Old Man's War

I'd heard of Scalzi but, well, there's so much else to read that I kept putting off looking into his books. But I got a deal on this ebook, and I'm glad I did. Well-written, with interesting characters, locations, and story. Mildly humorous, often gory, very imaginative but somewhat grounded in hard science. Hard for me to consider a 20-year-old book a classic, but, definitely a modern classic.

This is one of those books that, for me at least, was just shy of something damn near perfect. First, the good: John Scalzi has a wicked sense of humor; this book starts off with a fantastically trite and sardonic perspective (told through a first person narrative). Despite this book being billed as a sci-fi adventure book, a large portion of the first third or so of this book is told with a very sarcastic bend, which, frankly, makes some otherwise unsettling or nerve-rattling scenes a little easier to take. Additionally, a lot of Scalzi's ideas for this story, while inspired heavily by things like "Starship Troopers" and other classic sci-fi tales, are rather intriguing and solidly thought out, with just enough originality to avoid simple imitation. Indeed, at just about the point that the reader starts coming up with a lot of questions about a presented concept, Scalzi has a character start to answer most (though not all) of those questions. Additionally, Scalzi does a very good job with character dialogue and pacing in this story; he's the kind of author that is obviously good at telling stories in this sense. And for the most part, the events in this story are handled very well. However, where things tend to break down a bit are the more technical aspects of this story. There are aliens in this novel, I'll just come out and say that. But as a concept, the idea of there being aliens was presented to the reader in a rather confusing and somewhat bungled manner ... it's hard to explain without spoilers, or large plot synopsis, but basically, it didn't work well. But after that, Scalzi just casually throws around that there are dozens, if not hundreds, of known sentient alien races, and proceeds to name at more than a half-dozen of them in this book alone. And yet really, only 2 of them receive any real attention, with another 2 or 3 being covered in brief encounters. This seemed a bit overwhelming ... but this is made somewhat worse by the fact that none of these aliens are ever described in any real detail. The most described alien race is the only one that is mentioned twice, but even then, it's only described in a round-about manner, with no comprehensive "first-impression" type of breakdown. And in the context of the narrative, there's really not a good reason for this failing. In fact, Scalzi rarely stops to provide extensive physical descriptions in this story, whether it be for new alien species, or for a human character. Also, I'm just going to say it now: there are sentient one-inch tall aliens in this book ... as physically impossible as I'm certain that is. Further, Scalzi also lacks, many times, in providing full context for some scenes, leaving me confused as to the specifics of certain events. While taking a lighter angle to narration is often the contemporary style, here Scalzi sometimes seems to skim over things, leaving events relayed more as a news bulletins or after-action reports than actual accountings. And while the first third or so of this book starts out VERY strong (there is a particularly funny drill sergeant bit about halfway through that shows that Scalzi is great at the long-form joke), the last half or so kind of falls into a standard military shoot 'em up format. Towards this later portion, there are tantalizing bits hinting at certain ethical or emotional dilemmas that could have been developed into something enlightening, but that just kind of get lost after the narrative moves to the next battle. And that's a large portion of why I give this book 4 stars ... Scalzi seems to have gotten SO CLOSE to something border-line genius in scope and philosophy, but then passes it by. Overall, despite the short-comings and the criticisms I had, I loved the book, which ends on a rather bitter-sweet note, and look forward to reading the next in the series.

Military science fiction is one of the most popular and beloved subgenres in fiction. Titles like War of the Worlds and Starship Troopers continue to captivate readers to this day. Hollywood took notice, gifting us mega-hits like Aliens and Battlestar Galactica. The genre is jam-packed with weighted themes, pulsing action, and mind-bending tech that often provides new and interesting ways of thinking about the universe we inhabit. Starship Troopers has been a personal favorite for years, written by the legendary Robert A. Heinlein. It courts controversial topics with an eerie effectiveness, a testament to Heinlein’s enduring brilliance. His understanding of the military machine oozes from the page and sucks you into his character motivations. I thought for sure that this book would endure as my go-to measuring stick for the genre. That is, until I read Old Man’s War. John Scalzi is a New York Times bestselling author with a Hugo Award under his belt. Dude has some serious cred, so I went into the book with lofty expectations. Old Man’s War is the first of a six-book series that I plan to gleefully devour. The first book was in my to-read pile for quite some time, as the recommendation kept rearing its head in conversation. Once it reached the top, I actually felt a wash of relief. “Finally, I can see what all the fuss is about.” Several hours later, I put the book down and simply uttered, “Holy ****.” Without giving anything away, as a happy husband in a two-decade relationship that is still going strong, this book hit me hard in the feels. I was not expecting that from a military sci-fi novel, albeit one with an enthralling narrative voice. The “old man” part refers to an advanced version of Earth where retirees are the ones who join the Armed Forces. The idea is that a wealth of experience is far more valuable than youthful vigor. And when you live in a world where the military can provide you with a brand new combat-ready body (complete with green skin), it makes a hell of a lot of sense. The story follows John Perry, a 75-year-old senior who lost his wife and is reaching the end of his days. He joins the military, because why not. He is promised a new and exciting life beyond the stars, fighting for ... well, something. It doesn’t matter. He’s moving forward, and that’s all that matters. John makes new friends along the way and discovers that he is quite adept at his new life battling aliens from planet to planet. Old Man’s War takes several dives into familiar themes, first and foremost, what it means to be human. Others include the role of advanced technology and the psychological stresses of war. But what Scalzi manages to do is frame them inside a new landscape (or hellscape more like it), one that paints foes as unbeatable and treats characters like members of a hive colony. In many ways, it’s a complete role reversal of books like Starship Troopers, which gives the reader a fascinating new perspective on personal relations and interstellar conflicts. The book is engrossing up to the third act, at which point it rises to the rank of classic. It pains me to stay mum about it, but it would pain me more to spoil it for anyone else. Old Man’s War is not only my new favorite book in the genre, it’s also a new favorite all around. The saga continues with The Ghost Brigades, which is exactly where I’ll be shortly after posting this review (with apologies to my to-read pile).

Old Man’s War is a gift. Written with care, insight, the right amount of humour, interesting characters, and aliens that are actually *alien*. Not just men in funny suits. The way the story progresses is fun, consistent, and eventful. It’s one of the more pleasant works of science fiction I’ve ever read and that’s saying a lot, given it’s my 60th book this year. I’m glad there’s so much left to the series. Ultimately, I was just hoping to explore new authors. I had no idea I was in for such a treat

In a brief break from reading the things I don’t normally read, I took a moment to read something of the type that I used to read all the time. Fast paced, high energy science fiction that doesn’t slow down till you hit the end. Read through a bunch of reviews and the name John Scalzi kept coming up, so I picked up his first book and gave it a shot. It starts with an interesting premise. People sign up for the military aged 65 and are inducted into the military aged 75. John Perry, the main character, lost his wife to a stroke a short while ago, and has now come to the point where it’s time to fulfil his obligation. Two days later and I was done with the book and looking for book two... It’s not about old people going off to war, the recruits get new bodies with which to fight (Avatar style, but long before Avatar came out...), and while those bodies are state of the art and well beyond the abilities of normal humans, they are the bare minimum required to fight in the wars of the universe. The book doesn’t focus on the combat aspect of things, rather painting the picture that the world is different out there, and that a person of 75 with a whole lifetime of experience to draw on, would be a far more dangerous person to deal with if you just gave them their youth back. There’s also the psychological aspect, that if a person was at the end of everything and you offered them a decade in service in return for a new life, most would at least consider it. There are a few action scenes, wars on different worlds with different creatures, but the story doesn’t linger on them at all, using them as a punchline that the wars are deadly and most don’t make it through them. There is a little character building for the expendables, but the story belongs to John Perry, a man of senior age who speaks and thinks far more like young men should speak and think, and that’s what captured me. Here’s a writer who understands that it’s not the mind that gets old, it’s the body, most people in senior years still want to be every bit as active (if not moreso) as they were when they were younger, it’s just their body that doesn’t let them... The story does feel more like it’s been set up to lead into other books, it’s really just getting interesting when the first book finishes, but the first book is self contained. It would be possible to leave it where it finishes and draw your own conclusions, but I am interested in seeing where it will go, so expect a review of the second shortly... Excellent book, this is the reason I read stories...

Oh boy, what a pleasant surprise! This book is absolutely fantastic and fun to read. I know that people say this all the time but this book really is a page-turner where you just cannot stop reading. The story was surprisingly deep and well-crafted for a – what I thought – mere military sci-fi action novel. The characters were complex, likeable and authentic. My favorite part was the humor, though. John Scalzi writes in a really funny way that makes you genuinely laugh. Seriously, that happened quite often to me while reading the book on a train or in the bus :) . I can hardly wait for the second part “The Ghost Brigades” of the “Old Man’s War” series and can give a 100% recommendation for this first part!

I was searching the Sci-Fi bestsellers list here on Amazon a few months ago and came across this book: Old Man's War. It was listed as a first novel by a new author so I read a little further, liked the premise and bought it and its sequels: The Ghost Brigades and The Last Colony. Shortly thereafter I received all three and after finishing the book I was reading I launched into this one. Shortly thereafter, I finished The Last Colony having quickly read all three. Amazing, page-turners, engaging, entertaining, humorous, gut-wrenching, I could go on. All the books (including the 4th, and best, Zoe's Tale) are awesome pieces of writing. Simply put, if you have any interest in science fiction and any of the write-ups for the books in this series intrigue you, buy all 4 as you will not be disappointed. As for Mr. Scalzi, keep 'em coming in this "universe;" I know you probably have one or two more in you!

A 21st century version of Heinlein. Well done, with lots of action, strong characters, moral and ethic issues, intriguing concepts of science and the universe that surrounds us. Reading about the loss and partial rediscovery of a loved one tore my heart.

Si te gusta la ciencia ficcion militar este libro te va a gustar mucho.