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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Sostanzialmente inutile, ma malgrado questo è piacevole ripercorrere gli eventi del terzo volume attraverso gli occhi di Zoe.
In parte si ripresentano da questo diverso punto di vista gli eventi precedentemente letti (la fine della sua vita su Huckleberry, il periodo alla Stazione conoscendo gli altri ragazzi coloni, il salto verso il nuovo pianeta, la vita lì, gli attacchi subiti), in parte ci vengono proposti ovviamente dei contenuti "in più", nello specifico il rapporto tra Zoe, Gretchen, Enzo e Magdi, oltre a esplorare un poco più approfonditamente il legame di Zoe con i suoi amici/ombre/bodyguards Orbin Hickory e Zickory.
Ma queste sarebbero piccole aggiunte di colore, quello che salva il libro è il tentativo di Scalzi di aggiustare alcuni punti un po' troppo deboli del libro precedente.
Nello specifico, il ruolo "usa e getta" dei licantropi e quanto avvenuto durante la missione di Zoe.
Queste due "toppe", sortiscono senza dubbio l'effetto desiderato, per fortuna, e salvano il libro
In parte si ripresentano da questo diverso punto di vista gli eventi precedentemente letti (la fine della sua vita su Huckleberry, il periodo alla Stazione conoscendo gli altri ragazzi coloni, il salto verso il nuovo pianeta, la vita lì, gli attacchi subiti), in parte ci vengono proposti ovviamente dei contenuti "in più", nello specifico il rapporto tra Zoe, Gretchen, Enzo e Magdi, oltre a esplorare un poco più approfonditamente il legame di Zoe con i suoi amici/ombre/bodyguards Orbin Hickory e Zickory.
Ma queste sarebbero piccole aggiunte di colore, quello che salva il libro è il tentativo di Scalzi di aggiustare alcuni punti un po' troppo deboli del libro precedente.
Nello specifico, il ruolo "usa e getta" dei licantropi e quanto avvenuto durante la missione di Zoe.
Queste due "toppe", sortiscono senza dubbio l'effetto desiderato, per fortuna, e salvano il libro
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
This was a tough sell any way you look at it. I mean retelling the last books story, and from the POV of a teenage girl? It's bound not to impress some, and disappoint others. The retelling of the Last Colony's story was what really got to me at the beginning. I mean going through the same motions, from a different perspective, seemed like a waste of time, and like my views on the Ghost Brigade, I wanted to get though this one quickly so I could continue the main plot in the series.
But somewhere along the way, I started to feel like the story complemented instead of retold. Thankfully the latter half of the book was different enough in it's stories that you forgot about the main plot, and focused on the here an now (within the book of course).
Yes, the main story was spoiled by the previous book. I internally debated whether it would have been better to write a single book with two perspectives instead of splitting it into two books. But that book would have fallen under the same paradigm, and I can see people commenting how much more interesting John's story was compared to Zoe's. I'm pretty sure, that at one point or another these two books were though of as one, and then Scalzi, decided to split them up. There are several plot holes in book 3 which get resolved in 4, that I can't see him leaving like that, unless he already knew book 4 was going to happen when he was writing book 3.
All in all, I'd say Zoe's Tale isn't the best book in the series, but a good read none-the-less.
But somewhere along the way, I started to feel like the story complemented instead of retold. Thankfully the latter half of the book was different enough in it's stories that you forgot about the main plot, and focused on the here an now (within the book of course).
Yes, the main story was spoiled by the previous book. I internally debated whether it would have been better to write a single book with two perspectives instead of splitting it into two books. But that book would have fallen under the same paradigm, and I can see people commenting how much more interesting John's story was compared to Zoe's. I'm pretty sure, that at one point or another these two books were though of as one, and then Scalzi, decided to split them up. There are several plot holes in book 3 which get resolved in 4, that I can't see him leaving like that, unless he already knew book 4 was going to happen when he was writing book 3.
All in all, I'd say Zoe's Tale isn't the best book in the series, but a good read none-the-less.
adventurous
emotional
fast-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:
N/A
While John Scalzi is a clever writer, I wasn't sure I was on board with this idea at first. Zoë was a little too clever sometimes, and the sarcasm was giving me flashbacks to when I taught high school. Once she went off on her own was when I really started to like her, as I found her to become a much better-rounded human instead of just a snarky teen, which, while amusing, can be quite boring after a bit. By the end, I was pleased as punch with how she turned out, and I think he did justice to both the character and the plot, considering this book takes place concurrently with the previous book in this series. The new bits were fun, and ultimately the climax of this book is actually different than the climax of the first book, which I quite liked. It would have been boring if they'd just copied too much from the first go round. For me, reading John Scalzi is like drinking a mug of hot chocolate sitting next to a fire. It's cozy and makes me grateful for the people I love. Especially if the people I love lived in space.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
I'm not normally big on the idea of doing a "sequel" in a series as a re-telling of the previous book but from a different POV, but considering this was Zoe's take on the events of The Last Colony I was pretty excited to dive into this. There were a few points in The Last Colony I wished had been gone into with more detail but couldn't with it being from John's perspective, and this did a great job of telling its own story without doing a ton of re-treads of scenes I'd already read from his perspective since Zoe spends a lot of time doing her own things.
I loved the tone of Zoe and her best friend, Gretchen. They were spot on for smart, snarky teens and reminded me a lot of my own friends in high school. He even got that right level of pretension that comes with being a teen and being smart, especially with the poetry of Enzo.
Definitely worth a read for fans of the series and I loved seeing Zoe take charge so much! It's always refreshing to see science fiction with a female lead that's allowed to actually take the lead.
I loved the tone of Zoe and her best friend, Gretchen. They were spot on for smart, snarky teens and reminded me a lot of my own friends in high school. He even got that right level of pretension that comes with being a teen and being smart, especially with the poetry of Enzo.
Definitely worth a read for fans of the series and I loved seeing Zoe take charge so much! It's always refreshing to see science fiction with a female lead that's allowed to actually take the lead.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Zoe is wonderfully heroic and a tremendously admirable character. (She is cut from the same cloth as Buffy the vampire slayer, as most fictional teen characters are in the last two decades, but more realistic and human normal.) I don't know if she was born to be a charismatic independent thinker, or if she grew into the expectations of people around her, but it becomes clear she can think quickly on her feet when the immediate threats of death begin to swarm about.
This is an interesting teen perspective version of the book, 'The Lost Colony', the previous book in the Old Man's War series. She is an ordinary kid who must either rise to the challenges created by having adventurous parents (two sets!) who traipse across the universe or be emotionally crushed by her losses. In both books, her biological and adoptive parents expect her to pull her weight (age appropriate). But this reader never felt she wasn't reading a story told by a realistic teenager, however precocious Zoe was in tight spots.
Some authors would have stuck into one book the third and fourth novels of the series, using alternating chapters between the viewpoints of Zoe and her stepfather, John Perry; I think I might have preferred that construction of the plot better. However, this book is all Zoe's voice and she speaks as the 17-year-old teen that she is. The in-depth knowledge and awareness of the political and military strategies swirling around John and Jane's life from the previous books are missing from 'Zoe's Tale'. Instead, we gain insight into Zoe's childish girl perspective as the same events unreel, as well as see how she influenced and solved what were still mysteries by the end in the previous book. By the end of this novel, all loose ends are tied up.
I liked it. But it's written in a teen girly voice, even if Zoe does do strategic saving-the-world sacrificing when required. Some might not like her Buffy-the-vampire-slayer-isque dialogue, but I was taking notes for my own personal use. Life, and her parents, have made of Zoe a person who faces her fear, and this was REALLY cool to me.
This is an interesting teen perspective version of the book, 'The Lost Colony', the previous book in the Old Man's War series. She is an ordinary kid who must either rise to the challenges created by having adventurous parents (two sets!) who traipse across the universe or be emotionally crushed by her losses. In both books, her biological and adoptive parents expect her to pull her weight (age appropriate). But this reader never felt she wasn't reading a story told by a realistic teenager, however precocious Zoe was in tight spots.
Some authors would have stuck into one book the third and fourth novels of the series, using alternating chapters between the viewpoints of Zoe and her stepfather, John Perry; I think I might have preferred that construction of the plot better. However, this book is all Zoe's voice and she speaks as the 17-year-old teen that she is. The in-depth knowledge and awareness of the political and military strategies swirling around John and Jane's life from the previous books are missing from 'Zoe's Tale'. Instead, we gain insight into Zoe's childish girl perspective as the same events unreel, as well as see how she influenced and solved what were still mysteries by the end in the previous book. By the end of this novel, all loose ends are tied up.
I liked it. But it's written in a teen girly voice, even if Zoe does do strategic saving-the-world sacrificing when required. Some might not like her Buffy-the-vampire-slayer-isque dialogue, but I was taking notes for my own personal use. Life, and her parents, have made of Zoe a person who faces her fear, and this was REALLY cool to me.
At first I didn't think this book could offer much, since it is retelling - from a different point of view - a story I've already read. Scalzi does a great job, however, in making this story worthwhile. I enjoyed it tremendously, and even got a bit teary toward the end. Recommended if you've read the first three in the series.