What John Scalzi thinks about ideas vs execution

@john-scalzi · 11 positions · On ppll ↗

American science fiction novelist (Old Man's War, Redshirts, The Kaiju Preservation Society); has run the blog Whatever since 1998.

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1 dated position, 2026, in their own words. Our reading of what John Scalzi has said — not written or endorsed by them.

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1. 27 Sept 2026

   Our readingThe thriller Deceived fails largely because its script and direction aren't up to its plot's complexity.

   Their wordsBut “Deceived” doesn’t work very well, largely because the script and the direction aren’t up to the level of complexity they need to pull it off. In a genre like this, where plotting and direction are everything, it’s hard to overcome that handicap.

   ↗And Now, For Their 35th Anniversary, My First Two Professional Movie Reviewswhatever.scalzi.com