Constituent Service

A short, fun book that shows what a master of science fiction John Scalzi is.

‍

The story is set on an Earth that, 80 years prior, opened it’s doors to all manner of extra-terrestrial species. We follow a young human woman’s first week on the job as Community Liaison for the Third District, where humans are the minority.

‍

Every single interaction Ashley has with her office mates and with the constituents of the Third District is humorous, from the after-hours inter-species karaoke to the meeting with a woman who is trying to extort money from the city by throwing her chicken at buses.

‍

“This morning, the 71 bus tried to murder my chicken, Cluckward,” said Henrietta Dunlap. She thrust her chicken at me. Cluckward the chicken eyed me the way that chickens do and otherwise showed no outrage.

“This isn’t the first time it’s happened.”

‍

Under our noses, Scalzi expertly weaves together small details of every interaction into a solid mystery complete with a crime, a serious problem to be solved, and a humorous resolution in which everyone wins.

‍

It’s so clever! The various alien races are deftly drawn, the dialog is punchy, and the details that are thrown in (like the bathrooms at a bar being categorized not by gender but by excretion type: standing, sitting, spraying or shooting) are hilarious.

‍
The person up on stage finished their song to light applause, and then Kqevid’s name came over the PA. Kqevid whooped, slugged back the rest of his sparkling water, and headed up to the stage.

“Thank you all,” Kqevid said into the microphone. “Tonight, I want to share with you a special song from my all-time favorite band⁠—”

“Oh, God, not Nickelback again!” someone shouted from the audience.

‍

I like reading Scalzi because his imagination is loose and free, he doesn’t take science fiction seriously, and because the reader never knows where the story is going. This is an excellent little book!

‍