Old Man's War - John Scalzi

Fun, but. . . .

A fun read, but I liked Jack Campbell's Dauntless series quite a bit more. I disagree, in particular, with the lead review that praises the tone of the book. I found the tone uneven and often discordant. I also found the premise unpersuasive -- that a technologically advanced space army needs the "consciousness" of elderly people to fill out its ranks. But the book was worth it, if only for an excellent joke about the Chicago Cubs.

enthralling.

How often do you come across a book that you simply cannot put down? Well, you've found one with John Scalzi's book Old Man's War. And don't think this is only for sci-fi fans, 'cause it's not!! This book is one battle after another told from the soldier's point-of-view. I think you knew that by the title, but what you may not have known is that the elderly are recruited to solve the problems posed to humanity. But this being the protaganists second chance at life, he is forced to make the most of it. The writing is top-notched, the characters, well-developed, and the plot, enthralling.

You might also like: Starship Troopers

Refreshing

Scalzi's ideas are fresh and intriguing and I very much enjoyed this book. It is not often that a Sci-Fi writer produces the kind of originality you'll find here. Tragically, it lacks some fit and finish--otherwise it could have been one of the all-time greats. The story meanders without any real goal or sense of purpose, making it feel empty at times. The concept of a story arc is lost on Scalzi as well, who writes this very much like a travelogue. The end is consequently unfulfilling, have a rather rushed and anti-climactic effect. That said, this is still an excellent book which I would recommend to any fan of the genre.

Entertaining, not mind-blowing.

I thought that overall book was a fairly entertaining read that kept me busy for a few days: a solid 3.5-star book. The reason I hedged toward 3 instead of 4 was because I felt the ending was a little weak, and the premise was highly implausible (even within the book's fictional boundaries created by the author).

Pick it up if you're a SciFi buff looking for a quick, fun, light read, but don't be expecting anything really deep or complicated.

Great Comfort Reading

It isn't going to change the world, or probably enlighten anyone, but this is a great piece of military sci-fi. This is a sort of modern Starship Troopers and the plot closely parallels it from enlistment, to boot camp, to a milk run on a low-tech planet, to humans getting hit, to the human offensive.

The first half of the book is like bottled lightning. Ideas come fast and furious and you can't stop reading. Scalzi's universe provokes the so rare sense of wonder in the reader as they experience the rejuvenation of the soldiers and the giddy joy of having incredibly gifted physical prowess tempered by the danger of a war in which most will die before their 10 year enlistment is up.

The second half slows and is weakened a bit in my opinion by a particularly maudlin plot involving the ghost brigades. The ghost brigades themselves are another wonderful idea the relationship plot detracted from the story for me. I found both the coincidence of the meeting and the follow up to be unlikely.

One plus is that the aliens are truly alien. So different that in some cases there can be no realistic understanding between the two races, though to be fair there are characters with dissenting opinions on whether the human race can negotiate with these other races which range from understandable and allied, to 100% alien and enemy to totally inscrutable with a motivation above and beyond conquest but interested in the spiritual growth of other races.

The climax speeds back up to the fast pace of the beginning and resolves the plot threads, mostly, in a more than satisfactory fashion. This is a really wonderful universe that has been created with room for many more stories. I will definitely be seeking out Scalzi's other titles.