Old Man's War

316 pages

English language

Published Jan. 5, 2005 by A Tom Doherty Associates Book.

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4 stars (5 reviews)

John Scalzi channels Robert Heinlein (including a wry sense of humor) in a novel about a future Earth engaged in an interstellar war against more advanced species. Citizens volunteer for the Colonial Defense Forces after retirement, in exchange for which they have their consciousness transferred into a young body, cloned from their DNA but enhanced. If, against the odds, they survive two years of combat (or 10 years if things aren't going well, which they're not), they get another body and enjoy a fresh start on a colony. This is Scalzi's first novel, and it creates a future he will revisit in subsequent stories.

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 …

11 editions

reviewed Old Man's War by John Scalzi

A very large world, a very limited protagonist

4 stars

I plan to keep reading the series, as it's very engaging and the pages go by fast. On top of that, the world feels massive with so much left to explore. With that said, the main character falls a bit flat. We don't see much of his life pre-war and as a result the affect it has on him isn't a very strong dichotomy.

avatar for Jmbmkn@bookwyrm.social

rated it

4 stars

Subjects

  • Life on other planets -- Fiction.
  • Space colonies -- Fiction.
  • Space warfare -- Fiction.
  • Older men -- Fiction.
  • Soldiers -- Fiction.