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3.73 AVERAGE
3.73 AVERAGE
Read my full review and others at www.eyesandbooks.weebly.com
A solid though questionably unnecessary entry into the Old Man's War universe. It is essential that you read the prior books before starting this one.
A solid though questionably unnecessary entry into the Old Man's War universe. It is essential that you read the prior books before starting this one.
Interesting - the same story as the previous book in the series, "The Last Colony," but told from the perspective of the teenage daughter of the primary protagonists of that book (the eponymous "Zoe"). As Scalzi admits in the afterward, this is difficult to do well, but he thinks he pulls it off - and I agree, this is very enjoyable.
I wondered how Scalzi would work this story into the existing stories. It's an engaging retelling of familiar events that adds rich detail, along with extending the story into new territory.
At first I was surprised this covers the same timeframe as "The Last Colony." I almost stopped reading it. Turns out it was quite different, being from Zoe's perspective. It was funny and sweet - an overall great story. Glad I kept reading.
Charming teen adventure with a likable protagonist and clever dialogue. Zoe’s Tale takes place during the events of The Last Colony but, for me, might actually be a better book. It is a little annoying to rehash some of the events but there’s enough original content that it doesn’t feel too much like a collection of scenes that were cut. The third act is a little different and shows a short adventure Zoe takes on her own that is engaging and shows some of the wider universe we’ve yet to see in the series. Scalzi still doesn’t actually describe any alien outside of “insect-like”, and it gets a little repetitive with teen girl boyfriend stuff, but this could be enjoyed as a solid stand-alone in the series for young readers. I like how the action in these two books is almost entirely diplomatic and that Zoe has taken her father’s intelligent style of conflict resolution to heart. It’s a nice change of pace and promotes critical thinking over violence and features a strong, but complex, protagonist.
I was first put off reading this as it was from the perspective of a teenage girl and it was a story I was familiar with. After a couple chapters however I was fully engrossed with the book and it did make me cry, so obviously I was emotionally engaged as well. Well written and highly recommended.
That should be 3.5 stars, but I'm feeling generous. I'm also starting to feel that Scalzi needs a tougher editor. Still planning to start the Last Colony right away, though. Yes, I'm reading them out of order. It was an accident.
Zoe's tale is a companion tale to the Last Colony, itself book 3 of the Old Man's War "trilogy". For much of the book, it described events the readers of the Last Colony are very familiar with but from Zoe's perspective. (Teenage girl, adopted Daughter of John and Jane Perry and icon to the Obin race) Mr. Scalzi did a good job in capturing her maturation throughout this book, setting us all (Zoe and the readers) for the part of the tale we didn't know - how Zoe went away from Roanoke colony and was able to bring back help to save the colony. This episode, taking up the last 100 pages or so (which by the way, the book is 400 pages long not 335), went a long way to letting us know what Zoe went through to get that particular job done, and was a welcome addition to the preceding books. I have very much enjoyed my time in this universe and hope Mr. Scalzi decides to bring it back...
This seems to be a retelling of the events in [book:The Lost Colony] from Zoe's point of view. There are a few details that weren't told (or happened off-stage) in that book, but not enough to hold my attention. Did someone say, "Hey, Scalzi? You gotta write a Young Adult novel, man!" at some point? Blah.
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced