old_mans_war – Made by Mikal

The End of All Things

Post author:mikal
Post published:August 3, 2015
Post category:Book

I don't read as much as I should these days, but one author I always make time for is John Scalzi. This is the next book in the Old Man's War universe, and it continues from where The Human Division ended on a cliff hanger. So, let's get that out of the way -- ending a book on a cliff hanger is a dick move and John is a bad bad man. Then again I really enjoyed The Human Division, so I will probably forgive him. I don't think this book is as good as The Human Division, but its a solid book. I enjoyed reading it and it wasn't a chore like some books this far into a universe can be (I'm looking at you, Asimov share cropped books). The conclusion to the story arc is sensible, and not something I would have predicted, so overall I'm going to put this book on my mental list of the very many non-terrible Scalzi books.

The Human Division

Post author:mikal
Post published:November 26, 2014
Post category:Book

I originally read this as a series of short stories released on the kindle, but the paperback collation of those has been out for a while and deserved a read. These stories are classic Scalzi, and read well. If you like the Old Man's War universe you will like this book. The chapters of the book are free standing because of how they were originally written, and that makes the book a bit disjointed. The cliff hanger at the end is also pretty annoying given the next book hasn't been released. So, an interesting experiment that perhaps isn't perfect, but is well worth the read.

The Ghost Brigades (2)

Post author:mikal
Post published:December 30, 2011
Post category:Book

The second time around I think my opinion has changed a little. I found the plot a little hard to believe (perhaps I am scarred by other book's twee explorations of the motivations of alien species), and overall the book not as good as Old Man's War. Then again, its far from the worst book I have read this year. Original post about this book. [award: nominee prometheus 2007] [isbn: 0765354063]

Zoe’s Tale

Post author:mikal
Post published:November 19, 2010
Post category:Book

This is a retelling of the events of The Last Colony from the perspective of Zoe, the teenaged adopted daughter of the colony leaders. The story makes the teenaged female narrator quite believable, although that is a little annoying at times. There is a lot of introductory material, and then a relatively rapid wrap up of the story line, which is common across all of the Old Ma's War books that I have read. Overall I enjoyed this book, but not as much as Old Man's War or The Ghost Brigades. [isbn: 0765356198] [awards: nominee hugo 2009]

The Sagan Diary

Post author:mikal
Post published:November 18, 2010
Post category:Book

I think I'd be a little bit peeved if I'd paid the recommended retail for this book, because its a 100 page book (in an unusually large font), and they want $45 for it. Sure its a limited edition, but that's a lot of money for what is basically a short story. I paid $18, and I still think that's a lot of money for this much book. This book is a series of reflections on the life of Jane Sagan. These are beautiful, but if you're expecting a book in the same vein as the rest of the Old Man's War books you'll be disappointed. [isbn: 9781596061033;1596061030]

The Last Colony

Post author:mikal
Post published:November 9, 2010
Post category:Book

All of the Old Men's War books (Old Man's War and The Ghost Brigades) have started slowly and built up to a climax. That's been good because its given some time for background which makes the second phase of the book all the more fully formed. This book is the same, although I think the introduction is more long winded than previously, and the whole thing gets wrapped up surprisingly quickly. Overall a good book, but not as good as the previous two.

The Ghost Brigades

Post author:mikal
Post published:November 4, 2010
Post category:Book

This book is a really good sequel, and just as good as Old Man's War. While some of the characters reappear, the story stands on its own and is quite entertaining. I enjoyed this book a lot. There's something about bright green genetically engineered super soldiers killing aliens that makes me happy. [award: nominee prometheus 2007] [isbn: 0765354063]

Old Man’s War

Post author:mikal
Post published:November 2, 2010
Post category:Book

I've owned this book for a while, and now really regret not reading it the second it hit my shelves. Its amazingly good for a first book, and is definitely as good as The Forever War and Forever Peace, and better than Starship Troopers. I'm very very impressed with it. An excellent book if you're into combat scifi. Update 2011: I've been in a rut recently where I haven't really been enjoying the books I've been reading. The number of books I read has also dropped off a lot since I moved back to Australia. Some of the drop off is associated with living in a house instead of an apartment -- there is constant maintenance work to be done, and I might never finish painting this place. However, I was worried that perhaps I simply wasn't as into reading as I was a couple of years ago. So, I decided to go back and read a book I enjoyed before, and see if I still liked it. This was that book. The answer is hells yes. This book is still fantastic, and I really enjoyed it. I also knocked it over in a time similar to when I was…