2023 Re-Read
I'm not sure why I felt the need to revisit this Scalzi novel, but it was calling out to me! I answered the call and enjoyed the heck out of it once again. I recently returned to the author's blog and found this book matched the blog's subtitle “Furiously Reasonable.” It is idealistic—I can't imagine any group of employees being as unified and mutually appreciative as the KPS staff are. Having worked in a number of offices over my career, I can virtually guarantee that there will be people who rub each other the wrong way, who squabble, and who aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer. No matter how carefully they are selected, that's the result of human nature. Nevertheless, it is a pleasant dream, to have a group of congenial coworkers.
I hadn't realized when I read the book the first time that Scalzi manages to tell the entire tale without revealing Jamie Gray's gender. Other readers may have assumed, like I did, that Jamie was a man because of the job they were recruited for. As Jamie frequently says, “I lift things.” Which proves how even someone with strong feminist leanings can let childhood programming sway her.
I think it was actually the idealistic nature of the KPS that I needed right now, when the world around me seems to be going to the dogs. I have days when I just have to turn off the news and turn up the music. I have the privilege of being able to retreat from reality for a few days when the world seems too heavy. Fantasy literature has been my haven during the whole pandemic, not to mention my whole life. Thank you, Mr. Scalzi for an inspiring, funny fantasy novel that cheers me up when I'm feeling blue.
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