One day, not long from now, it becomes almost impossible to murder anyone 999 times out of a thousand, anyone who is intentionally killed comes back. How? We don't know. But it changes everything: war, crime, daily life. Tony Valdez is a Dispatchera 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 what they see as a wrong. It's a race against time for Valdez to find his friend before it's too late-- before not even a Dispatcher can save him.--Jacket flap.
While this falls into the science fiction genre, fans of mystery and suspense will love how this tale unfolds and should find themselves quite at home. What if it was impossible to murder someone? What if anyone who is intentionally killed came back? Not as a zombie, but back. It would change everything. In the futuristic world of The Dispatcher, Scalzi tackles the afterlife and introduces us to Tony Valdez. Tony is a Dispatcher - a licensed, bonded professional whose job is to humanely dispatch those whose circumstances put them in death's crosshairs. He is hired by the government, insurance companies, and private businesses to ensure death allows them to get a restart.
Scalzi gives us a fully developed world sharing how this new development regarding death alters human society, philosophy, and religious beliefs. The story reads like an exciting suspense mystery thriller when a fellow Dispatcher goes missing. Entirely paved with twists, and newly discovered tidbits I consumed this in almost a single listen. Due to the length, we did get some info dumps, but I shrugged them off because as is typical with this author I found the dumps fascinating.
Tony Valdez is the perfect anti-hero who reluctantly gets involved. The tale is more story driven, but Scalzi presented solid characters I could connect with on some level.
This was my first time listening to Zachary Quinto, but I felt he nailed the characters and tone of the story. He has an excellent flow and his clear tone, making it pleasurable to listen.
Fans of science fiction, suspense and mysteries will enjoy The Dispatcher. I wouldn't mind revisiting this world in the future. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer
Reading updates
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Started reading
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17 November, 2016:
Finished reading
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17 November, 2016:
Reviewed