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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
I put off reading this book for a really long time. I wanted to finish the OMW series, but honestly I liked each book a little less than the previous one, and seeing as this one was a retelling of my not so favorite installment told in the first person from the perspective of a teenage girl, a Chosen One teenage girl no less, I didn't think it would be my favorite in the series.
It's my favorite in the series.
Scalzi pulls off Zoe's voice with a skill I honestly didn't know he had in him. I think the fact that our narrator is a teenage girl and thus does a lot of internal monologuing helps limit his tendency to over-speech tag that that usually gets on my nerves. Zoe's Tale cleans up a lot of dangling plot points from Last Colony and adds an extremely different perspective on the events we do see. Scalzi has used Zoe as a tool and a plot point in this series as much as the Obin do, and this volume really gave her a chance to become a real character.
The real reason I'm giving this book a five though is that it dragged my emotions in every way possible. Maybe it's just that I'm having a rough week and kinda ready to cry on a dime, but I cried twice in this book during events that didn't make me bat an eyelash on Last Colony. The funny bits were hilarious, the sad bits were gut-wrenching, and the exciting bits were heart-pumping. There were some notable moments of cheese (Singing...? Really...?) but I have a deep abiding love of cheese, so I'll let that go.
If Last Colony disappointed you, definitely give Zoe's Tale a chance to make up for it. It is well worth your time.
It's my favorite in the series.
Scalzi pulls off Zoe's voice with a skill I honestly didn't know he had in him. I think the fact that our narrator is a teenage girl and thus does a lot of internal monologuing helps limit his tendency to over-speech tag that that usually gets on my nerves. Zoe's Tale cleans up a lot of dangling plot points from Last Colony and adds an extremely different perspective on the events we do see. Scalzi has used Zoe as a tool and a plot point in this series as much as the Obin do, and this volume really gave her a chance to become a real character.
The real reason I'm giving this book a five though is that it dragged my emotions in every way possible. Maybe it's just that I'm having a rough week and kinda ready to cry on a dime, but I cried twice in this book during events that didn't make me bat an eyelash on Last Colony. The funny bits were hilarious, the sad bits were gut-wrenching, and the exciting bits were heart-pumping. There were some notable moments of cheese (Singing...? Really...?) but I have a deep abiding love of cheese, so I'll let that go.
If Last Colony disappointed you, definitely give Zoe's Tale a chance to make up for it. It is well worth your time.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
From the start, Roanoake (Yes, they really named it that.) has been a political symbol, just not the one the colonists thought it was. Caught in an intergalactic land grab, the colony is in grave danger of being obliterated. Zoe is the daughter of colonial leaders, and revered by a powerful race of aliens. This is the story through her eyes.
Zoe's Tale is a companion novel to The Last Colony. It tells virtually the same story (but simpler) from her point of view at a slightly quicker pace. It provides insight into the 'werewolves' incident and her journey off world. I liked hearing the story in her voice and the increased interaction with Hickory and Dickory, but there was just too much overlap with the previous book. It would have been better served as a novella or two. I loved Zoe's personality and voice, but it sounded like a teenager (as portrayed in most young adult fiction) with the mental maturity of an adult. Of course, she just may be brilliantly precocious.
Zoe's Tale is a companion novel to The Last Colony. It tells virtually the same story (but simpler) from her point of view at a slightly quicker pace. It provides insight into the 'werewolves' incident and her journey off world. I liked hearing the story in her voice and the increased interaction with Hickory and Dickory, but there was just too much overlap with the previous book. It would have been better served as a novella or two. I loved Zoe's personality and voice, but it sounded like a teenager (as portrayed in most young adult fiction) with the mental maturity of an adult. Of course, she just may be brilliantly precocious.
I dont understand how a book from the perspective of a teenage girl that is a parallel story from the previous book can be so amazing. But it is.
Goodness I love these characters.
Goodness I love these characters.
I'm really torn about this book. The last third or so is the only part that seems truly new to the series, as the previous part was all just a retelling of the events in The Last Colony. That part really dragged for me.
Add in the fact that Zoe did not seem like a typical 15 y/o and I almost quit the book.
I'm glad I stuck it out as the last part of the book was interesting, but overall, there wasn't a very compelling reason as to WHY this book even exists
Zoë's Tale retells the story of the previous book from a different point of view. The first of these types of stories I read was Bully on Barkham Street, a retelling of A Dog on Barkham Street. In both Scalzi's and Mary Stoltz's tales, I found the second book better than the original.
In the case of Zoë's Tale, the author has had a chance to clean up some of the plot points not made terribly clear in the previous story. He also uses a completely different voice, this one a teenage girl. While not one myself, I found this point of view quite interesting to read and the story really worked for me.
I doubt this would work as a standalone book - we are too far into the major political machinations at this point. Also, events of battle and other plot points are only briefly mentioned. I think a standalone reader would be lost.
All that said, I found this a better book than it's predecessor. John Scalzi went out on a limb and tried something difficult, and succeeded in spades.
In the case of Zoë's Tale, the author has had a chance to clean up some of the plot points not made terribly clear in the previous story. He also uses a completely different voice, this one a teenage girl. While not one myself, I found this point of view quite interesting to read and the story really worked for me.
I doubt this would work as a standalone book - we are too far into the major political machinations at this point. Also, events of battle and other plot points are only briefly mentioned. I think a standalone reader would be lost.
All that said, I found this a better book than it's predecessor. John Scalzi went out on a limb and tried something difficult, and succeeded in spades.
4.50 out of 5.00
I gotta be honest, I’m not sure why this one got such a bad rap.
When I first saw this book in the series, I thought this would almost be a biography of Zoë and not just her side of The Last Colony. That realization made me not look forward to this book too much, but it exceeded my expectations.
The parallel timeline was executed well and, more importantly, I loved the writing style; so similar to how John Perry acts but still so much its own thing with Zoë’s point of view. (I’ll also say that this series has more point of view switches than any I’ve read before, which isn’t a bad thing, just a tad jarring)
Reading this through the lens of Zoë gave me a break from drawn out science explanations and made for a much brisker read, even though it’s the longest one yet. It read like a diary, which I felt was very fitting.
This side of the story gave me a much deeper appreciation for the loss of Enzo during The Last Colony and the book just had more heart than its predecessor. It also gave us an explanation for the werewolves that were just kind of discarded without a care in The Last Colony. Plus, we got more insight to the Obin and Consu.
While The Last Colony wasn’t bad, I felt this was a better version of that story for many reasons.
I gotta be honest, I’m not sure why this one got such a bad rap.
When I first saw this book in the series, I thought this would almost be a biography of Zoë and not just her side of The Last Colony. That realization made me not look forward to this book too much, but it exceeded my expectations.
The parallel timeline was executed well and, more importantly, I loved the writing style; so similar to how John Perry acts but still so much its own thing with Zoë’s point of view. (I’ll also say that this series has more point of view switches than any I’ve read before, which isn’t a bad thing, just a tad jarring)
Reading this through the lens of Zoë gave me a break from drawn out science explanations and made for a much brisker read, even though it’s the longest one yet. It read like a diary, which I felt was very fitting.
This side of the story gave me a much deeper appreciation for the loss of Enzo during The Last Colony and the book just had more heart than its predecessor. It also gave us an explanation for the werewolves that were just kind of discarded without a care in The Last Colony. Plus, we got more insight to the Obin and Consu.
While The Last Colony wasn’t bad, I felt this was a better version of that story for many reasons.
A retelling of the previous book from Zoes perspective. I liked the chart that this book had -- its definitely the most humorous in the series.
I listened to the audio book and really enjoyed the reader.
I do love how John Scalzi writes. Simple, straight-forward, tells his tales and lets the readers fill in a lot of the detail in their heads. This entry is particularly special because he tells the tale of a teenager who is allowed to grow and learn and is shown as intelligent, yet young and struggling to find her way in the world.
I do love how John Scalzi writes. Simple, straight-forward, tells his tales and lets the readers fill in a lot of the detail in their heads. This entry is particularly special because he tells the tale of a teenager who is allowed to grow and learn and is shown as intelligent, yet young and struggling to find her way in the world.
Great story that added a lot to the 3rd book of the series. The Obin were great.