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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Teenager Zoë Boutin goes with her adopted parents, retired soldiers John Perry and Jane Sagan, and a group of settlers to an uncolonized planet. Things quickly go wrong, and colony leader Perry finds himself in the thick of interstellar politics and war. If this sounds familiar, it’s because this is the exact same story Scalzi told in last year’s Hugo nominee, The Last Colony. The only difference is that it is told from Zoë’s point of view. Zoe’s Tale is an enjoyable young-adult page turner that fills in a couple of plot holes from The Last Colony. However, if you’ve read The Last Colony, don’t waste your time reading Zoe’s Tale, and vice versa, because there is very little difference between the two—certainly not enough to justify reading both. Why this book was nominated over major works by Iain M. Banks, Greg Bear, and Ken MacLeod is beyond me. John Scalzi obviously has a passionate and vocal following.
Good job on pulling off the same book from a another character's point of view. Unfortunately that character is very closely aligned to the heroes of the previous book (their adopted daughter) and so the rebelling is only subtly different with the same events the same perspective. Extremely little is added except to explain away some dues-ex-machina from the previous novel by introducing even more (dues-ex-meta-machina?).
I liked this better than The Last Colony. To be fair, I honestly didn’t want to read it at first, what with all the critics saying it was YA and so on and so forth. But, this book is quite entertaining and it’s a far cry more adventurous than the one on which it is based. Zoe is well developed and believable, and her relationship with the Obin is one of the better plot devices I’ve seen in any scifi series. The scenes with Hickory and Dickory are among the more entertaining in the entire series. So, yeah, big thumbs up for this one, not perfect but a perfectly enjoyable read nonetheless.
3.5 stars
I was ambivalent about reading this because I really didn't want to read the same story as in [b:The Last Colony|88071|The Last Colony (Old Man's War, #3)|John Scalzi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1437660786l/88071._SY75_.jpg|18279847] from the POV of a teenage girl. It turned out to be pretty good, especially the second half, but I still don't know if it was worth a whole other book mostly to explain a plot issue in the previous one.
I was ambivalent about reading this because I really didn't want to read the same story as in [b:The Last Colony|88071|The Last Colony (Old Man's War, #3)|John Scalzi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1437660786l/88071._SY75_.jpg|18279847] from the POV of a teenage girl. It turned out to be pretty good, especially the second half, but I still don't know if it was worth a whole other book mostly to explain a plot issue in the previous one.
When I first heard that the next old man's war book was essentially a retelling of the last one from a different character perspective and a YA style, I gritted my teeth. But I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. It's more about human drama and Zoe's relationship with the Obin, and it turns out that this is a worthwhile story after all.
Zoe kicks some ass
New perspective, old story
This is for Enzo
New perspective, old story
This is for Enzo
Книгата е преразказ на третата част с гледната точка на Zoe. Има малка част, представяща нови събития. Тя е 5-ца и е главно в края. Всичко останало се повтаря и едва се чете.
Скалзи се е опитал да си представи какво се върти в главата на едно момиче, но не е успял. Зои звучи като 40 годишен чичка, който лъже в скайп че е мацка. Опитал е нещо подобно и с Hickory и Dickory. Повече се е получило, макар и да се повтаря ужасно много.
Скалзи се е опитал да си представи какво се върти в главата на едно момиче, но не е успял. Зои звучи като 40 годишен чичка, който лъже в скайп че е мацка. Опитал е нещо подобно и с Hickory и Dickory. Повече се е получило, макар и да се повтаря ужасно много.
I really enjoyed this book. The characters, the universe and the aliens were all so engaging. I’m especially impressed with Scalzi’s ability to write a teenage girl. I don’t remember particularly loving the rest of the Old Man’s War series, but now I’m thinking of going back and re-reading The Lost Colony.
adventurous
funny
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Given that this is the tenth work I've read by John Scalzi I really shouldn't be surprised that I enjoyed it. Still, this was my first introduction to a book that is really the same book as the one that came before, just from a different character's point of view. I wasn't sure how to feel about that, and it was part of the reason I waited five or six months before picking this up.
I need not have worried. This book managed to entertain, despite the somewhat repeated material; actually improve upon the last book, which I already enjoyed quite a bit; and make a book written from the perspective of a teenage girl actually sound like it might've been a teenage girl (In the acknowledgements Scalzi reveals he was quite worried about this, and crowdsourced from many of the women in his life, as they were ostensibly once teenage girls themselves).
In my opinion, Scalzi remains the undisputed champion of snappy dialogue, and I am continually impressed that he is able to maintain the level of wit he established early on. That being said, I think the humor is definitely of a brand tailored to my sensibilities, so if you don't think I'm funny, maybe Scalzi isn't for you (and also why are you here?)
I need not have worried. This book managed to entertain, despite the somewhat repeated material; actually improve upon the last book, which I already enjoyed quite a bit; and make a book written from the perspective of a teenage girl actually sound like it might've been a teenage girl (In the acknowledgements Scalzi reveals he was quite worried about this, and crowdsourced from many of the women in his life, as they were ostensibly once teenage girls themselves).
In my opinion, Scalzi remains the undisputed champion of snappy dialogue, and I am continually impressed that he is able to maintain the level of wit he established early on. That being said, I think the humor is definitely of a brand tailored to my sensibilities, so if you don't think I'm funny, maybe Scalzi isn't for you (and also why are you here?)