This is an interesting concept: People who die a violent death (meaning, who are murdered) come back to life a few hours prior to the murder. So it's impossible to murder anyone, isn't it? You would be surprised. This also creates a whole new department of Dispatchers - people whose sole purpose is to murder those who are in danger of dying an accidental death so that they can come back to life again. But what happens when a Dispatcher is kidnapped?

I liked this book. That's a very unusual idea and it was pretty well realized. It changes the whole concept of justice when the murder victim is alive and present at the witness stand to testify against their murderer. You would think that this would eliminate violent crime altogether, but humans are creative. One can go to great lengths to make natural causes or unfortunate accidents work in their favor if one really wants to get rid of somebody for good.

But it's even more interesting to follow our Dispatcher, because it takes a certain kind of person to do what he does. To murder people, even if by doing so, he is giving them a few more days, or weeks, or sometimes years to live. It's still murder. It's still having to take somebody's life, over and over again, as part of your daily job. Plus dealing with the distrust and often open animosity of the public. 

The book also raises an important question - when keeping somebody alive despite all odds transforms into cruelty? If somebody is terminally ill, how would being murdered again and again right before the moment of their normal death affect their psyche? Yes, they get to live a few more days, but they are still in pain, they are still dying... Sure, they might be happy for the granted reprieve the first time or two, but after ten or twenty? I think it becomes a living hell.

I wouldn't mind revisiting this world and seeing more of our Dispatcher. It would be interesting to see how this world progresses.

I listened to the audio version of this, read by Zachary Quinto, and it was fantastic. Fast paced, funny, everything I've come to expect from Scalzi, just an excellent all-rounder. Shorter than I thought it would be, but that fits the story. Recommended.

This novella is a mystery with an intriguing concept. For unexplained reasons, almost all murder victims no longer remain dead, they just pop back into their lives unharmed. Dispatchers are tasked with killing people who are about to die (for example as the result of high risk surgery). They get to go on living, and there are no messy insurance claims. Tony Valdez is a dispatcher and when one of his colleagues goes missing the police ask him to explore the world of off-the-record dispatching to try to find him. Aside from the novel underlying premise, this is detective fiction. It’s so short that that really isn’t any character development, but the plot held my interest and I will read the sequel. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

"One day, not long from now, it becomes almost impossible to murder anyone—999 times out of a thousand, anyone who is intentionally killed comes back. How? We don't know. But it changes everything: war, crime, daily life.

Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher—a licensed, bonded professional whose job is to humanely dispatch those whose circumstances put them in death's crosshairs, so they can have a second chance to avoid the reaper. But when a fellow Dispatcher and former friend is apparently kidnapped, Tony learns that there are some things that are worse than death, and that some people are ready to do almost anything to avenge 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."

Followed by a John Scalzi novella, with the typical bad cover art of Subterranean Press.

I breezed through this wonderful novella by John Scalzi! The concept was thought provoking and left me wanting more so I really hope he revisits this world again in the future!

My review is at http://www.sfrevu.com/php/Review-id.php?id=17151

I received an eARC of this title from the publisher thought NetGalley, in exchange for an honest revew.

I loved this! Scalzi never disappoints. This story is perfect as a novella, just the right length to tell a complete story without dragging on too long. That said, there needs to be a novel or series set in this universe/reality. I would be all over that...

I won't say much of the details, as discovering them is much of the fun. Let's just say it's different than other Scalzi books as far as setting and background, but that it has his trademark snark, humor, drama, and great dialogue.

Published by Subterranean Press on May 31, 2017

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 to everyone.

It is such a mystery, in fact, that its defiance of reason 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 missing 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.

Note: I review without regard to price because prices fluctuate and books can often be purchased at a reduced price as remainders or from stores that sell used books. They can also be borrowed from libraries or friends. The Dispatcher is available in a "deluxe" hardcover edition that, at the time of this review, is selling on Amazon for about $24. That's a lot of money for a 128 page book, but it may be sufficiently deluxe to appeal to collectors and fantatic Scalzi fans. The Kindle edition, on the other hand, is $5.99 at this writing. I have only seen the text (which doesn't seem like it would easily fill 128 pages) in an ePub review copy, and I cannot comment upon what makes the hardcover edition "deluxe."

RECOMMENDED

Do you know what, weirdly, I quite liked it! I found it a bit difficult to get into the flow of the book but, I got to quite like Valdez and got on with enjoying the writing. Short and a bit quirky

Dicen que lo bueno, si breve, dos veces bueno. Para defender esta teoría, que tendrá también sus detractores, llega John Scalzi con una historia que se lee de un tirón, adictiva y muy bien planteada.

La premisa de partida es muy original. De repente las víctimas de asesinatos comienzan a “resucitar” en su casa tras su deceso. Al principio esto causa mucha confusión en el mundo, pero luego se ve como una oportunidad para enmendar errores. Si alguien se ve envuelto en un accidente y se teme por su vida, se le mata directamente y aparecerá en su casa incólume. Alrededor se crea una figura nueva llamada dispatcher, que se encarga de este tipo de casos, generalmente contratados por aseguradoras. O de otro tipo de asuntos, en una zona más gris moralmente hablando.

La propia brevedad de la que hace gala The Dispatcher hace que no se entretenga mucho ni explicaciones ni en examinar a fondo las consecuencias.Se trata de una trama detectivesca de investigación de una desaparación, pero mientras otras obras solo añaden una ambientación de ciencia ficción, Scalzi consigue que el novum sea una parte consustancial de la trama.

El estilo de escritura es tremendamente directo, basado sobre todo en diálogos que rozan peligrosamente el infodump pero sin llegar a caer en él. Por esta misma abundancia de conversaciones, la trama avanza a muy buen ritmo. También se nota un cierto toque noir que le viene a la historia como anillo al dedo, cuando se explica hipotéticamente que otras aplicaciones podría tener la figura del dispatcher.

En resumen, The Dispatcher es una muestra perfecta de las virtudes de Scalzi como escritor. Imaginación, brevedad y entretenimiento. No te la puedes perder.

Existe una versión en audio que se pudo descargar de forma gratuita durante un tiempo. Esta versión está narrada por Zachary Quinto y puede ser una muy buena opción para adentrarte en el mundo de los audiolibros. La dicción es clara y el relato no es excesivamente enrevesado como para no entenderlo. Si te defiendes con el inglés oído, no dejes de intentarlo

Excellent premise, love the protagonist, was sad to discover this was only a short story. I hate to write too much of a summary here as it would give too much of the story away. If you can get a copy, give it a chance, it's a really fun read that's over too soon.

There are few books by Mr. Scalzi that I haven't read, and loved. This is no exception. The premise is unique in a way not often found in fiction these days, and the characters are brilliantly drawn. I always love the fast pace of Scalzi's novels as well, and this one doesn't disappoint in that area either. I gobbled it up, and now must wait impatiently for the next release. I suggest you not pass this one up; it comes highly recommended!

This is a really fun detective story with a difference from the wonderful John Scalzi. It tells the tale of Valdez, a dispatcher who is on hand to kill people when required, given that in this world, murder victims usually come back to life. The book consists mainly of conversations between characters which serve to forward the plot. As such, the quality of the dialogue is pretty important and Scalzi doesn't disappoint. It is witty and fast paced, irreverent and intelligent and he manages to pack a lot of interesting theological and philosophical discussion about death and the value of a life into just over 100 pages. Very good fun - pretty light in places, so it won't melt anyone's brain, but definitely an enjoyable read.

This is a strange little story; part mystery and part science fiction. It seems that if you are murdered you come back to life but it you die of natural causes you do not. So if you are near death the Dispatcher kills you so you can come back. The mystery - a Dispatcher has gone missing and the police and another Dispatcher are trying to find him. While I enjoyed the story it really did not have much meat to it. I did not think the premise did not make a lot of sense.

John Scalzi has really struck gold with his new urban fantasy novella, The Dispatcher. This tale a fast-paced, easily digested murder mystery, which is tightly constructed, amazingly simple yet immensely thought provoking. Simply put, this is one damn good read.

Set in the near future, the world is basically identical to our own – except it is impossible to kill anyone. Yes, you can die by natural causes, accident, or suicide, but no one can kill you. Murder is practically impossible, as in you have better odds of being hit by lightning and dying than being killed by a murderer. And no one knows how or why this change in the natural order has taken place. Some believe it is a sign from God. Others point to more fantastical cause, while the rational develop scientific explanations. But what everyone agrees on is that the whole world is now transforming!

Think on the consequences of this single change to death. How do people now fight wars? Is crime of a deadly nature even a threat anymore? How does the death penalty work? Does God really exist? And, more importantly to the governments of the world, how can this phenomenon be controlled?

Well, the answer to the last question are the Dispatchers. These duly trained and licensed government killers monitored, watched, and assigned job duties. Our main character, Tony Valdez, one of them, and he generally works hospitals, always on hand if an ER patient is about to die or an operation goes horribly wrong. In those situations, Tony will put a payload (bullet) in the patients brain so that they do not die a natural death but are murdered; this resulting in their reappearance at their home without any injuries; their life saved. Tony himself feeling no guilt at the “murder”he has committed since no one dies but come back to life. In a strange way, Tony feels he is almost acting as people’s guardian angel.

But there is always a dark side to everything. Even this amazing and seemingly benevolent banishment of murder perverted into something dark and twisted. Some dispatchers selling their services to crime lords, fight clubs, and even less savory enterprises. Others working illegal, unmonitored jobs as the dispatcher for people in dangerous jobs who might prefer to be murdered rather than be disfigured or have life changing injuries.

But Tony isn’t much impacted by the shady side of things until one day when a detective shows up. This investigator announces that one of Tony’s old friends has disappeared, and she believes that he might have been caught up in the dark underbelly of the dispatchers,. And, quickly, tony finds himself coerced into a thrilling murder mystery, where even he might not be completely safe!

Without a doubt, John Scalzi is at his writing best with this novella. The pacing is near perfect, sped along by the constant dialogue and thrilling reveals, even as the usual Scalzi humor adds a bit of levity to the serious tone. And the concept is extraordinary, complex, and develops into a believable reality, where the characters discuss the miraculous in terms of societal, philosophical and religious impact without ever coming across as preachy. This mixture of urban fantasy, scifi, and crime noire elements really a delectable brew.

To sum up, I highly recommend this novella to everyone. It is great fun to read and has loads of potential to become a full blown series for Scalzi. Plus, at 136 pages, The Dispatcher is the perfect length for a read during lunch or during a long commute home. Give it a try. I think you will enjoy it.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. I’d like to thank them for allowing me to receive this review copy and inform everyone that the review you have read is my opinion alone.

An interesting, "different" Urban Fantasy. Short in length at just shy of 140 pages, it mainly stands as a paranormally-touched novel with a noirish detective vibe. The main character may not be a cop, but he gets involved with an actual detective to help solve the mystery of where he old friend and co-worker has disappeared to. The noir vibe comes from the gritty dialogue exchanges when interrogating suspects and following leads. Throw in big crime bosses and secret cover-ups, and this comes across more mystery than fantasy.

As to the fantasy aspect, the world-building is certainly different. If you get murdered, you come back to life. Other causes of death - natural, aging, suicide, accidents, etc. - will leave you dead. The world doesn't know why or how it works, it just knows it does, so there are certain trained individuals called 'dispatchers' who treat it as a job. They frequently make their rounds at the hospital, with state licenses, to wait for failed surgeries or accidental victims to be willed in. If they know the patient is dying, they kill them first in a particular way, thus changing the cause of death to murder and giving the patient a chance at life again.

It sounds a little silly but there's complexities involved and it comes across pretty cool. The bulk of the story is spent explaining loopholes and pretty much everything you could wonder about this ability. Religion, morals, history, you name it. Written in a dialogue heavy style, the book keeps that intriguing exchange going strong to cause the pages to keep flying by. Not only is the book short, but the writing style makes it pass by even quicker.

If you're in the mood for something very different and well-written, but that won't take up a lot of time, try this one on for size. An honest review has been written after receiving from netgalley

*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*

The nitty-gritty: An awesome sci-fi concept with limitless possibilities, with plenty of action and emotion to make this a novella you won’t want to miss.

“I know what side of the street I like better. But you don’t always get to choose the side of the street you walk on.” ~ Tony Valdez

This may be a science fiction tale with a really cool concept—when someone is murdered, their body disappears (poof!) and pops up later in their home, naked and fully alive and unharmed—but the above quote is what this story is really about. Scalzi has written a thoroughly entertaining and thought-provoking novella that explores ideas like loyalty, revenge, and the moral implications of being able to commit murder without consequences. I’ve been in the mood for shorter fiction lately—having the attention span of a gnat these days, what with all the stuff going on in my life—so Scalzi’s latest was just what I needed.

Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher, a professional who is hired to kill people. But he’s not your traditional hit man. You see, about ten years ago or so, it was discovered that murdering someone resulted in that person coming back to life. If they died of an accident, illness, natural causes or suicide, the person would stay dead. But murder? Not so much. This has led to guys like Tony being hired to keep watch over, for example, patients undergoing tricky surgeries who may not make it. If it looks like the surgery is about to go south, Tony steps in, delivers a fatal “payload” to the patient, and a few seconds later, the patient winds up back in his own home, alive and well. Tony makes a good living at dispatching, even though he occasionally grapples with the moral aspects of what he’s doing.

But one day, a fellow Dispatcher named Jimmy turns up missing, and Tony is asked by the detective in charge to aid in the investigation. Their twisty journey to discover the truth about Jimmy leads them to some unexpected people and places, where not everyone plays by the rules.

Although I’m calling this “science fiction,” what I loved about this story is that Scalzi completely skips over the reasons for why people come back after they’re murdered, and it actually didn’t bother me at all. No one really knows why this happens, they just accept it at face value. It was refreshing to read a story that doesn’t need to delve into a bunch of scientific jargon in order to explain something strange. It is what it is, that’s Scalzi’s approach, and it worked for me.

What he does take time to explain, however, are all the social and emotional ramifications of being able to murder someone without consequences. Tony makes big bucks as a Dispatcher, and he’s convinced himself that he’s actually helping people by murdering them. And as commonplace as Dispatchers are, people are still freaked out by the whole experience, and many don’t even like Dispatchers. When I found out what happened to Jimmy, and the events leading up to his disappearance, I was surprised at the emotional impact it had on me. Scalzi does a great job of layering his story so that those emotions come out of nowhere. It’s one reason I keep going back to his books.

There are some shocking moments in The Dispatcher as well as emotional ones, I was happy to discover. Because who doesn’t love being shocked?? There is one particularly delightful scene with an elevator shaft that…well, you’re just going to have to read the book for yourself. After you have, we can both cackle with glee over how brilliant it was!

The book has illustrations by Vincent Chong scattered throughout—even my eARC had them, and I thought they were a wonderful addition to the story. I’m tempted to buy a hardcover so I can look at them more closely. You can check out the illustrations on Chong's website here.

And I can’t end this review without saying that this would make a fantastic TV series! It’s got a great hook and a compelling main character, and I can imagine all sorts of places this story could go.

If you’re in the mood for a science fiction mystery full of twists, one with a gut-punch of emotion at the end, then you’re going to want to pick up The Dispatcher.

Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.

Take the idea that something happens in the world and if you are murdered there is 1 in a thousand chance that you would die but the rest of the time you would show back up in your own home naked and alive. Society changes in big and little ways from it. Dispatchers now sit in on surgeries and if things go bad they can “dispatch” you and send you home several hours in your past fully whole most of the time. Dueling and fight clubs are one of the gray areas that people have come up with from this. Rich people use them as a sort of insurance policy since you can die from accidents but being murdered can erase what damage an accident has caused.

The story revolves around the disappearance of a dispatcher and some of the things that people do with this new development in the future. A good interesting read and I wouldn’t mind seeing more stories poking at the problems this helpful occurrence has caused.