# John Scalzi on Reddit (u/scalzi)

Part of Celebrities on Reddit, researched with Autumn (https://www.autumn.ai) from public sources. Updated 2026-11-06. Interactive version: https://www.autumn.ai/resources/celebrities-on-reddit/john-scalzi

John Scalzi: Science fiction author of Old Man's War and Redshirts.

- Reddit account: [u/scalzi](https://www.reddit.com/user/scalzi/) (Personal account)
- How we know it's theirs: [His 2017 r/IAmA AMA, posted from this account](https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/7l2k6t/i_am_john_scalzi_hugowinning_author_whose_book/)
- Where they post, in the records we retrieved: r/books (21), r/printSF (15), r/Scalzi (12), r/Fantasy (3), r/AskReddit (3), r/IAmA (2)
- Known activity in the posts we found: 2013 to 2026
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Scalzi

## Moments

### u/scalzi in r/printSF, Jan 22, 2015 · Normal redditor

Replying to the post "Am I the only one who finds Scalzi unfunny?".

> You're not crazy.
>
> Lots of people don't like Redshirts. In fact, all told it's the book of mine that's gotten the largest number of negative reviews, including from major trade venues, including Kirkus (which called it "sophomoric") and Publishers Weekly. The Amazon one-star reviews are delightful too: "Appalling. Possibly career ending," is one of my favorite summations there. And as this thread itself shows, you are not alone here on Reddit either.
>
> And yet the book was a bestseller, won several awards (including the Locus and Hugo Awards) has been translated into more than a dozen languages and been optioned for a television series on FX. I can also attest that it continues to sell very well over its various formats. It is unquestionably one of the most popular books I've ever written.
>
> How can both things be true?
>
> Leaving aside conspiracy theories, the answer is pretty simple:
>
> Humor is binary.

(Excerpt.)
Full thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/2ta2if/am_i_the_only_one_who_finds_scalzi_unfunny/cnxgacq/ · 885 points as of Nov 6, 2026

### u/scalzi in r/printSF, Jan 22, 2015 · Funny

Replying to a redditor:

> That wasn't funny. AT ALL.

> I know. I suck.

Full thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/2ta2if/am_i_the_only_one_who_finds_scalzi_unfunny/cnxgqgf/ · 442 points as of Nov 6, 2026

### u/scalzi in r/isthisAI, Nov 3, 2026 · Normal redditor

Replying to the post "New john scalzi book. Is this cover art AI? Has a yellow hue and the faces seem off".

> Short answer: No.
>
> Longer answer: Absolutely fucking not.
>
> Even longer answer: The artist is Michael Koelsch, who has been working for decades and who has done covers for other works of mine. If it looks "AI" to you, it's probably in large part because his art was taken without his consent for training data, like so many other artists.
>
> I have it as a contract point that all aspects of my books -- cover art, editing, translation, etc -- must be done by humans.

(Excerpt.)
Full thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/isthisAI/comments/1xmt0vw/new_john_scalzi_book_is_this_cover_art_ai_has_a/19s309w1y4epv/ · 707 points as of Nov 6, 2026

### u/scalzi in r/AskMen, Nov 10, 2018 · Personal story

Replying to the post "How has a woman broken your brain with her appearance?".

> When I was 24, I was working at a newspaper and was doing a story on a local DJ. At the nighttime event the DJ was working, I was standing around when this woman walks up to me. Now, I was the film critic at my newspaper and traveled to LA every other weekend to interview movie stars, so this is the working baseline I had when I say the woman approaching me was **the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen in person in my life.** I actually looked behind me to see if there was someone else she was coming to see. There was a wall behind me. So, no.
>
> ​
>
> This was the conversation we had:
>
> ​
>
> Her: I saw you dancing earlier. You and I should dance sometime tonight.
>
> ​
>
> Me (not even trying to be cool): NOW IS GOOD
>
> ​
>
> And we danced.
>
> ​
>
> Reader, I married her. Not that *night*, but still.
>
> ​
>
> [She's still breaking my brain](https://www.flickr.com/photos/scalzi/40499768412/in/album-1207039/), on a daily basis, 25 years later.
>
> ​

Full thread: https://www.reddit.com/r/AskMen/comments/9vmibe/how_has_a_woman_broken_your_brain_with_her/e9e8wq8/ · 423 points as of Nov 6, 2026