A short story (it was only 2 hours and 18 minutes), “The Dispatcher
Set on earth in a distant future or perhaps in a parallel universe, murder is impossible to commit because anyone who did not die of natural causes will come back. And from this world arose a job called a Dispatcher.
A government-sanctioned killing, a Dispatcher literally commits murder to save someone from suffering. Example – an accident victim who would have lost limbs will be “dispatched” so that he or she can wake up in their bed whole.
That was Tony Valdez’s job, a Dispatcher. To many, dispatchers are shadowy figures. To law enforcement, it was a toss up whether dispatchers are good guys or bad guys. So, though it might be surprising that they will work together, it is not unheard of.
And this is the crux of the matter in The Dispatcher
If you are into science fiction, this book is for you. If you like Zachary Quinto, you will fall in love with him all over again as a voice actor.
The Dispatcher
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Story
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Performance
The Dispatcher
A short story (it was only 2 hours and 18 minutes), “The Dispatcher” creates a futuristic world and tells a police procedural. Short, concise and to the point, John Scalzi once again shows he owns the moniker “master storyteller.”
Summary: The Dispatcher
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.
Enter Tony Valdez, professional Dispatcher. True to their name, these licensed assassins are tasked with humanely disposing of people in death’s crosshairs to offer them a second chance at avoiding the reaper. When a friend and fellow Dispatcher goes missing, Valdez is plunged into a web of intrigue both professional and personal.
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.
[Image credits on collage: City street by Patrick Tomasso; Mansion by Daniel Barnes; Yacht by Tobias Tullius. All on Unsplash]
