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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Some
Violence is present but unusual in this world — murder as a medical intervention; some crime violence
Language
Some
Moderate language; Scalzi's characteristic wit throughout
Sexual Content
None
No sexual content
Substance Use
None
No substance use
Emotional Intensity
Some
The ethics of killing to save, violence as a tool in unexpected ways, noir mystery with a philosophical premise
What this book is about
In a near-future world where people who are murdered immediately resurrect in their homes, Tony Valdez works as a licensed Dispatcher — he kills dying patients just before their natural death so they can come back rather than die for good. When a fellow Dispatcher goes missing, Tony has to investigate a world where the rules of violence have been completely rewritten. John Scalzi's sharp, funny novella asks what kind of crime is possible when murder is survivable.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
violence is a central tool of the premise throughout
murder depicted as a normalized act in-world
dark premise with light treatment
Reader Verification
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