Scalzi, John: Old Man's War
Old Man's War
Writer: John Scalzi
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 311
I first heard about this book when SciFi.com featured The Ghost Brigades as one of their Essential Books. I read up on it, realized it was a sequel to Old Man's War, and looked that up too. I never really followed up on the title, because while it tickled my interest, it didn't grab me. I was a little more intrigued about the title when pantlessjohnny raved about it, but even then, I just didn't pick it up until after residency this past January when I noticed it was available as a mass-market paperback (I know, I'm horrible).
I stuck the book in my "immediate reads" stack, and when it was time to pick it up, I decided to read the first chapter before sticking it in my lunchbox to take to work with me the next day. But that's not how it worked out: I read the first chapter, then the next, then the next, and so on and so forth until I was halfway through the book. If I hadn't had to go to work the next day, I would've stayed up the rest of the night reading it.
So obviously, I liked it. A lot. I finished the sucker Friday after work. Spoilers behind the cut.
So what's so appealing? First, we all know how much I love the first person point of view. The narrator, John Perry (random, personal annoyance: characters having the same first name as the author), has a great voice, and an excellent sense of humor. No surprise there: I've been reading John Scalzi's blog for a little while now, and he's quite entertaining.
But it wasn't just the first person POV that sucked me in, or the humor. It was the different, yet seemingly realistic take on space exploration, colonization, technology, etc., and the wonderful premise of the elderly signing up for the military. Scalzi wove in the necessary and needed information quite well, and I never got bored with the scientific explanations. He also managed to answer my questions right before I got too irritated, so that was delightful.
He captures character amazingly well, and he tackles some seriously tough issues where there's no right answer. I mean, in a book that focuses on humanity's conquering of the universe by killing any alien species who get in there way, there's a lot of ethical questions to ask, moral issues to consider. And while I don't get any concrete answers, I do see characters questioning what's going on, I see characters with opposing points of view, and that helps me put the story in context.
Granted, I had a sneaking suspicion about the crux of the plot: I don't know if it's because I knew the title of the sequel novel (and I think I'd read the summary), but I knew the Ghost Brigades were more than a joke, and when I saw that Perry would be transferred into a younger version of himself, I immediately jumped on the possibility: what happens to those who die before they make it?
So Kathy showing up was no surprise, especially since Perry missed being married, having his wife, so much. But the tension there kept me reading: I wanted to see what would happen when they finally met, and then I wanted to see what happened AFTER they met.
This book's got GOOD stuff. Problems I had were nitpicks, like the previously mentioned sharing of the first name, and Scalzi's sudden shift to present tense during a pivotal scene. But because said scene was pivotal, I'll forgive him, even though my brain was having a fit with the transition.
It's a great book, something I'd easily recommend to anyone who enjoys SF. It's hard to believe this is a debut novel, it's so well done, but it's a great read, a fast read, and compelling. I look forward to reading The Ghost Brigades, and I think it's safe to say that Scalzi's got a new die-hard fan: if he writes it, I'll read it. Period. Welcome to the "must-read" ranks, Mr. Scalzi, and well done. :)
Next read: Apex Science Fiction & Horror Digest: Winter 2006