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Old Man's War (Old Man's War #1)

by John Scalzi (Goodreads Author)

4.16 · rating details · 10,952 ratings · 1,259 reviews

John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army.

The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce--and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So: we fight. To defend Earth, and to stake our own claim to planetary real e...more

Mass Market Paperback, 314 pages

Published January 15th 2007 by Tor Science Fiction (first published January 1st 2005)

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Apr 25, 2011

Ceridwen rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: aliens, america-and-environs, ghost-stories, sci-fi, space-the-final-frontier, the-future-is-now

Several smart-ass descriptions:

Joe Haldeman without the Vietnam War era commentary.

The Word for World is Forest without the Vietnam War commentary, dreaming, and from the wrong side of the fight.

Robert A. Heinlein without the towering Heinlein assholery.*

Babel-17 without the poetry, but with the ghosts.

Ender's Game with old guys instead of kids.

Familiar military sf with an avuncular, lightly comic bent and good flash-bang fight sce...more

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Feb 25, 2011

Dan rated it

Shelves: christmas-2010, sf, 2010, favorites

John Perry enlists in the Colonial Defense Force on his 75th birthday and gets whisked off to war in a new and improved body, defending Earth's colonies against alien races. Will John be one of the few that survives his first year?

John Scalzi's blog is one of the few I've followed in 2010 and I'm pleased to say that if Old Man's War is any judge, his novels are just as entertaining as his blog.

I've been pretty omnivorous in my reading tastes the last couple of years and ...more

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Jun 08, 2009

Jon rated it

Recommended to Jon by: Kristin

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction, read-in-my-40s, hugo-nominee

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. A good story, regardless of genre, and an especially great military science fiction tale.

Our point of view is through the eyes of John Perry. We meet him on Earth, as a seventy-five year old widower living in Ohio. It's his birthday and it's time for him to report for duty. He (and his wife) both signed up for the Colonial Defense Force ten years ago, recruited with visions of renewed youth and minimum of two years of service. Kathy died eight years ago of a stroke while making ...moreA good story, regardless of genre, and an especially great military science fiction tale.

Our point of view is through the eyes of John Perry. We meet him on Earth, as a seventy-five year old widower living in Ohio. It's his birthday and it's time for him to report for duty. He (and his wife) both signed up for the Colonial Defense Force ten years ago, recruited with visions of renewed youth and minimum of two years of service. Kathy died eight years ago of a stroke while making cookies in their kitchen. John makes his farewells to friends and family and visits his wife's grave one last time.

John and several thousand other 75-year olds are transported to a Colonial transport ship and enjoy the usual military "hurry up and wait" routine. Eventually, after seemingly endless and pointless tests, the day of truth arrives and the recruits report for their final physical improvements regimen.

Rather than a retrofit of his existing body, John receives a new improved not quite human body with many enhancements, including green photosynthetic skin, cat-like eyes, SmartBlood (nanotechnology), BrainPal (PDA and HUD with extreme Internet access all embedded in the brain - both voice and thought activated) and superhuman reflexes, strength and endurance. After training, designed mostly to convince the recruits that their old inhibitions do not apply to their new bodies, the soldiers are dropped into battle with a variety of incomprehensible, tenacious and prolific alien species. Their goal - to defend the scarce "real estate" of the human colonies and potential colony planets.

For me, the best parts of this story was the relationship. They were sparse but gripping. Perry's memories of his wife and marriage. The familial bonding among the Old Farts and the grief of their passing. I was especially touched with the death of Maggie, who composed a heart-wrenching jisei poem as she plummeted through a planet's atmosphere:

Do not mourn me, friends
I fall as a shooting star
Into the next life

And lastly the burgeoning relationship between Jane Sagan, occupying the body of Kathy, John's wife, and John Perry. Her anonymous postcard sent to John inviting him to find her when he retires and start a new life with her brought tears to my eyes.

I recommend this to anyone who loves military science fiction, with a good does of wit and sarcasm, flavored with a gentle touch of what it means to be human in an insane non-human galaxy. (less)

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May 10, 2008

Brownbetty rated it

Not quite what I expected from the cover. In my experience of oil-paintings-of-planets-and-spacecraft covers, you tend to get pretty hard SF to go with them. This was more extra-firm tofu hard. The cover blurbs compared him to Heinlein, which was fair.

The book has a couple of reveals, the first of which I genuinely did not see coming, and the second of which I saw coming for a while, so I'll separate my review into the bits I can talk about without spoiling and the spoilery bits. ...more

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Feb 27, 2011

Kemper rated it

Shelves: 2011, aliens, sci-fi, space, military, war

Getting old sucks but as the old joke says, it‘s better than the alternative. However, what if there was a way to get to be young again? The catch is that if you do it, you’ll probably die in some horribly bloody and spectacular fashion at the hands of aliens on a distant world. Any volunteers?

In this terrific novel, humanity has spread out to the stars only to find that they’re competing with several types of aliens for habitable planets. The Colonial Defense Force has been wagi...moreGetting old sucks but as the old joke says, it‘s better than the alternative. However, what if there was a way to get to be young again? The catch is that if you do it, you’ll probably die in some horribly bloody and spectacular fashion at the hands of aliens on a distant world. Any volunteers?

In this terrific novel, humanity has spread out to the stars only to find that they’re competing with several types of aliens for habitable planets. The Colonial Defense Force has been waging those wars and gathering advanced technologies in the process. Needing volunteers, the CDF has a recruiting pitch that’s hard to top. They’ll take senior citizens from Earth and somehow make them young again. Survive the ten year enlistment, and the reward is getting set up on one of the colonized planets.

John Perry is a widower who joins the CDF on his seventy-fifth birthday. He quickly learns how the CDF makes good on their promise to make soldier young again, and also finds out that the war they’ll be fighting is incredibly brutal and that most won’t survive their enlistments.

The idea of humans fighting wars out in space with advanced technology is nothing new, but Scalzi did a great job of taking fresh approaches to this concept. The idea of an army made up of senior citizens is unique in itself, and the weapons and tech he came up with are also clever and inventive. It’s filed with rip-roaring battle scenes, and the alien opponents he created are also several notches above what you usually get in these space war type books.

But the real hook is here the outstanding job that Scalzi did with the characters, and the sense of humor that he weaves into the story. There’s a lot of very funny stuff in this book amidst the interstellar war, and that’s something that many sci-fi writers forget to include. I particularly loved how Scalzi took the standard war story scenes of the gruff old drill sergeant training the recruits and gave it a twist.

I’ll be checking out the sequels as soon as I can get my hands on them.(less)

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Aug 05, 2007

Ascexis rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, alienworlds, reviewed

This is an odd sort of book. Scalzi has a really neat central premise -- but the story gets lost up against it. The story is told in an oddly clinical fashion that leaves a sort of feeling that you're being given a report on story instead of the story itself. The story moves along briskly enough, but I'm left oddly unmoved by the protagonist's experience.

It doesn't help that while the premise requires that the protagonist excel at warfare etc., he surpasses all expectations -- ...more

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Jun 04, 2007

Trin rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, american-lit

The first 100 pages or so of this book are absolutely fantastic. The Colonial Defense Forces recruit citizens of Earth on their 75th birthdays to fight with them against the various alien species threatening the series of colonies Earth needs because of population overflow, war, all the usual ways we’ve fucked up the planet. Senior citizens sign up because the CDF promises to make them young again—if they sign a contract to serve for ten years. And most of them will probably get gruesomely kille...moreThe first 100 pages or so of this book are absolutely fantastic. The Colonial Defense Forces recruit citizens of Earth on their 75th birthdays to fight with them against the various alien species threatening the series of colonies Earth needs because of population overflow, war, all the usual ways we’ve fucked up the planet. Senior citizens sign up because the CDF promises to make them young again—if they sign a contract to serve for ten years. And most of them will probably get gruesomely killed in that time. But at least they won’t die old, right?

All of this stuff is fascinating. I loved the set up, the procedure and world-building involved in John Perry, 75-year-old widower and retired ad writer, joining the army and making friends with his fellow recruits and going through pre-procedure tests and through the actual procedure (which I won’t spoil) and the boot camp stuff that comes after. Scalzi describes the actual battles which follow with no less intensity, but once John starts fighting, the sense of who he is really gets lost. (I was actually waiting for that to be revealed to be part of the point, but it wasn’t.) John just becomes A Soldier, almost instantly. Besides his sense of loyalty and his lingering feelings about his dead wife, there’s very little left to connect him to who he used to be. It’s mentioned several times that John and his wife protested the big war on Earth, but John seems almost entirely unconcerned with the unquestioning massacre of various alien species. I must admit, it started to make me a liiiiiitle uncomfortable. Scalzi has said that his inspiration for this book was Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, and this book, I think, faces a lot of the same problems I’ve heard are inherent in that one. (I haven’t actually read it, so if I’m way off base, please tell me.) Both, I believe, walk the line between criticizing war and glorifying it, and so whatever message results is kind of muddled. I got the most enjoyment out of Old Man’s War when I, well, just tried not to think about it too much. Not an attitude I usually endorse, but there you go. Still, the underlying sci-fi concepts in this book—the stuff about identity—are really interesting; I am anxious to get my hands on the sequel, even if it means I’ll have to turn off my brain for a while. Or at least the hard-working liberal guilt section.(less)

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Aug 06, 2011

The Holy Terror rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, color-blue, borrowed, space-opera, military, aliens

There wasn't anything horribly wrong with this book, but I found myself unattached to any of the characters. And even for a science fiction novel I thought a lot of the plot was just unbelievable; the main character seems to excel at and have the answer to everything while his fellow soldiers get killed left and right. The people he meets are little more than cannon fodder and you don't really get a chance to like them so it's not that big of deal when they bite it. Scalzi chooses to barely desc...moreThere wasn't anything horribly wrong with this book, but I found myself unattached to any of the characters. And even for a science fiction novel I thought a lot of the plot was just unbelievable; the main character seems to excel at and have the answer to everything while his fellow soldiers get killed left and right. The people he meets are little more than cannon fodder and you don't really get a chance to like them so it's not that big of deal when they bite it. Scalzi chooses to barely describe the various characters, and then when they get their "upgrades," they all are young and beautiful and even harder to tell apart. It also doesn't help that every single character has the same snarky voice; even the women.

Almost a full half of the novel is spent on setup and getting the soldiers ready for battle. A lot of the technology was interesting and also easy to understand, but I felt like too much time was spent on leading up to the main story. And then, when the characters finally enter into battle and start fighting for human's right to colonize, each chapter reads like: "this girl died, then that guy died, then this girl got eaten, then that guy got vaporized, now let's go kill some aliens and act like complete dickwads because if we don't kill them first, humanity is DOOMED." I was continuously bored because I didn’t even care if the humans won or if the main character lived to see another day.

The first and last chapters did make me a little teary eyed, and this was mostly due to the relationship the main character had with his wife. Scalzi's focus is never on characterization though, so these brief interludes add only a small amount of charm to an otherwise emotionally bereft story.

I'm hoping that this was just a case of "first book syndrome" since this is the beginning of a series. I've heard it gets better, although I've read his newest book, Fuzzy Nation, and I really think I'll continue to have the same problem. Namely, I feel like he enjoys creating a worst case scenario and devising the cleverest way for them to escape it, and it all ends up feeling too neat and methodical. It's just too bad that I don't really care about his characters, because then these books would be a lot more enjoyable.
(less)

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Jan 24, 2009

Jamie rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

It's hard to believe this book is so highly rated. I thought it was dreadful, and certainly the worst Hugo nominee I've ever read. I'm a fan of this genre; I like Starship Troopers and The Forever War, to which this book has been compared; but while the topic may be similar, it's an understatement to say that the author is not in the same league as Heinlein and Haldeman.

It begins with an interesting concept: old people are recruited at the end of their fruitful lives on Earth and g...more

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Nov 28, 2008

Ron rated it

Shelves: science-fiction, fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Oh, yeah! This is what it's all about.

This is great fiction, and great science fiction.

Read this book.

Perhaps I should explain why I call this fantasy as well as science fiction. Unlike many other readers, I deem the presence of aliens in a story as as much a sign of fantasy as magic. I understand that the probability there might be life, intelligence and superior science and technology in this galaxy--let alone the rest of the universe--approaches unity, bu...moreOh, yeah! This is what it's all about.

This is great fiction, and great science fiction.

Read this book.

Perhaps I should explain why I call this fantasy as well as science fiction. Unlike many other readers, I deem the presence of aliens in a story as as much a sign of fantasy as magic. I understand that the probability there might be life, intelligence and superior science and technology in this galaxy--let alone the rest of the universe--approaches unity, but . . . for us to populate our science fiction with them is as much a work of imagination as to create stories with dwarfs, elves, hobbits, etc. I'm certain many of you will object. Sorry, that's how I see it.

Scvalzi's political correctness intrudes on his otherwise excellent story. Beyond the mandatory fawning demanded by our age, he fails to even give passing mention to physiological differences between the sexes--critical considerations for infantry. In fact, when the "Old Farts" get their new bodies, his (and their) attention is fixated on their physical beauty and condition without mentioning that the females' enhancements might have been turned up a notch to compensate for their natural smaller size. It doesn't hurt the story especially, but it is noticeable. And will surely mark this story in time just as the misogynic attitudes of nineteenth century novels date them.

His portrayal of military life is spot on except for two omissions. First, all battles are "at a distance." Everything is surgical and arm's length. The most intense kind of combat is hand-to-hand: confused, frightening and messy. He reports on melees, but none ever happen on stage. Even John's crash landing seems too analytical and not emotional. Second, his "only need two hours of sleep" rule does not do away with the second feature of long engagements: being tired. Even if their green skin and super blood keeps them ready to go, sleep deprivation has psychological implications, which are not mentioned.

(There was a third aspect which knocked me out of the story, but I kept reading rather than making a note. Sorry.)

Don't let these quibbles dissuade you from reading Old Man's War.(less)

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May 10, 2007

Denise rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: Any SF reader

Shelves: sf

I picked this one up intending to read a few chapters before bed tonight, and now it's two in the morning and I've finished it, which should tell you something about it. I'm valiantly resisting starting the sequel, which I also bought tonight.

The cover quote on this one compares Scalzi to Heinlein, which is both accurate and inaccurate: this is the book Starship Troopers would have been if it had been written fifty years later, with the intervening fifty years' worth of political and...more

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Dec 30, 2010

Mike (the Paladin) rated it

Shelves: science-fiction, action

This was/is one of the better science fiction books I've read in a while. Another and different picture of a space faring future. It leads into a couple of other books which I again (sadly) don't find quite as good as the first here.

Anyway...humans have stepped out into the wider universe and found that we are not only not alone, but that "interplanetary real-estate" is very "expensive", in lives. Humanity it turns out isn't quite as physically imposing or ...more

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Apr 18, 2009

James rated it

Shelves: best-of-sci-fi-fantasy, could-not-put-down, sci-fi

I have a love-hate relationship with the science fiction genre. The masters of the art elevate the genre to a level on par with any literary masterwork while the typical sci-fi book leaves a sour taste in my mouth and makes me wonder why I ever bother with the genre. This is how I felt after reading Stephen Baxter's Time's Eye series which was such a disappointing read I didn't bother to add it to my GoodReads account.

All that preamble to say that Scalzi has revived my faith in sci-f...more

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Nov 06, 2011

Kat Hooper rated it

* In this universe, experience counts.
* Guns don’t kill people. The aliens behind the triggers do.

John Perry is 75 years old, his wife is dead, and he has nothing left to live for. It’s a perfect time to join the army, and the Colonial Defense Force is recruiting. They need a lot of loyal human bodies to maintain the universe colonization project, so their preference is to recruit old people, rejuvenate their bodies (nobody on Earth knows exactly how this happens), and ...more * In this universe, experience counts.
* Guns don’t kill people. The aliens behind the triggers do.

John Perry is 75 years old, his wife is dead, and he has nothing left to live for. It’s a perfect time to join the army, and the Colonial Defense Force is recruiting. They need a lot of loyal human bodies to maintain the universe colonization project, so their preference is to recruit old people, rejuvenate their bodies (nobody on Earth knows exactly how this happens), and train them to fight for the human race. Most of them will be dead within a few years, but that’s all they were expecting on Earth anyway. The Colonial Defense Force gives them something valuable to do for humanity, and a chance for a new life.

Old Man’s War is one of the most enjoyable novels I’ve read this year. The premise — old people being rejuvenated — makes for an excellent twist on the usual alien-fighting theme. The elderly, as opposed to the usual young heroes we find in so many speculative fiction novels, have had a lifetime to accumulate knowledge, skills, wisdom, and experience. I found John Perry and his cohort to be mature heroes whom I could admire and enthusiastically cheer for. I cried for them, too, as they lost each other or ruminated on past loves. Perry’s explanation of why he missed being married was moving and reminded me of my graduate school days when I would have felt lonely and unsupported (and maybe quit) if it hadn’t been for my husband’s presence.

Scalzi’s villains, on the other hand — all those alien creatures — are absolutely horrifying! The humans usually have no idea what they’ll find on a new planet, which is why their mortality rate is so high. It could be an insectoid creature with razors for hands, or a jumping slime mold, or a virus... The diversity of alien life that Scalzi has created adds suspense and terror to his story.

Old Man’s War is not a comedy, but it’s often funny — very funny. I laughed hard and out loud many times. William Dufris, the narrator of the audiobook version I listened to, contributed to the humor by reading the funny parts in a perfect deadpan voice. Dufris was outstanding and I highly recommend Macmillan Audio’s version.

I will definitely be reading John Scalzi’s other books in this series. Old Man’s War was excellent.(less)

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Nov 05, 2011

Daniel rated it

Shelves: science-fiction

I enjoyed this book, which actually surprised me a bit. Typically with sci-fi I tend to prefer heavier fare, but Scalzi's light touch with his prose worked for me quite well. Its central idea is spectacular story-fodder, and I'm interested in seeing what he does with it in the later books of the series.

Unfortunately, there is a little bit of a strange disconnect in the story, which might have a lot to do with the fact that the protagonist seems to excel at everything, and never seem...more

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Aug 22, 2008

Bill Purdy rated it

Recommends it for: Sci-fi fans, particularly fans of Starship Troopers, Enders Game, and similarly-themed novels

Recommended to Bill by: Brian Tenpenny, Tor.com

...and so I have finished my first eBook, Old Man's War, on my new Kindle. And I liked it. I liked it a lot.

This particular copy of the book was distributed as part of the promotion for Tor's new website. That promotion, which must have seemed pretty risky to some of the folks in the Tor marketing department has paid off, at least locally -- I've visited the site several times since and have downloaded (and paid for) two of their books to my Kindle, with (I am sure) many more to come...more

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Aug 04, 2008

Mark rated it

Recommends it for: Fans of military SF and fans of pulp SF.

Shelves: sciencefiction

"Old Man's War" by John Scalzi is one of the quickest reads I've had in a while. It's the epitome of a "page-turner" and for fans of military science fiction, you can't go wrong with this one. If the premise sounds interesting, you should read it. If you like military science fiction such as "The Forever War" by Joe Haldeman or "Starship Troopers" by Robert Heinlein, what are you doing reading this when you could be reading "Old Man's War"? G...more

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Jun 05, 2008

Jake rated it

Shelves: science-fiction, series

This one was a loaner from PoeGhostal, who, much like me, recently has made the transition from being an avid fantasy reader to being on a sci-fi kick. I’m not sure what caused me to make the transition; for some reason lately, I’ve just been more in a space and starships mood, rather than a sword-and-sorcery mood. Of course, I still have piles of fantasy that I want to get through, most notably a bunch of REH’s works. But I digress.

Old Man’s War is military science fiction in the trad...moreThis one was a loaner from PoeGhostal, who, much like me, recently has made the transition from being an avid fantasy reader to being on a sci-fi kick. I’m not sure what caused me to make the transition; for some reason lately, I’ve just been more in a space and starships mood, rather than a sword-and-sorcery mood. Of course, I still have piles of fantasy that I want to get through, most notably a bunch of REH’s works. But I digress.

Old Man’s War is military science fiction in the tradition of Starship Troopers, and those familiar with Heinlein’s work will find a lot of basic similarities in the plot; a man from Earth decides to join up with the Space Armed Forces, and goes off to fight aliens and discover what war is really about. There’s cool technology, clever tactics, and a fair amount of musing about life by the narrator in question.

By that description, I’m making Old Man’s War seem like a cheap knock-off of Starship Troopers, and it’s really not. It is its own story, quite distinct, and with some seriously notable differences. Perhaps the most notable being the main character, John Perry, who is not the callow youth that Juan Rico is, but instead, is a seventy-five year old man who decides to sign up for the Colonial Defense Forces because he’s got nothing left to lose. He does this without having the faintest idea of WHAT is going to happen to him…the contact between the colonies and Earth is virtually non-existent. It’s an interesting set up, and one of several interesting ideas that Scalzi has throughout the book. Actually, that’s unfair. Scalzi has a lot of interesting ideas, particularly in the realm of technology, and in terms of alien cultures.

The writing itself is solid, if not mind-blowing. The book moves along at a pretty good clip, and while Scalzi does occasionally dive into obligatory technobabble to explain some piece of technology, it is the sort of technobabble that even a non-scientist like myself can follow (one of the things that keeps me away from many sci-fi books is the detailed technological explanations). Most of the characters are pretty interesting, though a few them feel a little flat/forced (the drill sergeant bugs me, for a variety of reasons I wont’ get into here). I’m really not a fan of the presence of Jane Sagan, but it’s hard to get into WHY without getting to heavily into the plot. I’ll just say that I thought her presence and arc were largely unnecessary, and feel that something more interesting could have been done with the plot there.

I think I’m making this book sound worse than I think it is, so let me back up a step. This is a good book. Really. It’s fast-paced military science fiction, somewhat reminiscent of Heinlein, and honestly, a little reminiscent of Zahn. The main character is fun, the humor is good, and the action works very well. The aliens are neat, and alien, which is a welcome change from the “humans with stuff on their foreheads” syndrome, or from the “we’ll tell you nothing at all about them” method of dealing with aliens. The good stuff, however, is in some the characters and the ideas. The plot itself is not horrible, but it’s nothing to write home about either. The strength of the writing is definitely more in Perry and his interactions with a strange and hostile cosmos that it is in the intrigue and plot twists. The work is also somewhat less introspective than Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, which is either a good or bad thing, depending on what you’re looking for. Perry does do a bit of soul-searching, mind you, but the book does not seem to set out to make a point in the same way that Heinlein does.

At the end of the day, this is good, fun, solid, military science fiction. If you want to read about a bunch of people who explore the universe, meet strange new people, and blow them up, this is a pretty good place to start.(less)

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Jan 13, 2012

Suible added it · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, kindle, ohio

I finished Old Man's War - bought completely on a whim, but finished with a fair amount of enthusiasm. It is an interesting exploration of relationships, death, old age, and what makes us human.

I like the book well enough to at least consider reading more in this series. I especially want to know what happens to Jane Sagan. I like the book in spite of rarely reading science fiction and never having read any sort of military fiction. I can't say I'm ready to branch out into new genres,...more

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Nov 04, 2010

Melani rated it

I liked it. At first I felt as though there was a lot of brushing over things. There’s quite a lot of buildup to the war itself, the recruitment, the training etc, but the war is told in snapshots and small briefs. It’s a bit deceptive for a book with the word war in the title yet doesn’t really contain much war. But the character was interesting enough to pull me through all those that glossed over what I thought was the plot and even through the hard sci-fi explanation stuff, which to be h...more

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Dec 09, 2007

Celia Powell rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

I'm a fan of John Scalzi's blog, and when the library eventually bought some copies of his book Old Man's War, I snaffled up a copy.

I quite enjoyed this tale of the elderly being shipped off Earth to be made young again, and used as soldiers in a seemingly never-ending galactic war. It's an interesting premise, certainly. I wasn't completely caught up in it though - and it's hard to be attached to characters who keep dying (they are in a war, after all). And a seemingly never-endi...more

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Jan 06, 2010

Tamsin Barlow rated it

This was just great fun to read. For those who care -- the language gets salty once the protagonist joins the military -- but what would you expect? It's been ages since I enjoyed sci-fi this much.

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Jul 06, 2007

Clinton rated it

Shelves: sci-fi

I read this book during our December 2005 Caribbean cruise. I was blown away by the awesomeness of Scalzi's universe, and loved how he so quickly developed a world that I was pulled into.

This book reads like The Forever War-lite. It deals with many of the same themes, but in a far more light-hearted and fun-to-read manner. The gadgets are cool (I totally want a BrainPal), the settings are fun, and the writing is good. For dealing with the subject of recruits sent to die in an int...more

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Nov 29, 2010

Simeon rated it

Shelves: sci-fi

Surprisingly amusing.

Different cover-art version of this book:

green

Yeah, they are green. It's the chlorophyll.

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Mar 24, 2011

Gina rated it

Shelves: adventure, science-fiction

This science fiction story takes place on Earth. It has become an overcrowded planet with limited resources. The solution to this problem is to send people living in heavily populated countries to colonies in outer space. However, there are other species competing for these colonies. As a result a military force is needed. Since life expectancy is much improved on Earth, older people on their 75th birthday have the option of enlisting. They are given the chance, through technology,of becom...more

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Feb 22, 2009

Stefan rated it

Shelves: science-fiction-and-alt-history

A pleasantly fresh approach to military science fiction. John Scalzi walked the fine line between simplified back-stories,and settings, while also keeping the book intelligent, unique (though the author admits he borrowed some ideas), and having technologies, situations, and settings that seem possible (or at least not downright contradictory to current thinking) and make the reader think without becoming too scientific. Old Man's War managed to a fun, additively readable and action packed sci-f...more

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Aug 07, 2008

nicebutnubbly rated it

This owes too much to Heinlein for me to love it. And it's a bit facile - the protagonist is loved by beautiful women and respected by his peers and superior officers for no particularly apparent reason. Race is handwaved as being nothing but skin color. Unlike others, I wasn't bothered by the plausibility of the central premise - I liked it, and it's in line with a lot of research on wisdom, smarts, and aging. Regardless, the testosterone came through in the tone of the book too much for me to ...more

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Jul 08, 2010

Minh rated it

Shelves: sci-fi

I resisted the urge to read this series for so long, simply because I wasn't really interested in Sci-Fi, and it still isn't one of my favourite genres. However every now and then you'll stumble across a gem that is just really worthy of the hype.

One of the positives of not being overly hyped up for something is the anticipation and fun of really having no idea what is going on. I had no idea what the novel was about, having never even read the blurb for the novel. John Perry struck me as a ver...more

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Mar 17, 2009

Doug rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I like this book enough to go out and buy the next two, The Ghost Brigades and The Last Colony. Usually I'm a sucker for a good conflict in space with aliens saga, especially if it has an entertaining premise and back story. I found the synopsis intriguing, older, post retirement age adults on Earth being recruited by an elite and off world force to defend the human colonized planets.
The story didn't disappoint, it was fast paced with good narrative and action. I found the central charact...moreI like this book enough to go out and buy the next two, The Ghost Brigades and The Last Colony. Usually I'm a sucker for a good conflict in space with aliens saga, especially if it has an entertaining premise and back story. I found the synopsis intriguing, older, post retirement age adults on Earth being recruited by an elite and off world force to defend the human colonized planets.
The story didn't disappoint, it was fast paced with good narrative and action. I found the central character compelling and interesting, if anything I would have liked more detail on the training aspects before the battles and how the soldiers coped with their "new" bodies. That all seemed kind of rushed to me, as did some of the military missions. That aside, I enjoyed it a lot and it kept me interested to the very end. Here's my only gripe, unless the moral climate on Earth had changed dramatically it didn't seem like many of these recruits had very many moral issues with their new lives. There was some commentary about feeling uneasy about fighting and killing but the whole premise of fighting every other race in the universe would have set of some kind of alarm bells in my head. Granted that they had signed contracts and were pretty much stuck with their lot with the CDF, but I wanted more moral dilemma in many of the characters. I mean these were doctors, lawyers, housewives, whatever, not seasoned soldiers. The bodies were new but the brains with all their experiences were old. Think about trying to convince your mom or dad to try something radically different and new, not a very easy task with a life long string of experiences and beliefs. Regardless of that very small quibble, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, Scalzi has a direct writing style without a lot of "fluff" and I appreciated that. the battles were interesting and well done, the tech, especially the military tech, was very intriguing. The introduction of the Ghost Brigade was very cool, super soldiers even more super than the regular CDF soldiers and without a past. That concept has been explored before of course but is well done here. I don't know how many times I've tried to slog through a Stephen King novel and was bogged down for three pages of descriptions of an old rusted truck on a frozen Main dirt road, that never happened here, I never found myself skipping paragraphs. I was disappointed when the story ended and that's always a sign I really liked what I just read.(less)

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Feb 19, 2009

Paul rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: sciencefictionfantasy

Mankind has started to spread out in the galaxy, and so have a lot of other races. The available real estate is scarce, which leads to near-constant war for land.

The only way for Americans to get into space is to join the Colonial Defense Force (CDF). They guard human colonies, and go to war over disputed planets. The CDF only takes people who have reached their 75th birthday. A vague promise of being made young again is a pretty strong incentive to sign up. The catch is that joining...moreMankind has started to spread out in the galaxy, and so have a lot of other races. The available real estate is scarce, which leads to near-constant war for land.

The only way for Americans to get into space is to join the Colonial Defense Force (CDF). They guard human colonies, and go to war over disputed planets. The CDF only takes people who have reached their 75th birthday. A vague promise of being made young again is a pretty strong incentive to sign up. The catch is that joining the CDF is a one-way trip. If you survive your tour of duty, hardly a sure thing, you will spend the rest of your life on some colony planet; returning to Earth is not an option.

John Perry signs up. He just turned 75, his wife, Kathy, died several years previously, and his one adult son lives on his own. On the spaceship taking him, and several hundred others, to basic training on another planet, he learns just what the becoming young part is all about. His consciousness is transferred into a cloned body, in its mid-twenties, made from his own DNA, which was extracted from him several years previously. It's very much of a new and improved body with a green skin color. He also has a computer implanted in his brain, which can talk to him and communicate with anyone else.

After basic training, Perry and his squad travel from planet to planet. Friends die, and new friends are made. During one disastrous operation, Perry crash lands on a planet, and is rescued by. . . his wife. She too is green, but the resemblance is way too close to be a coincidence. She (her name is Jane) is part of the Ghost Brigades, actually clones of dead people. Having no conception of what life is like as a realborn, they are kept far away from the rest of the CDF. Perry is made part of a Ghost Brigades squad, and begins to tell his squadmates what it's like to be married, and to love another person.

Here is an excellent novel. It has space travel, it has weirdness, it has heart and it has a lot of great writing. This is highly recommended.

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