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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
Good, but not quite as hard-to-put-down as previous entries in the series. I kind of missed the presence of John Perry and Jane Sagan as protagonists. Still good, though, and I'll be interested to see what the final volume holds for the story.
Great change of pace.
This book focuses on diplomatic relations. Great change of pace compared to the war aspect of the previous books.
I feel this book is more clever. Still has action but also has a mystery element.
This book focuses on diplomatic relations. Great change of pace compared to the war aspect of the previous books.
I feel this book is more clever. Still has action but also has a mystery element.
No real resolution here. :p still, it was fast paced and fairly fun.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Not my favorite. While it attempted to maintain a cohesive story, the original material's episodic nature made for a read through that felt stilted at times. Much of that was due to slight rehashing (for new readers when it was on Tor.com no doubt) and the need to reintroduce key bits repeatedly. Understandable in the original format, but in a collected "novel" I don't think it worked as well.
There are two major changes in [a:John Scalzi|4763|John Scalzi|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1562613145p2/4763.jpg]'s book [b:The Human Division|15698479|The Human Division (Old Man's War, #5)|John Scalzi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1341582413l/15698479._SY75_.jpg|21356077]. First, the series moves away from the Perry family's point-of-view in this story and replaces them with Harry Wilson, a wise-cracking Colonial Defense Force soldier. Second, this is a serial, which means the stories–while connected the universe—aren't necessarily narratively related to each other. Instead, we're treated to a series of episodes with Harry and the misfit B-team.
As with [b:Zoe's Tale|2102600|Zoe's Tale (Old Man's War, #4)|John Scalzi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1301108028l/2102600._SX50_.jpg|18280032], I had to ease into this new storytelling mechanism. Once I got passed the jolt, I enjoyed the short stories (which is really how I experienced them) and I appreciated that Scalzi didn't just continue retreading the Old Man's War series framework. I usually ditch other series around book four or five for just that reason.
The other part I enjoyed was the focus on the Earth-Colonial Union galaxy-politics instead of expanding to the Conclave or other species. The move made the story feel smaller and more intimate, as much as one can do that in a galactic space opera.
Since this was serialized, there are moments when—reading it as a collective novel—I could feel the different tones happening in the stories. But, that's a minor writer-nerd quibble and not something that got in the way of my enjoyment.
All told, this was a fine addition to the series, and I'm looking forward to Harry Wilson's next adventures.
As with [b:Zoe's Tale|2102600|Zoe's Tale (Old Man's War, #4)|John Scalzi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1301108028l/2102600._SX50_.jpg|18280032], I had to ease into this new storytelling mechanism. Once I got passed the jolt, I enjoyed the short stories (which is really how I experienced them) and I appreciated that Scalzi didn't just continue retreading the Old Man's War series framework. I usually ditch other series around book four or five for just that reason.
The other part I enjoyed was the focus on the Earth-Colonial Union galaxy-politics instead of expanding to the Conclave or other species. The move made the story feel smaller and more intimate, as much as one can do that in a galactic space opera.
Since this was serialized, there are moments when—reading it as a collective novel—I could feel the different tones happening in the stories. But, that's a minor writer-nerd quibble and not something that got in the way of my enjoyment.
All told, this was a fine addition to the series, and I'm looking forward to Harry Wilson's next adventures.
A great addition to the Old Man's War series. This thirteen episode short story election adds more depth to the wonderful future world that Scalzi has woven and begins to touch on the political and cultural seismic shocks that affect humanity following the events of The Last Colony. It's a wonderful read learning more about the Colonial Unions mindset and the Conclave species perspectives. Highly recommended, as this series stands to be my favorite of all time.
Great short story set that also was a complete story, I think. My one complaint with the collection is that it felt a bit like there were too many characters - it was a little hard to keep track of everyone, especially some of the smaller ones. Also, I want more alien descriptions!
Super enjoying it, non-stop listening!
Super enjoying it, non-stop listening!
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
fast-paced