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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Stick with it
Having read the first three books one after the other over a week long business trip with lots of airplane and airport time, I began this with everything fresh on my mind. It meant that the first half of the book was somewhat boring revision and I struggled to see the point.
Then I got to the detailed new matter - stories of Zoe's life not revealed to or by her parents. These made it all worthwhile. They added depth to the third book in a most interesting way. Well worth persevering.
Having read the first three books one after the other over a week long business trip with lots of airplane and airport time, I began this with everything fresh on my mind. It meant that the first half of the book was somewhat boring revision and I struggled to see the point.
Then I got to the detailed new matter - stories of Zoe's life not revealed to or by her parents. These made it all worthwhile. They added depth to the third book in a most interesting way. Well worth persevering.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
I'll admit; I was hoping that this book was going to be about an older Zoe, making her own story in the universe. I got the latter bit and not the former, and that is definitely ok. I didn't realize that there was so much more going on with this character than what had been presented in The Last Colony.
This book follows Zoe Boutrin, daughter of Charles who promised consciousness to the Obin, mainly throughout her time spent on Roanoke Colony with her parents John and Jane. Much of the story is that of [i]The Last Colony[/i] told from a different perspective, but I found it to be just as entertaining and interesting as the original point of view. Scalzi did a very good job of writing from the POV of a smartass teenager, and I really enjoyed some of the excellent banter between Zoe and her friends. Definitely worth a read if you enjoyed the rest of the [i]Old Man's War[/i] series, and also interesting to see what it's like to grow up as the patron saint or goddess of an entire species, once you've hit teenagerhood.
As with most of the OMW series, I flew through Zoe's tale. It was nice to get a different perspective on this story, and it also tied up some plot points from The Last Colony that felt a little...deus ex machina.
This book is essentially a retelling of The Last Colony from a different perspective, which was both interesting in that it filled in gaps from the Last Colony but also disappointing in that it did not move the story of Old Man's War forward. The book literally began and ended in the same space and time as The Last Colony. That said, the last two chapters of the book really expanded on some of the canon of the story and was what elevated this book from a 2/3-star to a 4-star as its final rating. Overall, it was well written and I look forward to the next entry.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
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:
Complicated
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Zoe's Tale doesn't seem like it's necessary in order to enjoy the Old Man's War series, but it is absolutely a great companion piece to The Last Colony. It fills in some of the gaps in both subplot and main plot, and adds more depth to a character who was so central to The Ghost Brigade but then not really treated as more than an extra in The Last Colony. I'm glad I read it!
Didn't realize this was a retelling of the previous book but from Zoe's point of view. It was cool to get her side of things (especially at the end). I enjoyed it, but binging the books it was a little bit of overkill on this particular storyline that I'd just read.
I do like we get more insight into Hickory and Dickory. Hilarious that all the other Obin picked names like Dock...Clock...Mouse...
If you loved the Last Colony you'll like this as well, but maybe give it a few other books inbetween so it's not too close to a retelling for your reading enjoyment.
I do like we get more insight into Hickory and Dickory. Hilarious that all the other Obin picked names like Dock...Clock...Mouse...
If you loved the Last Colony you'll like this as well, but maybe give it a few other books inbetween so it's not too close to a retelling for your reading enjoyment.