The enigmatic title to John Scalzi’s latest episode in The Human Division loses all its enigma in spectacular fashion as he returns readers with a vengeance to the characters introduced in Episode 1. If you could have been inside my head, dear readers, as I absorbed “We Only Need the Heads” this morning you would have heard the word “Damn!” drawn out with genuine incredulity time and time again. Daaaamn, John Scalzi! Do I have to wait an entire week to get the next episode?!?!
Daaaamn.
(Possible spoilers from here on in)
Ambassador Abumwe is abruptly dispatched to conduct negotiations with the Bulu after the assigned diplomat was sidelined due to a burst appendix. Along with her new assignment she was informed that a wildcat colony illegally located on a remote Bula planet had sent out a coded distress call to the Colonial Defense Force. Harry Wilson has been temporarily reassigned to the warship Tubingen as they attempt to rescue the wildcat colony while leaving the Bulu unaware. From the beginning Ambassador Abumwe can sense that the negotiations are off somehow; things appear to be going much more smoothly than was expected. And when Harry Wilson discovers what is awaiting him on the planet’s surface, negotiations get very interesting indeed.
John Scalzi gave us an exciting opening chapter mystery, followed it up with an unconventional dialogue-only episode laden with hints at things to come, and followed that up with an offering so intense that I suspect he is sitting at his desk right now with a self-satisfied grin on his face, giggling maniacally and saying “You think that was something, just you wait, just you wait….”
If only I could get this kind of value out of every dollar I spend.
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My non-spoiler reviews of previous episodes:
*crickets*
It is kind of hard to think that many people would have anything to say about what is essentially the third chapter of a book, even though a TON of people are reading it.
Fun that it is getting so much traffic though.
Ohh, I didn’t realize what this was. I’m just used to your posts getting hammered with comments.
Such a great idea, torture-some as it is!
It is a lot of fun. I look forward to Tuesdays now.
Hey no plot spoilers! SOME of us are waiting until May for the book.
Sorry, didn’t consider anything in the post a spoiler. I’ll add a warning.
That was pretty much my reaction, too. More tension and complication! Yay!
I know, wasn’t it great? I enjoyed last week’s episode but it didn’t have the same sense of drama that #1 and #3 have had. Reading #2 as a chapter in a full book would have given it a more immediate impact I think but it didn’t work as well as a stand alone story as these other two have.
Wow. I think I like John Scalzi. I probably would not have read his stuff but for the 99c chapters. I have too much on my reading list you see. I’ve now bought the next few and preordered the rest. Clever writing, great characters and such intrigue.
To quote you Carl. Daaaamn.
Now I’m hooked.
So glad to hear it Ian. You definitely need to pick up a copy of Old Man’s War then (and of course the sequels, but don’t want to overwhelm you with that).