Redshirts

Redshirts by John Scalzi starts off as an off-kilter sci-fi exploration story.   The starship Intrepid traverses the universe to discover new civilizations and make contact with new worlds with the crew having madcap adventures along the way.  If that sounds vaguely familiar, that's because it is.  Patterned loosely after Star Trek, the story even takes its name from the crew members that die - the redshirts. Not to spoil the ending, but Redshirts breaks the proverbial 4th wall and ends up far from where it begins.  An homage or sorts, this book is a very witty and refreshing look at (or examination or even deconstruction of?) the sci-fi genre. 

Chase

I'll chase the planets through their orbits
In an endless game of tag. 
Never ahead, always behind;
The stars applaud, the moons cheer. 


I'll chase the earth through its orbit
In an endless game of tag.
The ether is my home;
Soon the stars will be gone.