Old Man's War
by John Scalzi
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Book Reviews of Old Man's War
Book Review: Like Heinlein -- Good and Bad
Summary: 3 Stars
Reviews which compare Old Man's War with Robert Heinlein's classic science fiction--not the kinkier, later stuff--are on the mark. Like Heinlein's Starship Troopers, this book takes us on a coming of age journey as the protagonist joins the military and leaves the familiar atmosphere of Earth. In this case the age-coming is in reverse, as a senior citizen is restored to youthful combat-readiness. The "BrainPal" computer implant and physiological enhancements are recognizable Heinlein influences, but different enough to be engaging. The reader will enjoy discovering other similarities without becoming distracted by them.
Some Heinlein weaknesses are there, too. I say this with affection, because they are sentimental reminders of Heinlein's voice. The gadgetry and action are stronger than the characters, who sometimes seem shallow in emotionally complex situations. In the first chapter, there is a well-written melancholy to the protagonist's description of his late wife. This depth does not transfer well to his later reactions to her memory. And this isn't credibly due to a change in the character. It's worth exploring for yourself, though. If you have lost a spouse, I suggest comparing Scalzi's grasp of your experience with Stephen King's in Bag of Bones or Lisey's Story.
Never mind the impefections. :) It's a good story you can enjoy while remembering Heinlein. Buy it, read it, and keep it around to read again right after Thanksgiving dinner.
Book Review: Great premise
Summary: 4 Stars
'Old Man's War' is John Scalzi story of a man who undergoes a tremendous change. On Scalzi's Earth, space travel is controlled and limited to a select group of people. If you are from a poor culture, those people a selected as colonists. The human race is caught up in a 'race' to take habital planets in the universe. As the human expand into the universe, an army is required to protect established colonies and to fight for control of other planets.
The second group of people allowed to travel in space are the volunteers for the Colonial Defense Forces (CDF). These are people who are 75 years old. These people are trained and transformed into a new engineered body. This new body grants the person renewed youth, strength, and an inboard computer system.
The story is centered on John Perry, a 75 year old widower. It is very interesting as we follow John through the process of entering this new army. The book spends a majority of the book setting the stage for the transfer into Johns new body. While this is being set up, John bonds with a group of new recruits. It is unfortunate that this bond wasn't further developed. Some of the chracters are a little flat and under developed.
Once John is assigned and survived a number of battles, we see that he is not just your standard grunt, but has very good leadership skills. That being said, the end of the book has John re-assigned to the elite 'Ghost Brigade' (GB). This part of the story was a little hard to belive based on what we have been told about the CDF and the GB.
The story is still very entertaining and well worth the effort. I am not planning to read the next book in Scalzi's series about this universe. Enjoy!
Book Review: What do you do when turn 75? Join up!
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow! I was blow away by this one. Mr. Scalzi obviously learned a few things from Heinlein's books, actually more in my opinion. Old Man's War opens in very fresh and direct way. Similar to Mr. Heinlein's Starship Troopers, Mr. Scalzi main character (John Perry) tells us his story of joining the military and being trained and fighting, however this time our recruit is lived for 75 years. Instead of being shocked by his trainers and asking questions about why he joined and if it's right to fight, Mr. Scalzi twists things a bit and has 75 year old people joining the Colonial Defense Forces (CDF) to protect Earth's frontiers in exchange for a chance to have a 2nd life. Mr. Scalzi's concept of people with previous experience being of value to a military is interesting, equally interesting is his concept for Ghost Brigades (you need to read it to find out about them). All I'll say is that it's a great counterpoint to using 75 year olds as your infantry.
Rating wise this is an easy one, 5 stars. The characters are quick, crisp, and the descriptions are some of the best ones I've read. The front half of the book reminded me of Heinlein, while the back half had me thinking about The Forever War. My one dislike in the book is that when he's talking about Earth, things are very 1990/2000'ish. I'd preferred it if Mr. Scalzi had shown Earth more advanced than that, but it does make for a great counterpoint to the colonialization of space. Bottom line, read and enjoy!
Book Review: Has few peers in the realm of Alternative-Future adventures
Summary: 5 Stars
"I did two things on my seventy-fifth birthday. I visited my wife's grave. Then I joined the army."
With these intriguing lines, John Scalzi's spectacular journal of life in the Colonial Defense Force sweeps the reader helter-skelter into a reality-twisting journey that has few peers in the realm of alternative-future adventure stories.
It's never mentioned just how far in the future this story is set, but space is heavily colonized by then, and competition for suitable worlds between humans and the multitude of other intelligent species has created a need for large numbers of expendable soldiers. Things on earth are pretty much the same as now, however, and John Perry could be any of us, making the transformation he experiences feel almost like it could happen to you.
John becomes a soldier, young, strong, and a natural leader. He is recognized and promoted. During a pitched battle, he's rescued by a woman. A woman who looks exactly like his dead wife. Exactly. Her name is Jane Sagan and she's a member of the Special Forces, also known as the Ghost Brigade, a mysterious group of amazingly superior fighters said to have been cloned from dead persons.
Any more of a reveal would ruin the setup, so I'll curtail the story thread here. Let me just say, "Old Man's War" has many, many plot threads. It's as rich and original as anything I've read, and definitely not to be missed.
Art Tirrell is the author of "The Secret Ever Keeps
"simply put, the best underwater scenes I've ever read." reviewer Meg W.
Book Review: Excellent Book!
Summary: 5 Stars
Old Man's War by John Scalzi is an excellent book. I read it in two days, and could barely put it down. Scalzi did a masterful job keeping up the tension and my interest. The novel is written in first person and chronicles the distant future when old men and women are given the opportunity to join the Colonial army and go into space--when they reach the age of the seventy-five. There is a promise of being young again and starting over. No spoilers here. However, I will reveal that there are a lot of aliens out there, and defending the colonies is a huge priority as well as a necessity. Did I mention that it's incredibly dangerous and horrible?
The main character, John Perry, gets a lot more than he bargained for after he joins up. I loved seeing his character evolve. It all felt so real and true. The book is written in the tradition of Robert Heinlein's Starship Troopers, but is a little more modern. I loved the book, Starship Troopers, and if you liked that, you'll probably enjoy Old Man's War. The spin that Scalzi puts on things is quite fascinating. If you're into military science fiction with strong characters, this is a book for you. Also, if you like Ender's Game, this is also a book you'd probably enjoy.
Please note the book is for older teens and adults, related to some off-screen sexual content, and would probably garner a PG-13 rating if it were a movie. I cannot emphasize enough that style of the writing is top-notch, and Scalzi seems quite deserving of all the praise he's gotten for this series, which continues with Ghost Brigades.
Happy Reading,
Paul Genesse
Author of The Dragon Hunters
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