Series
Publication
Audible Originals (2016)
Original publication date
2016-10-04
Collections
Awards
Audie Award (Finalist — Science Fiction — 2017)
Locus Award (Finalist — Novella — 2017)
Description
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.--Jacket flap.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Narilka
What would happen if murder could no longer be committed? What would that do to society? Sometime in the near future anyone who has been murdered reappears in their home, stark naked and very much alive. This is the setting for John Scalzi's novella The Dispatcher.
Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher, a
This is such a cool concept! Written in Scalzi's accessible style, the story follows Valdez as he helps a detective solve the missing person's case. The story twists and turns, exploring a few facets of just how people are able to exploit this phenomenon both for the betterment of society and from the criminal side. While there are not enough pages for the themes to be explored too deeply, nor are the characters very fleshed out, it made for an intriguing read.
Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher, a
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licensed professional who humanely kills people when things go wrong so they can have a second chance to get things right. It's just another night at work when Valdez takes a job at a hospital for another Dispatcher who had a personal issue to take care of. That is until the other Dispatcher goes missing and suddenly Valdez finds himself in the middle of a missing persons investigation. This is such a cool concept! Written in Scalzi's accessible style, the story follows Valdez as he helps a detective solve the missing person's case. The story twists and turns, exploring a few facets of just how people are able to exploit this phenomenon both for the betterment of society and from the criminal side. While there are not enough pages for the themes to be explored too deeply, nor are the characters very fleshed out, it made for an intriguing read.
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LibraryThing member ViragoReads
This was an odd one, but not in a bad way. Zachary Quinto narrated this (almost) chilling tale about death by murder not being permanent. Somehow someone stumbled upon this fact. Death by suicide, accident, natural causes are normal deaths. If a person is murdered, 99% of the time their murdered
So of course with this new twist on death there comes a revenue stream and a new occupation. Dispatchers are basically licensed murderers. They work with the government and insurance companies. Dispatching a person who is in a surgery gone wrong saves the hospital and insurance company tons of money because the person is "dispatched" by a appointed dispatcher and they materialize back at home (in most cases) in the state they were in some hours prior to surgery. They still need the surgery, but now they have the added bonus of knowing what went wrong the first time and not making the same mistake twice.
So of course there is a private sector for rich people. And of course there always the chance of something going wrong, which happens in this tale. A dispatch goes wrong and then the dispatcher mysteriously goes missing. Now it's up to a fellow dispatcher and police officer to find out what happened and save the missing person before they die for real.
This was hella creepy and Quinto did a good job telling Scalzi's story.
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body disintegrates and they materialize in the place they are safest/happiest, e.g. home.So of course with this new twist on death there comes a revenue stream and a new occupation. Dispatchers are basically licensed murderers. They work with the government and insurance companies. Dispatching a person who is in a surgery gone wrong saves the hospital and insurance company tons of money because the person is "dispatched" by a appointed dispatcher and they materialize back at home (in most cases) in the state they were in some hours prior to surgery. They still need the surgery, but now they have the added bonus of knowing what went wrong the first time and not making the same mistake twice.
So of course there is a private sector for rich people. And of course there always the chance of something going wrong, which happens in this tale. A dispatch goes wrong and then the dispatcher mysteriously goes missing. Now it's up to a fellow dispatcher and police officer to find out what happened and save the missing person before they die for real.
This was hella creepy and Quinto did a good job telling Scalzi's story.
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LibraryThing member rivkat
Novella (narrated in audiobook by Zachary Quinto) about a man whose job involves killing people who might otherwise die accidentally, in a world where anyone who is deliberately killed is almost always (999/1000) resurrected at home, free of whatever injuries took place shortly before death. Death
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by natural causes or suicide does not lead to resurrection. The protagonist is brought along on an investigation of the disappearance of another dispatcher who may have been involved in shady dealings. There’s some exploration of the implications, but not nearly enough for me—it’s a relatively short story. For example, people are resurrected in a place they feel safe, usually home. But what about, say, abused kids? Would there be a whole new CPS model for investigation? How would abusers react to the fact that escalating to killing is almost risk-free? Show Less
LibraryThing member busyreadin
An excellent futuristic medical mystery. Zachary Quinto is a great narrator.
LibraryThing member bluesalamanders
About ten years ago, murder victims suddenly stopped dying. People still die in accidents, or of natural causes, or of suicides, but murder victims vanish and reappear in their homes. Suddenly there is a new job out there: the Dispatcher, who kills people before they die, so they’ll come back to
Weirdly really liked this. It's definitely way better (in my opinion) than Scalzi's previous attempt at fantasy, which I didn't like at all.
Content warning: Obviously contains a lot of death (a LOT of death), including accidents, suicides, and murders.
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life.Weirdly really liked this. It's definitely way better (in my opinion) than Scalzi's previous attempt at fantasy, which I didn't like at all.
Content warning: Obviously contains a lot of death (a LOT of death), including accidents, suicides, and murders.
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LibraryThing member Tanya-dogearedcopy
Taking place in the near future, “a time of miracles and wonders,” the murdered are inexplicably returned to life – safe, healed (and naked!) in their homes. Dispatchers are those that expedite certain death; and Tony Valdez is a dispatcher who has been brought in on a case involving the
Instantly compelling, Quinto’s performance is fantastic – handling voice characterizations of both sexes and different ethnicities with fluency and seeming facility. Character delineations are clear so there is no ambiguity during dialogues as to whom is speaking.
This is an audio-first story produced under the auspices of Audible Studios. Though a print edition of this novella will be available in May of 2017, at the time of this writing, there do not appear to be any plans for expanding the Dispatcher concept. Too bad, as it certainly whets the appetite for more!
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disappearance of a co-worker.Instantly compelling, Quinto’s performance is fantastic – handling voice characterizations of both sexes and different ethnicities with fluency and seeming facility. Character delineations are clear so there is no ambiguity during dialogues as to whom is speaking.
This is an audio-first story produced under the auspices of Audible Studios. Though a print edition of this novella will be available in May of 2017, at the time of this writing, there do not appear to be any plans for expanding the Dispatcher concept. Too bad, as it certainly whets the appetite for more!
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LibraryThing member mamzel
A relatively short offering by an author who seems to enjoy posing difficult questions. In this case, humanity has been changed by the fact that victims of murder are instantly reborn, buck naked, in their homes. This fact is used to protect people from accidental death, such as accidents in
I have come to appreciate Scalzi's twists on things.
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surgery, by placing someone called a dispatcher on site. If things look like they will go bad, the dispatcher steps in and "dispatches" the patient who is then transported alive, in pre-surgery condition, in his/her home bed. As can be expected, dispatchers are being asked to perform their service for other than legitimate reasons. One dispatcher, a friend of our hero, has disappeared, and he has been asked to assist the investigator in the search.I have come to appreciate Scalzi's twists on things.
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LibraryThing member wjohnston
Slim novella with an interesting premise (999 times out of a thousand, people who are murdered come back to life) that doesn't quite come together for me at the end. Scalzi touches on some intriguing possibilities and I'm curious if he'll revisit this. A good diversion if you like his work and have
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a couple hours to kill. Show Less
LibraryThing member alanteder
Ridiculous fantasy crime fiction which must have been inspired by the failed 2014 TV series "Forever" whose main character re-spawned every time he died. The added spin in "The Dispatcher" is that everyone re-spawns, but only if they're murdered?! i.e. if you die a natural death you are gone
I listened to the Audible Audio edition which was a free offering at one time and now occasionally appears as a 0.99 cent Daily Deal. The reading by actor Zachary Quinto was excellent but it didn't make the scenario any more plausible.
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forever. This actually creates a legal job for hitmen called dispatchers who are called upon to commit a coup de grace in all sorts of situations where someone is otherwise going to die naturally. Yes, it is as absurd as it sounds. I listened to the Audible Audio edition which was a free offering at one time and now occasionally appears as a 0.99 cent Daily Deal. The reading by actor Zachary Quinto was excellent but it didn't make the scenario any more plausible.
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LibraryThing member bcrowl399
I barely started this book and didn't go forward with it because the whole premise was very disturbing; a person who watches surgeries and dispatches patients when they die through some horrible mechanism. I didn't want to know any more about this SF story.
LibraryThing member Pepperwings
Man, Scalzi keeps bringing new ideas to the fore (or at least, a new spin on the ideas).
Dispatchers are trained assassins--except, they aren't actually supposed to "kill" someone to keep them dead, they kill them to give them a better chance at living. Through a twist of fate, people who are
That alone is a weird premise, and I wanted to know more about that, but the story isn't about that. We find a Dispatcher is missing, and it isn't at all clear what happened, or why. We tag along as an investigator questions a Dispatcher who knows the man who went missing, and things start to get more complicated from there.
Dispatchers are trained assassins--except, they aren't actually supposed to "kill" someone to keep them dead, they kill them to give them a better chance at living. Through a twist of fate, people who are
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murdered in this universe, will find themselves back at home in bed the next day, inexplicably alive, and naked. That alone is a weird premise, and I wanted to know more about that, but the story isn't about that. We find a Dispatcher is missing, and it isn't at all clear what happened, or why. We tag along as an investigator questions a Dispatcher who knows the man who went missing, and things start to get more complicated from there.
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LibraryThing member LisCarey
One day, the world changed, in a simple but far-reaching way. It's now nearly impossible to intentionally kill anyone.
If you kill yourself, you're dead. If you die in an accident, or of natural causes, you're dead. Butif someone intentionally kills you, 999 out of a thousand, you come back. You
Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher, a licensed, bonded professional whose job is to humanely dispatch someone in immediate danger of death so that they have (999 times out of 1,000) a second chance at beating the cause of death. Dispatchers are, for instance, required to be present for all surgical operations by both the patient's and the hospital's insurance.
But dispatchers can also take private jobs, some more legitimate than others. Tony doesn't like the "unofficial" work and doesn't do it.. He only does "official" jobs and some very select, wholly above-board private jobs now. An old friend of his, though, continued doing private jobs routinely--and has now disappeared.
The police are looking for him. The missing friend's wife blames Tony. A rich, powerful old man who was the missing man's last client before he disappeared asks Tony whether it has ever happened that a dispatcher has "failed," i.e., had the dispatched person not return twice in succession.
And a mobster who has supposedly gone legit has a lot of questions about Tony's interest in the case.
I really like Tony, even though it gradually becomes clear he hasn't been entirely honest with us. The police detective on the case is also quite likable, though she and Tony find each other a pain in the posterior.
Recommended.
I got this on Audible while it was being offered free.
If you kill yourself, you're dead. If you die in an accident, or of natural causes, you're dead. Butif someone intentionally kills you, 999 out of a thousand, you come back. You
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wake up alive, naked, and in what you consider a safe place.Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher, a licensed, bonded professional whose job is to humanely dispatch someone in immediate danger of death so that they have (999 times out of 1,000) a second chance at beating the cause of death. Dispatchers are, for instance, required to be present for all surgical operations by both the patient's and the hospital's insurance.
But dispatchers can also take private jobs, some more legitimate than others. Tony doesn't like the "unofficial" work and doesn't do it.. He only does "official" jobs and some very select, wholly above-board private jobs now. An old friend of his, though, continued doing private jobs routinely--and has now disappeared.
The police are looking for him. The missing friend's wife blames Tony. A rich, powerful old man who was the missing man's last client before he disappeared asks Tony whether it has ever happened that a dispatcher has "failed," i.e., had the dispatched person not return twice in succession.
And a mobster who has supposedly gone legit has a lot of questions about Tony's interest in the case.
I really like Tony, even though it gradually becomes clear he hasn't been entirely honest with us. The police detective on the case is also quite likable, though she and Tony find each other a pain in the posterior.
Recommended.
I got this on Audible while it was being offered free.
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LibraryThing member nkmunn
Scalzi's "what if" speculative premise is contrived and a bit flimsy but makes for a great sort read nonetheless - his dialogue between characters is entertaining yet effortless to read and propels his stories - i always enjoy it .
But, what is it with Chicago settings that enables characters to
But, what is it with Chicago settings that enables characters to
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move about so (think sort of time traveler's wife abridged and noir sort of scene hopping) Show Less
LibraryThing member theWallflower
This is a high concept short story based around one of those clever and fascinating ideas that doesn’t hold water if you think about it for a minute”. But the idea–and the plot lines it creates–are good enough to keep reading. Especially since it’s short.
Essentially, non-accidental death
So if you are murdered, you get to come back none the worse for wear. That means if you’re, say, having a heart attack or got hit by a car, this rule becomes a convenient “get out of death free” card. That’s where the Dispatcher comes in. These guys get paid to murder you before a natural death would occur. Like reloading a quicksave.
So yeah, you see how there’s plenty of story ideas in this kind of world, especially ones in the noir vein. But also a lot of headscratchers (I wonder how the Darwin Awards are affected). Nonetheless, I think this is one of the better Scalzi short fictions (up there with Muse of Fire). Note that it originally existed as audio so, yes, it’s dialogue-heavy. Like the latter Old Man’s War books and not like the more recent Interdependency series. It’s a great story, but it’s tight. So if you like plots, you’re set. If you want to know more about the world than the characters in it, you’ll be disappointed.
Essentially, non-accidental death
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no longer applies. No one knows why or how, but if you are intentionally killed by someone, you wake up back in your bed in same condition you were in a few hours ago. There are loopholes around the rule (e.g. locking someone in a room until they starve to death counts as natural). But for the most part, you can’t be murdered anymore. (Natural and no-fault deaths still occur so the world doesn’t get over-populated. People still die of cancer and choking and heart attacks and car accidents.)So if you are murdered, you get to come back none the worse for wear. That means if you’re, say, having a heart attack or got hit by a car, this rule becomes a convenient “get out of death free” card. That’s where the Dispatcher comes in. These guys get paid to murder you before a natural death would occur. Like reloading a quicksave.
So yeah, you see how there’s plenty of story ideas in this kind of world, especially ones in the noir vein. But also a lot of headscratchers (I wonder how the Darwin Awards are affected). Nonetheless, I think this is one of the better Scalzi short fictions (up there with Muse of Fire). Note that it originally existed as audio so, yes, it’s dialogue-heavy. Like the latter Old Man’s War books and not like the more recent Interdependency series. It’s a great story, but it’s tight. So if you like plots, you’re set. If you want to know more about the world than the characters in it, you’ll be disappointed.
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LibraryThing member krau0098
I got this free as part of the Audible Originals included in my Audible membership. This was a well done investigative story with some interesting twists. I really enjoyed the concept behind this story; it was engaging and well done.
I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator did a great job.
In this world is a person is killed by someone else they wake up naked in their beds the next morning. If they die in an accident or commit suicide they are dead for good. Enter Tony who is a Dispatcher, Dispatchers are hired to be around in risky situations. If someone looks like they are going to die or a critically injured, Tony kills them so they can come back to life in the same condition they were before they almost died. However, one of Tony’s co-workers has gone missing and the police want Tony’s consultation to help find the missing Dispatcher. Unfortunately, this will take Tony back to his less legal past.
I really liked the unique concept behind this book and world. It was very cool and really makes you think. At its heart through this is mainly a mystery/investigative story. Tony helps the police navigate a complicated web of clues and Dispatcher politics to figure out what happened to his former friend.
This was an engaging, if short, read. It is well done and presents a very large complex story for how short it is. I would love to see some full length books set in this world because the concept is so interesting.
Overall this was a very intriguing and engaging book. I loved the concept behind this story and the mystery was well done. I would recommend to those who enjoy investigative urban fantasies with a sci-fi bent to them.
I listened to this on audiobook and the narrator did a great job.
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Definitely recommend listening to on audiobook if you enjoy audiobooks.In this world is a person is killed by someone else they wake up naked in their beds the next morning. If they die in an accident or commit suicide they are dead for good. Enter Tony who is a Dispatcher, Dispatchers are hired to be around in risky situations. If someone looks like they are going to die or a critically injured, Tony kills them so they can come back to life in the same condition they were before they almost died. However, one of Tony’s co-workers has gone missing and the police want Tony’s consultation to help find the missing Dispatcher. Unfortunately, this will take Tony back to his less legal past.
I really liked the unique concept behind this book and world. It was very cool and really makes you think. At its heart through this is mainly a mystery/investigative story. Tony helps the police navigate a complicated web of clues and Dispatcher politics to figure out what happened to his former friend.
This was an engaging, if short, read. It is well done and presents a very large complex story for how short it is. I would love to see some full length books set in this world because the concept is so interesting.
Overall this was a very intriguing and engaging book. I loved the concept behind this story and the mystery was well done. I would recommend to those who enjoy investigative urban fantasies with a sci-fi bent to them.
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LibraryThing member MrsLee
In this world, murder is very hard to make stick. A Dispatcher joins forces (is forced to join) with a police detective to find a missing man. Really, any more than that and it amounts to spoilers.
I enjoyed this, although it has its full share of foul language, the language suits the characters and
I enjoyed this, although it has its full share of foul language, the language suits the characters and
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the situation. The characters were not warm and fuzzi, or people you necessarily would like, but the "idea" is a great one. Especially for a short story format. Zachary Quinto does a good job as narrator, although I think I would have prefered reading this one rather than listening to it. Show Less
LibraryThing member pwaites
The Dispatchers is a sci-fi novella based around a single concept: what if anyone who was murdered just… came back? Right in their own home, naked as the day they were born. How would society change as a result?
Tony Valdez is a dispatcher, a professional with the license to murder. He exists to
I called The Dispatcher science fiction, but it could probably be termed urban fantasy instead. Scalzi never seeks to explain why murder victims suddenly return; instead, he seeks to explore the ramifications of that one change. My categorization of “sci-fi” has more to do with gut feel than anything else. The Dispatchers has a sci-fi noir vibe to it, in the vein of Bladerunner for instance.
The Dispatchers follows a mystery plot line, but due to the set up of this world, the crime is a kidnapping instead of a murder. However, the plot line and the characterization never stood out to me. While the characters are fairly forgettable, I don’t think they’re really the point. What’s compelling about The Dispatchers is the concept itself.
How would murders still occur given this premise? How would medicine be effected? Entertainment? When someone’s cured of all recent injuries when they’re returned, it can be a lot cheaper to kill them and hope they’re not one of the 0.01% who doesn’t return.
All in all, The Dispatchers was a pretty fun read. I found the core concept interesting and loved seeing how it was explored. This novella stands well enough on its own, but if Scalzi wrote any other stories in this world, I would be happy to read them.
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Tony Valdez is a dispatcher, a professional with the license to murder. He exists to
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give second chances, since only murder results in people returning. He often works in hospitals, staying on hand in case a surgery goes wrong and it looks like the patient will die of natural causes, never to return. When he finds out that a fellow dispatcher has gone missing, Tony becomes involved in the investigation and the shady world of off-books dispatching.I called The Dispatcher science fiction, but it could probably be termed urban fantasy instead. Scalzi never seeks to explain why murder victims suddenly return; instead, he seeks to explore the ramifications of that one change. My categorization of “sci-fi” has more to do with gut feel than anything else. The Dispatchers has a sci-fi noir vibe to it, in the vein of Bladerunner for instance.
The Dispatchers follows a mystery plot line, but due to the set up of this world, the crime is a kidnapping instead of a murder. However, the plot line and the characterization never stood out to me. While the characters are fairly forgettable, I don’t think they’re really the point. What’s compelling about The Dispatchers is the concept itself.
How would murders still occur given this premise? How would medicine be effected? Entertainment? When someone’s cured of all recent injuries when they’re returned, it can be a lot cheaper to kill them and hope they’re not one of the 0.01% who doesn’t return.
All in all, The Dispatchers was a pretty fun read. I found the core concept interesting and loved seeing how it was explored. This novella stands well enough on its own, but if Scalzi wrote any other stories in this world, I would be happy to read them.
I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
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LibraryThing member Guide2
Very thought provoking premise that it would interesting to explore more fully. I don't know if it's because it's a short audiobook and I'm not used to the format, but the writing and dialogues felt too simple, without much depth. I usually love Scalzi, but this one left me a bit underwhelmed.
LibraryThing member booklovers2
Interesting Short Story - freebie Audible Audio Original. Premise of Story- anyone who is killed/murdered in a future time will or can be brought back to life, return as if it never happened - if you die a natural or suicidal death, you don't come back; this occurrence can be overcome by a
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"Dispatcher" someone who is there to insure the death is murder. The interesting twist is how everyone finds an angle to abuse this phenomenal occurrence. (Fight Clubs and experimental medical procdures - all it takes is a "Dispatcher" there to insure, a murder takes place. Interesting and fantastical - overall so so- Show Less
LibraryThing member MontzaleeW
The Dispatcher by John Scalzi , narrated by Zachary Quinto, is a intriguing, unusual paranormal mystery! It's about a Dispatcher, someone licenced to kill someone so they will come back from the dead. This world one day just changed and some people come back from the dead normal, depends how they
Great narration also!
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die. This story is about a missing Dispatcher. A FBI agent and another Dispatcher try to find him. Excellent!Great narration also!
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LibraryThing member Glennis.LeBlanc
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
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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.
Digital review copy provided by the publisher through Netgalley
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LibraryThing member obtusata
A great little audiobook mystery. Scalzi is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors.
LibraryThing member Jerry.Yoakum
Very much reminded me of a Dresden Files story. I love that the story felt like it was built around the single question of "what if people came back to life after being murdered?"
LibraryThing member Count_Zero
Really fun story, which moves at a brisk pace, and presents a mystery that does not cheat. Should Scalzi write another story in this world, I'd definitely check it out, and should it get optioned for a film, I'd certainly see it in theaters.
which is also available for free from Audible this month,
which is also available for free from Audible this month,
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giving all the more reason to check it out now. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cataloger623
Every so often Scalzi takes a break from writing his hard science fiction and writes an experimental novella. This is one of those books. It takes place in a world where death is almost impossible. This has implications throughout society. Scalzi explores this world while writing a tense serious
.
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mystery..
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Language
Original language
English