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The Dispatcher Kindle Edition

by John Scalzi (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 4,008 ratings
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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.
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Dispatcher
  2. Print length
    98 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    April 20, 2017
  6. File size
    14083 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Award-winning sci-fi author Scalzi presents another gripping, thought-provoking tale, set in a world much like ours, where life and death have been turned inside out. Those who die of natural causes remain dead, but those killed by another person are resurrected within minutes, in bed, naked and confused, with the last eight to 40 hours of trauma erased. Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher, licensed, bonded, insured, and psychoanalyzed by the Agency to humanely kill people who are at immediate risk of death. When the police coerce Valdez into helping them find a missing Dispatcher, it becomes apparent that Valdez does not always play by the rules. The story deftly explores the ambiguous morality of dispatching, its use and abuse, and its effects on those dispatched. Valdez is an appealing antihero—smart, maybe too smart, and laconic. Teens will devour this slim, riveting novella in a single sitting. VERDICT For sci-fi lovers, especially those who appreciate books that pose moral and ethical questions, such as Neal Shusterman's Unwind and Scythe or Suzanne Collins's "Hunger Games" series.—Gretchen Crowley, formerly at Alexandria City Public Library, VA

From the Inside Flap

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.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B06XZ41MYR
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Subterranean Press (April 20, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 20, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 14083 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 98 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 4,008 ratings

About the author

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John Scalzi

John Scalzi

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John Scalzi writes books, which, considering where you're reading this, makes perfect sense. He's best known for writing science fiction, including the New York Times bestseller "Redshirts," which won the Hugo Award for Best Novel. He also writes non-fiction, on subjects ranging from personal finance to astronomy to film, was the Creative Consultant for the Stargate: Universe television series. He enjoys pie, as should all right thinking people. You can get to his blog by typing the word "Whatever" into Google. No, seriously, try it.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
4,008 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

mipiacedeltutto
5.0 out of 5 stars Quick fun read
Reviewed in the United States on March 4, 2024
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The story moves along quickly. It is a short one. The characters are fun to get to know even if the length of book doesn't allow for a lot of dimension.
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Josh Mauthe
4.0 out of 5 stars Light, pulpy little story whose fun comes from its willingness to play with interesting ideas
Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2019
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John Scalzi's The Dispatcher is undeniably a light, pulpy little story, and its weight is appropriate enough, given the novella's origins as a 2-hour audiobook before being released in print. Essentially a quick little detective story with an unusual sci-fi conceit, The Dispatcher is a fast read, and one that's pretty plot-heavy (again, appropriately so, given the genre). Nonetheless, the conceit here is so interesting, and Scalzi's spitballing of ideas and moral questions so engaging, that it'll give you more to chew on than you might expect - it just won't stick with you that long.

That hook, though, is a great one. In Scalzi's near-future, people have almost entirely stopped being murdered. Oh, people still die - there are suicides, disasters, and natural causes - but for some reason, murdering someone causes them to vanish and reappear back in their home, just as if they never died. And thus arises the job of a "dispatcher" - a person whose job it is to work alongside medical professionals and kill patients who are about to die of a botched surgery, or a bad treatment, or of untreated wounds - and give everyone involved a second chance.

That's a neat idea, and Scalzi plays with it in wonderful ways, giving you a story that, at its best, can remind you of the way that Philip K. Dick would take simple ideas and run with them in interesting, strange ways. Scalzi follows the idea through crime empires and into rich college students, from insurance companies to police investigations, and takes even more time to let his characters bat around the complex questions that might arise from such an idea - the nature of god, the shifting nature of morality, and so forth. Even better, the story's short length means that Scalzi never feels the need to dive into why it's all happening, which makes the whole thing work all the more - does it even matter why it happens, or just that it does?

That all being said, at its core, The Dispatcher is intentionally light genre fare - it's a detective story, but one with a loose enough framework that Scalzi can play around in the margins of his world, all while still telling the tale of a missing dispatcher. And by the end of it all, you may definitely come away with the sense that this is just the author batting around ideas without much substance underneath - the equivalent of two a.m. college philosophy sessions while passing around a joint. And while that's not entirely unfair, it definitely sells short the pleasures of Scalzi's writing, or his ability to build this world in such a brief time. No, The Dispatcher doesn't do anything revolutionary; it just takes a single idea and looks at how it might change the world around it. But sometimes, that's what satisfying sci-fi is made of.
13 people found this helpful
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Bennetheclone
5.0 out of 5 stars Quick, entertaining read
Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2024
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Fun story, great concepts, fascinating situation.

This review requires 14 more words. I like this author's work and would recommend.
One person found this helpful
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Pan's Oak
4.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing premise, well written
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2018
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I've read and enjoyed several of John Scalzi's books. This one is quite short. It starts with the premise that somehow anyone who is murdered comes back to life. That's the only leap of faith - everything else is how people would adapt to that. It's more hard science fiction than fantasy, with a touch of a detective novel. I don't want to give details, because the twists and turns shouldn't be spoiled. I gave it four stars because it's not the best Scalzi I've read, but it's still an excellent book.
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M Quinaquin Smith
3.0 out of 5 stars Barely a novel
Reviewed in the United States on February 29, 2024
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John Scalzi has a great writing style and his stories are fast paced and fun to read, it's true! But. This is the fourth new(er) Scalzi book I've purchased that's at or under a hundred pages. I guess financially that's good for the author, but these short booklets don't work for me; I'd need almost four of these to equal one real novel from most of the other authors I read in this genre. Since quickies aren't my thing, I guess I'll be taking him off of my buy list.
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S. Smythe
5.0 out of 5 stars Great story, interesting premise
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2024
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The world reality is subtle in this story. Everything is the same but this one thing. A great what if story. I really appreciate the well crafted consequences of the characters. A really good think kinda book. Well done.
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Max Flex
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliance
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2017
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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!
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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bwihighheels
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating concept
Reviewed in Canada on May 19, 2019
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Death is different - sometimes, it's not permanent, and that's had a profound impact on our world. This short story is a fascinating look at one man and his place in this new world. I don't know how well a full-length novel would work but this short story is perfect.
One person found this helpful
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John Nichols
5.0 out of 5 stars Die another day
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 18, 2020
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Written with Scalzi's unique style of characterisation and quirky sense of humour. For some, unexplained, reason murder victims are reborn. The body vanishes and they usually pop up naked back at their home. The dispatchers are professional "murderers" who dispatch terminally ill or mortally wounded subjects so that they can be reborn. Then there's a mystery disappearance of a dispatcher..... There's an abiding memory of a detective eating hot dogs with a dispatcher as they brainstorm the disappearance mystery - very John Scalzi.
One person found this helpful
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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Muito bom
Reviewed in Brazil on June 27, 2018
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Livro que mantém mesma qualidade de Old Man's War, contudo tem uma história mais estilo detetive. Único problema é que não tem mais volumes.
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EWB
5.0 out of 5 stars New idea, rather short, worth reading
Reviewed in Germany on June 11, 2017
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I realy liked the book.
It read like an introduction to a series. It introduces the new topfit nicely and keeps the suspence to the end, however ohne would have expected a little "more".
A clear recomendation and a nice read.
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent Novella
Reviewed in Australia on May 29, 2017
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A fun original short story. An ideal choice for enjoying 1 - 2 hours of needing to read through to the conclusion. My only regret is that it was only a short story, sadly all good things tend to end too soon.
Highly recommended.
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