THE DISPATCHER: TRAVEL BY BULLET - John Scalzi


 John Scalzi's Dispatcher series is a fun, fast-paced, pulp-style scifi adventure series.  The basic premise is that sometime, not too long ago, something happened (no one knows what or why - that's not important) so that 99.9% of the people who are murdered come back to life, naked, in the place they feel most comfortable (typically a bedroom at home, but certainly not always).

This has given rise to the legitimate profession of 'dispatching' wherein someone facing an untimely death (such as a medical procedure or an accident) can be dispatched (ie: murdered) and their life is reset. Our series protagonist is Tony Valdez, a 'dispatcher' who works closely with the police.

Now, with the pandemic in full swing, Tony is working quite regularly at a local hospital, dispatching patients who are likely to succumb to the COVID virus (only after carefully explaining the potential  downsides to the individual and their families) with the hopes that they would be reset without the virus. His work is extremely busy.

He gets called away by one of the only people for whom he would leave his work - a fellow Dispatcher who's asked for his help. Not surprisingly, some have found a way to use the dispatching concept to scheme, steal, and smuggle everything from cash to cryptocurrency and now Tony's caught up in it.

Aside from the concept, which I really like, I greatly appreciate the pulp scifi/noir feel to this series. Tony Valdez is really a different kind of protagonist.  He's a killer ... a legally sanctioned killer. But killing people, even if they should come back to life (and whether they do or don't is not obvious to Tony), can take an emotional toll, which is why a request for help from a fellow Dispatcher is taken seriously.

Don't look for a lot of character development. Valdez is the most fleshed-out character here and even with that we're getting a character who is pretty much the embodiment of all of Scalzi's leading men. The rest of the people appearing in this book...?  They aren't going to stand out - they're there to help bring home the story and not much else.

Considering the killing and mob-like actions, this is actually some pretty light reading. It is pulp fiction, after all - fast-paced, wise-talking protagonist who gets the upper hand over some not-so-bright bad guys.  Sometimes that's just the kind of book you need, and Scalzi delivers it well.

Looking for a good book? The Dispatcher: Travel by Bullet is a short, fast scifi pulp mystery by John Scalzi.  Great for a weekend get-away read (but get-away by car, bus, train, or plane and not by bullet, please).

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

* * * * * *

Travel by Bullet

author: John Scalzi

series: The Dispatcher #3

publisher: Subterranean Press

ISBN: 9781645240815

hardcover, 224 pages

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