wildcat colony, there was no mention of our familiar characters, even those from the B-Team. While the new characters are interesting, the shorter length (even compared to the B-team) and relatively flat narrative structure left me disappointed. The writing is as clear and engaging as always, but leaves me dubious about the as-of-yet unreleased Human Division stories.

This episode was an exciting short story with lots of potential for linking to the complete "over-story" of The Human Division. Others have been put off, but I thought it was well told as a transcript. I'm greatly looking forward to the rest of the episodes.

Much like other things Mr. Scalzi has written, once I started reading this I did not want to put it down until I was finished. For me, that's the hallmark of a good story and one worth buying.

Yes, it's a short story, but I found it a good one.

This was very enjoyable and over before I was ready (I was fairly engrossed & was actually taken by surprised when it was over; so much so I checked the contents to make sure that I hadn't skipped something). I enjoyed the recount of the Erie Morningstar's fall & the fate of the crew from Malik (poor guy). Mostly though, I was pulled in by El-Masri, the colony leader of New Seattle. He has a thankless job & seems to be the right person to do it. I'm curious to see how this bit ties in with the rest & who exactly it was who attacked the Erie Morningstar. I look forward to the next installment.

Ok it's really short. It's a decent read. Where B-Team was a 90 min TV movie, this is more of a half hour show. The story is decent, it's all setup with no resolution yet. I'm guessing there will be more resolution in the next one. It's a big jump from 90 pages to 32 pages in a week to week format. I think everyone was expecting another 90 pages.

I see a lot of reviews complaining about how short this episode is, but I think that even though it is short, it is a complete and complex episode, and cleverly written in a script-like style. I could see this story unfolding bit by bit, like a great TV episode, and it was heartbreaking and intense even though the story was told mostly second-hand. I can't wait for the next one so I can get some more context, but I appreciate Scalzi's daring in making this his second episode and I hope readers don't give up on the episodic format too soon- I'd love to see more novels come out this way! (though only if the author understands and uses the format well, which I think Scalzi does)

Really clever story progression. Starting to care about the characters already - and remembering Wilson fondly from Old Man's war. The serialisation is driving me crazy, but I'm loving it. Would usually read a scalzi in one go; a couple of hours; now its staying in my head for weeks.

I read episode #2, Walk The Plank, and found it short and rather dark. I am excited to read the next episode to learn the whys behind this episode (trying to avoid spoilers). So far I am really enjoying the cliff-hanger style of the series and have pre-ordered all 12.

I have no problem with the length of the story -- it's an entertaining read. The background events provide a nice layer to the story itself and continue the basic series premise laid out in The B-Team. The script-like format of the story is a nice change of gears. I plan to keep reading.

The same Scalzi writing we've grown to love.
Was surprised by the definition in the title.
The method of "walking the plank" is just as brutal in space as it was in shark-infested seas 200 years ago.

A little on the short side, but very enjoyable.

Waiting for the next installment of this series is both fantastic and excruciating. By breaking everything into short stories, Scalzi can weave a much a much bigger tale than one simple novel. He has a pretty deep world so far, and this is an excellent way to explore it!

Have to agree with tne reviews of other readers who have expressed dissatisfaction with the length of this installment. I got to the end and hit the "Also by John Scalzi" section and I couldn't believe I was done already. I will stick with the series for the next episode or two, but I really expect more than this for my money.

This installment of the story is related in an "audio transcript" format. At first, I found it somewhat awkward to read, but it didn't take long to get used to it, and in the end, I felt that it really worked well for the story.

There are a few details of the story that are left to the reader's imagination. Though I don't doubt that some readers would not be satisfied with that, I personally feel that it makes the story a little bit stronger, because it draws the reader into thinking about the story and the situation a little bit more.

It got me to thinking that maybe it would be better to download the whole book after it has all been put online. I do like dialogue in general but this was heavy sledding and the characters are not very attractive. Mystery without hints in the non-climax..

When I read that Scalzi was doing these installment books, I was really excited-- new material each week!

However, it wasn't until I'd blown through this in 10 minutes that I realized that ALL the subsequent material was about the same length.

Sorry, but I'll wait for the collection. This isn't a case of wanting to save a couple bucks, it's about sparing myself the frustration-- I'd rather wait, and have a satisfying experience, than to have the story end before I'd even really settled back into the universe again.

John Scalzi is one of my favorite writers and one of my favorite people. That said, if I have to wait a whole week for each installment of "The Human Division," and if it's going to cost me $12.87 to read the whole thing, it would be nice if it took as long to read each installment as it takes to download them. They're short and therefore unsatisfying, given the wait and the price.

I was surprised how much tension the author successfully created using the unusual style of telling the story through transcribed conversations. Even once-removed from the key action, the story was captivating and poignant. That feat alone makes this episode worth reading.

I am also surprised by reviews that complain about the story's short length. While I would have liked the story to keep going, the episodic nature of this work makes sense and was about what I expected. Like a good TV show, I have no idea what is coming next, but I am looking forward to the next episode.

This is waaaay to short. And to the people saying "its short, get over it", no. When I buy something, even if it's only a dollar, I expect it to be worth it. This is not. It took maybe 10 minutes to read. 1O MINUTES!. I also didn't like the script format that it was written in. Maybe when all of the singles have come out and they are compiled into a full book with a reduced price it will be worth it, but for now I would steer clear. I appreciate that Scalzi is trying something new, but it just doesn't work for me. And also the 70+ 4 and 5 star reviews in one day seems suspicious. Another reviewer said that on Scalzi's blog or forum he told people to go to the store and review it so of course it will be a heavily biased (positive) reviewer base, which doesn't seem appropriate to me.

Loved the first one and was looking forward to more. This felt way shorter than the first with no feeling of anything accomplished in the story other than a vague idea being tossed around with no real idea where to go with it. Hope there's more like the first one coming which was a solid story wrapped up and a hint of more to come.

So there seem to be three main issues people have with this (mini) book, I'll address them separately.

1. Length
It was never a secret that this series Scalzi is doing will be short, it's not what people have come to expect from ebooks and writers, but I like it. Some other indie authors are experimenting with 3-4 month release cycles of full books and I think it's good to shake the dust off of SOME writers who keep us waiting for years for the next installment *AHEM* Patrick Rothfuss.

The other side to the length argument is pricing, but if you look at Scalzi's other books, they're in the $10+ range. As an example, Redshirts (a few months after it's initial debut so probably a bit cheaper now) is $10. The length is 320 pages, so if we do the math here... 320/10..carry the two..damnit..*calculator*...32 pages per dollar! So you didn't get ripped off. Scalzi just has a lot of readers, and can get away with charging more (well, his publisher can).

2. Format
For anyone who read the Three 'Codas' at the end of Redshirts you got the idea that he likes to experiment with different ways of telling a story (many writers do) One was told entirely in blog posts and featured a blog post where he dictated the dialogue between the blog writer and someone they were interviewing in much the same style as this book was written. Another if I'm remembering correctly was told in second person or something strange like that. The point is, not all books are going to be alike, and that's a good thing. That is also what short serials like this are good for; trying out new things.

3. Substance
Unlike the previous book in the series this didn't really feel like a full story. It was, but not the story we thought we were going to hear. Instead of hearing the story about the wildcat colony, and how they were going to survive or this enemy in the woods etc. We got the story about how this guy's ship got taken over and they all were forced to 'walk the plank' as told by the sole survivor.

So really it was just the length that made this story seem incomplete, but that's a sacrifice you make with shorter stories.

So, in my opinion, there's nothing wrong with this book, you didn't get ripped off, and if you want more to the story of the wildcat colony the description of The Human Division #3 seems to indicate we'll be hearing more about it soon.

I have to agree with previous reviews. Way to SHORT. When i finish it in 30 minutes, it is to short.
I liked the the series so far. Have really enjoyed his previous books and this one looks like it will be along the same quality.
Just that when the series is done it will equivalent to one book.

I was very happy to see this serialized offering from John Scalzi, so I pre-ordered the first few--- I've liked some of his previous stuff after I'd tried Old Man's War on the store's recommendation. It's not that it was horribly written but there was just nothing there; hey a short story can be great---- I know he can do better. I'd like to give Mr. Scalzi the benefit of the doubt and blame agent or publisher, BUT anyway I only gave it the 2 stars because I like him; had I never read Scalzi before it'd get. 1 star and I'd probably not give him another try--- which is a shame

Scalzi is my fave author these days. The price vs. amount of content in this ep. of the serial is challenging to rationalize. It jeopardizes this interesting biz model. I will certainly buy the full edition of human division when it's avail, and had always planned on doing so, but I don't know if I will buy any more of them piece meal.

It's a fine story but would only be 1/4 of the word count of the previous installment. Author- please bundle this with following chapters until they're at least the size of the "B-Team" first chapter.

#1 was fantastic, a complete novella. This was a short story with no action, little plot, and way too short. Maybe this is setting up some kind of mystery, but it does not work as a standalone story. I don't feel ripped off (it was $.99), but it wasn't particularly good as a story and unfortunately the bar has been set very high with #1.

I think I finished it in, um, 10 minutes?

If you're going to release a book in this fashion, you might want to consider writing/designing it in installments, rather than just shipping chapters.

I settled in for a nice read before bed, and I ended up awake and feeling slightly ripped off. Pity, it started so well.

I loved John Scalzi's "Old Man's War" and related books. Decided to try out his episode/series project and enjoyed "The Human Division #1." I purchased #2 without looking at its length and was disappointed. 38 pages is just too short for me. I could have lived with the length if all the episodes were as long as "The Human Division #1." But at 38 pages; I had it read before my coffee was cold.

I know .99 cents is not much money, but it adds up quickly when each series is less than 50 pages. You end up paying too much for what should have been published as a single novel. Again, I really loved "Old Man's War" and wished John Scalzi would write more books like it, but not in this episode/series format.

The B-Team was a nice little read, but at only 96 pages it took less than half a day to finish it. I didn't notice when I ordered Walk the Plank that it was only 32 pages. That's less than a half hour of reading. At this rate, serializing at once a week is more that a little too infrequent.

Walk the Plank provides no context. Those of us who've read the Old Man's War understand the implications of a Wildcat Colony and there is a too brief allusion to what one is in The B-Team, but readers new to John Scalzi's fiction aren't going to have a sense of what this sliver of a greater whole is all about. One wonders why 250 people would be trying to colonize such a hostile place anyway. The picture painted in the B-Team is a union of sparsely settled but serviceable worlds that surely don't match the hardships of 15th century Europe. What's the motivation for risking becoming a rerun of the Jamestown Colony?

This episode (it really can't be called a book) also doesn't have an ending. The colony leader is a hard nose; the doctor is sympathetic; the survivor from the space ship is doomed; there's a person recording conversations, but the reason for doing so is unspecified. These few facts are pretty much the whole story. The reader isn't left with much reason to care about any of it.

I loved John Scalzi's "Old Man's War" and related books. Decided to try out his episode/series project and enjoyed "The Human Division #1." I purchased #2 without looking at its length and was disappointed. 38 pages is just too short for me. I could have lived with the length if all the episodes were as long as "The Human Division #1." But at 38 pages; I had it read before my coffee was cold.

I know .99 cents is not much money, but it adds up quickly when each series is less than 50 pages. You end up paying too much for what should have been published as a single novel. Again, I really loved "Old Man's War" and wished John Scalzi would write more books like it, but not in this episode/series format.

The B-Team was a nice little read, but at only 96 pages it took less than half a day to finish it. I didn't notice when I ordered Walk the Plank that it was only 32 pages. That's less than a half hour of reading. At this rate, serializing at once a week is more that a little too infrequent.

Walk the Plank provides no context. Those of us who've read the Old Man's War understand the implications of a Wildcat Colony and there is a too brief allusion to what one is in The B-Team, but readers new to John Scalzi's fiction aren't going to have a sense of what this sliver of a greater whole is all about. One wonders why 250 people would be trying to colonize such a hostile place anyway. The picture painted in the B-Team is a union of sparsely settled but serviceable worlds that surely don't match the hardships of 15th century Europe. What's the motivation for risking becoming a rerun of the Jamestown Colony?

This episode (it really can't be called a book) also doesn't have an ending. The colony leader is a hard nose; the doctor is sympathetic; the survivor from the space ship is doomed; there's a person recording conversations, but the reason for doing so is unspecified. These few facts are pretty much the whole story. The reader isn't left with much reason to care about any of it.

I love John Scalzi's work. Even his short stories like 'The tale of the Wicked' are great, but this ....... I don't know what this was. Ok it was an interesting read but it went nowhere. I was just disappointed. The movie script style of writing was interesting but I found it a bit annoying. I already had a good idea of who was doing the talking. I guess maybe John's trying a different style of writing.

Please John tell us this is going somewhere. I've already preordered all the series so I'm hoping the rest are more like #1 and less like #2.

It's a darn shame, I've loved all of Scalzi's other works, and really liked the first Human Division story, but this one just didn't do it for me. It felt more like the intro to a full novel, not a self contained story. The writing was good as always, but I don't feel I got good value for my money.

Might as well go read watt pad for free. Seems there is not enough content there to justify buying the short-history (and then waiting a week for the next) First time I am truly disappointed on Scalzi's work, not for the quality (overall a good read) but the length just leaves the overall experience... Wanting.

The B-Team intro was interesting and told a story. This installment was over before it began. Not much bang for buck. I will bow out of this serial episode progression and maybe read the thing when it is an actual book.

I'm listening to these episodes of The Human Division slowly, fitting on in between larger books. Why? Because I think if I get up to date with the episodes I will wail that I don't have any left to listen to! Yes this is what John Scalzi has reduced me to... wailing!

These are so good! The first one really piqued my interest, and I liked the second one just as much.

Walk the Plank is a transcript of a discussion following a injured stranger turning up at a Wildcat colony, called New Seattle. The stranger tells his story about how his team were practically made to "walk the plank" when they were attacked by an unknown enemy.

Walk the Plank is a good story on it's own. William Dufris manages to portray all the pain in the injured soldier's voice, and I'm curious how this little story will fit into the rest of the episodes. Very curious! It took me a couple of minutes to get used to the transcript style, but I enjoyed it a great deal and found it easy to follow.

I'm really enjoying these episodes. With the fourth one being released today I'm glad I have two more to listen to, and am probably aiming to be caught up by next Tuesday.

Eh.. if you look at my review history I enjoy most of his books. I didn't like red shirts, but whatever, can't always please everyone.

I saw someone say his writing is good, he deserves to be paid. I concur, that's why I buy books. But you don't get to gouge me on 19 pages.. at least respect us enough to pretend you tried. True, it's just 99 cents, I mean.. who cares.. so I won't buy a candy bar today, or a soda, hell, they're more expensive than that probably. Doesn't really impact me financially. IT'S THE PRINCIPLE ..

I would really love to jump back into the universe from Old Mans War. I read all of the subsequent books set in the universe and I don't really mind that the characters are changing. I found the universe really interesting with lots of potential for development. Haven't really seen any of the development, and now this terrible release model.. meh... i'll go re-read some old scifi.

The fact you want to sell me 19 pages for 99 cents offends me...

If they were all 93 - 150 pages.. I'd jump all over this. 19 pages makes me really not want to like you. Sorry.

Interesting business model for a writer. I bought #1 and thought it was a nice read at 93 pages for 99 cents. Then I picked up #2 without bothering to find out that it was only 32 pages. So I'm reading along what I took to be the introductory chapter, turned the page and THE END....

In the last week I have read four Scalzi books. I knew book two would be shorter and serialized like book one, but this one wasn't even long enough to merit being a short story. After book one I had imagined this was to be a continuation of exploits of the B team. It was not. It was disjointed from book one in the series and was painfully short. It almost felt like a high school writing prompt that the author didn't have time to finish in class. Then, why did it get three stars instead of one or two? It was not poorly written. It had characters and storyline that left me wanting to know more and read more-and that counts for something. Let's just say-buyer beware-this book is short that I actually thought maybe I had not started at the beginning and went back in the app to discover, in fact, I had read the whole thing in less than twenty minutes and did start at the beginning.

I like this series and look forward to the rest, but I do understand some reactions. Part 1 (The B Team) is a pretty decent length, a fully contained story, and essentially a good pilot episode for a series. I eagerly looked forward to the next one. But then part 2 is so different. It is very short, has none of the primary characters, and reads like s script excerpt (it is intended to be a trascript). So it is a VERY brief read and I can see people being annoyed. Myself, I have no problem taking it as a single chapter in a book. Thrilled with the previous chapter and quite happy to read along and see where it all goes. And for those of you claiming it is some sort of money grab, please, chill out. The publisher sets the prices, and I would not be surprised if .99 cents a release is the minium price. Of course, they could have combined a couple of chapters, but I doubt it is as devious and greed driven as people are making out.

Disclaimer: I read Scalzi's Blog, and he asked people who had an opinion to comment. I definitely have an opinion.

I Like Castle (TV Show) but a lot of the "Red Herrings" leave me cold because I can look at the clock. "Oh, it has 30 minutes left, he cannot be the murder". One of the things I like of the eBook short stories is the length. I never know when the story is going to end. This is a disadvantage when I have to work the next morning, but great for maintaining suspense and interest. So I am not paying for X pages, I am paying for an interesting story. So far all of Scalzi's eBook short stories have been worth reading. If you do not like his previous short fiction, you may not care for a novel made of episodes.

Ratings:
Episodic 5 Stars (what happens next?)
Part of the Book 4 Stars (what just happenend?)
Reread rating: insufficient data (just finished #4 A Voice in the Wilderness)

I am really enjoying this series. This is a fun way to release a book...one chapter at a time. If the idea of having to wait a week in-between chapters is just too much for you, then by all means wait until May when you can order the complete book all at once. If, like me, you enjoy the suspense each week of waiting for the next installment then, by all means, join in and buy this episode!

This second episode "Walk the Plank" comes after a two-part first episode, so by comparison it feels a little bit short. Some folks seem to be upset that the second installment was too short for the 99 cent fee. I don't think that's the right way to look at it. I think of it as paying for a hardcover book in 99 cent weekly installments spread over a few months. As a reader, it is the same money spent in the end, so I don't sweat the chapter lengths. Some chapters will be long and some will be short. That's how I want it! I'd hate for authors to adopt a too-rigid chapter/episode length format (like TV) and force stories that would have been better if shorter or longer in to some standard length.

Talented author and a good story so far, I recommend the series.

I'm a fan of Scalzi's work, he makes me think and he tells good stories. I am enjoying this new experiment of his, with this book released in episodes.

This is very short, especially after last week's long introduction, but I was OK with it, because it was very different. The fact that it was told completely in dialogue was at first jarring, but I realized as I read that i didn't need the description of the setting or the action, because I *knew* what was going on. I have read and watched enough SFF that I had a pretty good picture of the people and the place, and that came both from my own imagination and from the word's the characters were speaking.

Did I want more? OF course, but then, I knew what to expect, since it's been very clear that some of these episodes would be quite short.

I think it's disappointing that people choose to rate books on things like the price, rather than the merit of the work itself. Also, I think that saying $0.99 for this is too much is disrespectful to the author. You can reread his words many times, you can't redrink the cup of coffee that you probably paid more than a dollar for.

This is the second installment in John Scalzi's The Human Division, of which there will be 13 parts. This was much shorter than the previous episode, and serves mostly to thicken the plot. There is a mini-arc within this installment, but its resolution is unknown. One can guess, based on the information presented.

The story is told through voices on a recording. The leader of the New Seattle colony, a hardscrabble settlement with few resources, is called in to speak with a mysterious new arrival, a young man who's severely injured. He'd been on the cargo ship scheduled to drop supplies when it was taken over by pirates. At least, that's who the young man assumes hijacked his ship, and he never saw their faces. Then he and the rest of the makeshift security team is dropped out in cargo containers onto the planet.

The colony has a shortage of painkillers, and no way to combat the disease the young man got in an open wound, something apparently nastier than run-of-the-mill sepsis. They could cut the leg off, but, if the Rot is in his bloodstream already, that won't do him any good, anyway.

The story closes without telling us the young man's fate, nor does it reveal how this ties into the greater plot. I'm sure the latter question will be answered before long, but the former, I suspect, is left to the reader to surmise.

This installment is less exciting than the first, but no less intriguing. It adds to a greater picture of a world that's hostile to humankind, and of the people determined to survive in it.

I listened to an audio copy of this story. The audio quality is fine. I didn't have to adjust my volume for whispers or shouting, as I do with some books, and the narrator is clear, with distinct voices for each character.

(Review crossposted on Goodreads and my writing/review blog.)

Thus far, I've only read "The Human Division #1: The B-Team" and "Walk the Plank". While I admit some disappointment in "Walk the Plank" (due to its short length and narrative format), it was entertaining. Furthermore, I'm intrigued to see how it will fit in to the over-arching narrative. Unlike "B-Team" (which stood almost as a short story), "Plank" definitely felt more like a chapter in a longer novel (it reminded me somewhat of the opening chapter of Scalzi's "Ghost Brigades"); it seemed somewhat disjoint, but you have to trust that it will pay dividends later. On it's own, I would probably give it three or four stars; however, in light of the larger work and in some part to balance out overly negative reviews, I'm leaving five.

The episodic aspect of this is great. It is similar to King's "The Green Mile". I am enjoying getting a little story each week and then being able to finish it in one sitting rather than wading through a book. The writing is amazing and the world Scalzi has created is stupendous and I cannot get enough. I have always tried to remember that they are the writers and I am the consumer, same goes with music. He sees something that I can only hope to imagine and I am thankful that I get to experience great art at my such a rapid pace. This episode was short but sweet. It covered tons of ground in a small amount of time. Brevity is the key, being able to pack so much into so little.

Note: I reviewed on Audible as well.

This episode of John Scalzi's new Human Division is written in the style of dialogue from a recording between a leader of New Seattle, a small colony on a harsh world, medical staff, and a stranger who has a harrowing story to tell. It's the stranger and the classic sci-fi elements of his troubled story that makes this episode so enjoyable. While shorter and not following directly from the earlier "The B-Team" episode, the story is a strong vignette in its own right, and in tandem with part 1, builds a wider sense of world that I'm looking forward to exploring.

I recommend the audio reading as well -- the voice work adds great atmosphere.

This is a serries of chapters of a complete book. This chapter didnot have a hook to the next chapter and the hook in the first chapter had nothing to do with this one. I will probably read them all since I bought the first four. I suspect that they will set up some senerios that will be pulled together at a later chapter. I thought this might be like a Saturday afternoon serial that one episode led to the next with cliff hangers all the way, seems not

Why was this written more like a screenplay? After reading episode 1, I was fascinated, and dug into this. Ugh.

I won't complain about the length. I don't mind paying $0.99 for a good short read. I do mind it not being written as a book. I'll admit I didn't even finish this, I made it about 1/3 of the way through before I gave up. The dialogue-only bit was just too much.

I'll have to see what people say about episode 3 before I determine whether or not to spend the time and money.

Update:
I went back and read it. It is a good story, and it's short enough to ignore the screenplay format. I've since been working on the later stories.

People have complained that it's too short for the money: it's a short story. At 32 pages for $1, it compares pretty evenly with a 500 page novel that costs $15 - roughly 30 pages per buck. Get over it, move on.

It's quite a good short story. If you like the Old Man's War universe, you'll certainly like this. If you *don't* like the Old Man's War universe, you still might like this - there's a neat "twist" to it which truly is unexpected and reasonable, which is pretty rare with "twists" in my experience.

TL;DR: Give Walk The Plank a shot. It's a reasonable cost per page, it's low-risk due to the low cost, and it's a good read.

There are a lot of negative reviews about "Walk The Plank" concerned with its length. I think that may have something to do with a misunderstanding of what it means that this is an "episodic novel."

If I came in to "Walk The Plank" expecting "the next episode," I think I probably would have wondered what on earth was happening. After all, with the exception of double-length pilots and the occasional "to be continued" episode, most TV episodes are stand-alone snippets that, while they relate to the whole, stand on their own merits. Likewise episodic games, which typically give a fully-encapsulated experience in each episode, despite closing with a cliffhanger.

But this isn't television, and it isn't an interactive game. This is a novel. No matter what else they have, novels have chapters. I look at this as "the next chapter," which helps contextualize my experience much better. As the next episode, "Walk the Plank" would be a miserable failure, what with there being essentially no character or narrative overlap. As the next chapter, however, "Walk The Plank" continues to set the stage for what looks to be a very enjoyable story. Yes, it's a good deal shorter than "The B-Team," but I don't go into a book expecting every chapter to be the same length. As someone who dreams of one day finishing a novel, I believe I'd go insane if, upon completing the narrative, I had to go back and just chop every chapter into equidistant masses, regardless of narrative content and weight.

I can see how some people might want to wait for the whole book to be released, and you know what? There's nothing wrong with that. I'm a voracious enough reader that I can't fault anyone wanting to have everything available at once. At the same time, this experiment, an episodic novel, fascinates me, and while I'm absolutely starving for "We Only Need The Heads," I don't feel like "Walk the Plank" ripped me off by any means - it just whet my appetite for the next chapter. And hey, $13 all told for a new release? You can't beat that.

"Unfortunately I purchased my copy directly from Kindle after reading the #1 chapter and I didn't pay attention to the length of the book.
I wouldn't buy it even for 0.99 - author should have at least some self-respect and he should also respect his users."

Edit: I had a small e-chat with author and based on that I'm reviewing my review. It seems that for americans the book costs 0.99, which is good for them and means that the store is just p*** foreign customers. I think I might wait until the full book comes out and see if the price is more affordable then. (It might not as Scalzi books tend to be expensive ones.) There is long discussion going on on his blog also: [...]

If you're already familiar with the Old Man's War universe and are looking for more then you'll probably be happy with this. Otherwise just start with that book.

Like other reviewers have said, this does not feel like a complete story. More like a vignette that helps to flesh out the world Scalzi has created.

(POSSIBLE SPOILERS HEREIN) A little annoyed with all the negative reviews citing how 'short' the episode was. It's an episode, folks. Not all of them are the same length, as they serve different purposes. It's like complaining that the chapters of a book aren't a minimum number of pages. Especially considering the format, which is a 'found footage' technique useful for adding some mystery to the narrative, one would expect it to be shorter. It seems to be setting up things that will be expanded on later in the book.

What I liked about it was it allowed me to flex some imagination muscles in picturing the scenes as they might look had there been descriptions included. As a transcript of some dialog it allows for interpretation of what's going on, and so adding suspense for what's to come, rather than describing things in detail. This I find exciting and engaging. I don't require an author to explain everything, all the time, up front. It's a mystery that I'll be coming back to to search for clues after reading more of the whole story. What's important to me is that it has information to deliver about the narrative as a whole, and we won't know WHAT it actually has to offer until we get further into the story.

And I'm sorry to be grumpy, but it's US$0.99. You can't expect to take reviews seriously when they complain about a getting their money's worth.

If you are worried that you are being ripped off, keep it in perspective. I suspect the other installments -- including the first one that you've already READ -- won't all be in the same format or length.

I loved Old Man's War and the following books and was excited that we were getting some new stories set in that universe. The B-Team rocked and got me really excited about this series. However, this is where it ends for me. Between the audio transcription format of this episode and the ridiculously short length I was completely and utterly disappointed. That wasn't even long enough for me to finish my coffee.

I know from reading John's "Whatever" blog that this is a big experiment and that the episodes will all vary in length, but 32 pages? Looking at how short the next few episodes are as well I'm feeling manipulated and short changed. I get paying $.99 for a TV episode that provides 42 minutes of entertainment but this is not that.

Oh, and the actual story? It was like the hook in a TV drama before the title theme plays. Enough to get you to commit to watching the rest of the episode, but without the rest of the show.

This episode of The Human Division is, indeed, short. That said, it tells a complete and interesting story in a slightly nontraditional way, and it is clearly meant to be a jumping-off point for the rest of the series. It made me want to read the next episode right away.

I would suggest that those who dislike the price/length ratio just wait a few weeks until the compiled edition is released; then it will be ~$12 for a full-length novel, and all of this pointless fretting over the cost per word rate will be irrelevant.

John Scalzi's latest foray into the Old Man's War-verse is most welcome! I look forward to each new installment on my Kindle app. I've got no problem with either the price/page ratio or the length of these stories. Hell, where else can you get an hour or so of quality entertainment for a dollar?! Keep them coming, John. To the store, thanks for making these new stories so easily accessible. I'm really enjoying the serial format, as well as the great writing.

I felt somewhat unsatisfied by this short story, apart from the contrast in length with the first extra long story, (I also looked to see if something was missing in my download) it seems to barely survives in context with the rest of the OMW universe. It raises more questions than it answers and if you have only read the first story in this book, its reason for existence would be opaque. I suspect if read in context with the remainder of the short stories, the why of it may become clear. Perhaps it is a ruse by Scalzi to make us buy the rest of the stories - oh this author is tricky!

I see the problem with doing reviews of chapters.

This installment/chapter was not as exciting as the first one and I realize that to review each chapter is going to be tedious and frankly not worth the effort to write or to judge the work. After reading installment one you can understand where this is going but standalone it isn't cohesive enough to review - it adds a dimension that ties into installment one yet it isn't a short story so reviewing it makes no sense.

I will review the entire work when completed or issued as a novel

It's barely a chapter. At $.99, it's a total waste of money. It ends right as it gets interesting. Since I don't want to spend any more time reviewing this "book" than I did reading it, I will end here.

Yes, it is short, but I don't mind because I regard this as a serial tale, and this is just one anecdote. I both thought the format was overly limiting and went unexplained (there is no context for showing the short story as a voice transcript) and also refreshing for being new. I'd have rather seen a tale of survival from the survivor's point of view, but I trust Scalzi to amaze me later. I liked it, but on its own it was not much. As it leads into something else, though, it is a good chapter. So, four stars.

There are a number of complaints about the length however it's fair to note it's part of a serial where the varying lengths of the episodes will average out. Even so, I tend to think a dollar is a fair price for almost anything. Not a whole lot of point in going under a dollar.

The story itself is a nice solid little piece of the jigsaw puzzle that is the whole series and I'm looking forward to see what the rest brings.

So, definitely enjoying the episodic delivery mechanism. This audiobook was only 39 short minutes, but it was great to get it mid-week, and to know that the story will continue next Tuesday. Although on its own, it's definitely not a complete story (more of a vignette), I'm always intrigued to see content generators trying something new!

This one was a heavy story, but gave great slice of the very dangerous nature of the OMW universe. Can't wait for Ep3!

This is a short episode to make us curious about the big picture, here we learn that there's a lot more going on than just what happened in the previous episode. I really liked it, and I especially found the character dynamics very interesting. To give the reader so much to think about with so few words is a talent not many authors have, I applaud Scalzi for that!

I really enjoyed the B Team but this episode was too short. I felt that it was way too short and it made me sorry I had pre-paid for the next two episodes. If they continue like this I will not be making any more purchases. I really enjoy Scalzi's work but this was too short and too expensive>

Wonderful second episode. It is of the high quality I've come to expect from Scalzi. He writes to the length that the story needs to be, no more or less. This is how he has always written his fiction, and it is something I greatly appreciate. Those bothered by the length are perhaps unaware that this is how short fiction should be written. That is what this book is, a collection of short fiction that will come together to form a novel.

I'm enjoying The Human Division quite a bit. Doing the kindle + audible whispersync thing and eagerly awaiting each week. This was a short episode, but a good one in my opinion.

If you think it's too short, just wait until the spring when the episodes are published as a full book. Well worth my money as weekly episodes though!

My very first review. I felt cheated when every page flip is 2% of the story. Feel that author is taking advantage of the digital format and ripping kindle readers off! Enjoyed his Old Man's War series but this is inexcusable. I will be removing the pre-orders of the remaining 11 "chapters" in this series because I felt so cheated.

As the second part of a longer story, this establishing chapter stands well on its own and suggests the direction of the greater narrative. Essentially the video record of an investigation, it presents us with a series of terrible events that suggest greater, darker movements in the universe of Scalzi's "Old Man's War" series. If the first chapter of Human Division was pure Nivensian/Heinleinen fun, consider this the splash of cold-water that bad things happen to good people...and worse things are probably coming.

Very disappointed, especially compared to part #1: while part #1 was a complete though comparatively short story, part #2 is barely what I would consider even a chapter worth of reading. With so little content it will be difficult to get me to buy any of the remaining chapters - just isn't worth it.

next time you meet with your publisher john tell him a) you`re not Dickens so maybe serialising isnt a great idea and b) if you want to be Dickens at least give us something to read. 32 pages is a disgrace.