The Dispatcher
The Dispatcher is a 2016 science fiction novella by John Scalzi.[1] It combines tropes from detective fiction, such as a cynical protagonist with a shady past, a mysterious disappearance, a tough police detective, a wealthy old man, and a businessman having links to organized crime, with the arrival of apparent miracles. People who are killed deliberately disappear from the place where they die and reappear in a safe place, usually their own bed at home. This causes changes in society such that certain ways of dying are no longer feared. It leads to the creation of the profession of Dispatcher, a person trained and licensed to administer mercy killings to those about to die, but who would benefit from a reset to how they were a short time previously. It also leads to reckless behavior in some quarters, such as among rich kids who take up dueling to the point where they are mortally wounded, but can be saved at great expense by a Dispatcher working privately.
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| Author | John Scalzi |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction novella |
Synopsis
Tony Valdez is a Dispatcher working for "The Agency". His usual work involves attending risky surgeries in hospitals. Attending one operation at the request of a colleague, he euthanizes the patient when the operation goes badly wrong, and the patient's body disappears as expected. Afterwards he is interviewed by a detective about the Dispatcher he replaced, who has disappeared from his home leaving traces of blood behind. The trail leads him back to "private work" he has tried to leave behind, and the Tunney crime family who are moving into legitimate businesses while retaining some of their old habits. He discovers that it is still possible to be murdered and stay dead, under the right circumstances.
References
- Scalzi, John (2017-05-01). The Dispatcher. Subterranean Press. ISBN 978-1-59606-786-8.