An Election

Third District

by John Scalzi

When his city council representative is hit by a bus, David Sawyer decides to run for the newly-vacated seat. One problem: He's a human in an alien-majority district that hasn't voted in a human in half a century. Can Sawyer pull it off in a race that includes a politically smooth, physically gelatinous front runner, a carnivore whose entire platform is on the right to consume pets, and two literally bile-spewing sisters? A tale of aliens, politics and humor from the author of "Old Man's War" and "The Android's Dream".

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fiction, Humor, Ebooks, Comedy, Aliens

23 pages, ebook

First published November 1, 2010

About the author

John Scalzi, having declared his absolute boredom with biographies, disappeared in a puff of glitter and lilac scent.

(If you want to contact John, using the mail function here is a really bad way to do it. Go to his site and use the contact information you find there.)

Reviews

[seak · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always know that when I read Scalzi I'll be entertained. Whether it's his science fiction, his blog (whatever), and now his short fiction.

An Election is a humorous story of a guy, David, who decides to run for city counsel. It just so happens no human has been a representative for the third district in 44 years, not to mention no human has even run for the position in 36.

David's husband, James, attempts to talk him out of it, but to no avail.

Most of the fun is found in the different aliens Scalzi's created, from a gelatinous blob who speaks in bubbles, to, well, let's just say there's suckers. David goes door-to-door meeting them and runs against them.

The running-mates, of course, are all aliens (if you can call them that at this point in the future), one of whom's only platform is that people should be able to eat each other's pets. Yep, the only stance.

I had fun, but I think I was expecting it to be funnier really. Still good, but not my favorite from Scalzi. It was still worth the $0.99 I paid, even though it was only about 15 or so pages (I think, my kindle skipped about 3-5% each page turn).

3 out of 5 Stars

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun & funny election in the future. Short, free & well worth the read. It's available on his web site here:
http://whatever.scalzi.com/2010/11/01...

[Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very short story from John Scalzi, part of the Third District universe, available from Subterranean Press and posted to Scalzi's Whatever blog. the third district is a section of the city where humans are the minority. This was published in 2010, as a midterm election was pending. This is one of the many satirical pieces that Scalzi has written throughout his career. Much of the humor comes from the interactions between the human candidate and the many different aliens. A lot of cynicism concerning politics.

[Ben A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely entertaining throughout its short page count, An Election is the humorous tale of the local city council race in a district filled with alien constitutes and the struggle of one average human candidate.

[Eric Mesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little short story about an election in a very diverse district. I kind of want to see more of this world which I think is the mark of a good short story.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

More Third District stories please.

[Chris Haught · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny little sci-fi story that I could knock out because I was too lazy to get up from the computer but wanted to read something. It took a few productive minutes away my internet surfing time, but one can only look at so many pictures of Candice Swanepoel, right?



See what I mean? Stop drooling surfing and start reading the story!

Read it for free online: http://whatever.scalzi.com/2010/11/01...

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is something wonderful about sitting down in a comfy chair, cup of coffee in hand, and reading a great story during a single sitting. The moment becomes even greater if the story makes you snort coffee in the process, due to moments of laugh out loud funny! My two beloved pups also adored the pet protection undertones of the piece. Thanks for making my Sunday a little brighter, Mr. Scalzi!

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable short read by an author who has fast become a favorite. I've yet to read anything by him that I didn't enjoy. This humorous take on grassroots politics (headlined by a gay couple no less) was a funny read with some silly moments but still managed to have a few mature moments.

[Jaka Tomc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Scalzi's book and I started with a short story just to get the feeling of his flow. He can write. I wasn't blown away by the story but it was a fun read. I'm looking forward to reading some of his other books.

[Dragana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great short story from John Scalzi, master of wacky humor and weird aliens. Loved it.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humorous Sci fi short story. I need to read more from John Scalzi!

[Chip · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. Mildly humorous short story.

[Ruby Tombstone Lives! · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a cute short story. It's a sci-fi political satire. You should probably go read it now.

[Ron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of Scalzi's best efforts.

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two days ago I listened to an audio, Constituent Service, by John Scalzi. I loved it and immediately looked to see if there were any additional books about the Third District and found this which I read today and loved just as much. I've only recently...within the last year...discovered Mr. Scalzi but so far have enjoyed everything I've read and/or listened to by him. I also love that 2 of his "on repeat" audio readers are Wil Wheaton and Zachary Quintos...I love both of their voices. This is the first short written about the Third District where humans are in the minority. Constituent Service is available as an audiobook only through Audible. I am keeping my fingers crossed that more of these highly entertaining stories appear in the near future. Or even a full length novel...I would be OK with that.

[begemot · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was funny. The whole rant by the family of aliens complaining about “smelly and noisy” “aliens” from Canada was just hilarious. Touie Touie was efficiently villainous. Latasha’s extremely competent handling of David’s campaign warmed my heart.

A side note: After reading about the candidate, whose sole platform promise was to legalize eating pets, I was sure it had to be a reference to the whole “Haitians are eating your cats and dogs” thing from 2024, but this story was first published in 2010. Now, I’m pretty sure Scalzi can’t see the future, so this is just another instance of life imitating art, and not in a good way. These days, real articles about US politics are reading like The Onion pieces.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so fun! This is what I want from my sci-fi reads. I want them to have something to say and to say it in a way that makes me FEEL something...sometimes that means making me cry and breaking my heart but in THIS book...it means making me laugh. It's a quick, short read. That last line though...amazing...just perfection. Highly recommend.

[John M · Rating 4 out of 5]

A perfect short story for a Sunday morning.

As a fan of John Scalzi's works, and who isn't, I find I'm always entertained by his stories and novels. This work is brief but filled with humor and silly ideas and appropriate for the current election season. Enjoy.

[James Donald · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, fun and interesting read. So much is done in such as small space. This feels like the beginning of an exploration of a new world or an exercise in developing characters. Good fun but really little more than a snack, but even a snack from Scalzi is worth having.

[Onionboy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick little read that was fun. You can tell it is a good story when you wish it kept going. He developed interesting characters in just a few pages. If you like any Scalzi (and how could you not?) then go read this for free on his blog.

[Shawna Kissell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what elections are

I love Scalzi's sense of humor. This short story is delightful. It turns the idea of minority voting on its head. I shall enjoy using "pet snacker" as an epithet against political rivals in future.

[Tim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and funny story about David, who decides, after the untimely death of his local council representative, to run for the seat. He faces some challenges, mostly in the form of everyone else's belief he won't win, but also in his challengers themselves. Amusing.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story published as a standalone. Set in the same Third District universe as Constituent Services. You should never go for a walk before your carapace hardens. I don’t think this story was quite fully cooked either. I turned the last page, thinking, Where’s the rest?

[Candace S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny and entertaining—exactly what I expect from John Scalzi. This was written 15 years ago, so a few parts of it become less funny in present day because they now reference real things that have been said and done since this was written. (This is no fault of the author though! )

[Teddi · Rating 3 out of 5]

a very short story that read like an idea for something longer.
Part of a "series" that only consists of 2 stories. Wish there had been more as I could have enjoyed reading about this world that's a mix of humans and aliens.

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Scalzi shows up with his ingenious imagination and humor. If you enjoyed the Men In Black movies, you will love this look at what life would look like if aliens living amongst us became part of mundane life on Earth.

Recommend?: Yes.

Content Warnings: None that comes to mind.

[Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick and makes you wany more

Scalzi has a knack for creating characters out of thin air and making you want to explore them more and more. We need more Scalzi in this world.

[JDK1962 · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining enough throwaway short story.

[Randall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scalia at his hilarious best

Laughed, really laughed, the whole way through this short story. Local politics were never funnier. Try it, you'll like it!