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robinwalter's review
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mjfmjfmjf's review
3.0
Scalzi being Scalzi. Goofy and violent. Readable and at least a little funny and somewhat inventive. Enjoyable without being great. 3.5 of 5.
gabyk_lib's review
3.0
That was a lot of fun but waaay too short. This is the problem with ebooks. You can't tell when you pick them.
ferrisscottr's review
4.0
I am in the middle of reading The Human Division when I stumbled upon this novella set in the Old Man's War universe. It's not part of the continuity of the series so can be read anytime after Old Man's War. I put aside The Human Division to read this and was extremely entertained.
Harry Wilson is back and has to help a negotiation by engaging in combat with an alien. Vintage Scalzi, funny, witty, snarky and humorous.
Recommended.
Harry Wilson is back and has to help a negotiation by engaging in combat with an alien. Vintage Scalzi, funny, witty, snarky and humorous.
Recommended.
jercox's review
4.0
Old Man's War short story - main character is Harry Wilson, who is a bit character in most of the main books. But an entertaining story of a diplomatic mission gone a bit wrong...
thistlechaser's review
5.0
Set in his Old Man's Universe, this story was about one of the geneteched soldiers, but a soldier who never fought, instead he had focused on diplomatic missions and working with tech. On a mission to an alien planet, the natives wouldn't enter negotiations until they had a fighting display, and that geneteched man was the only soldier-ish person on the ship, so he had to do it.
The story was both very interesting and completely funny. John Scalzi's dialogue was excellent. The aliens were perfectly believable as alien. The one and only downside of this "book" was that it was way too short.
The story was both very interesting and completely funny. John Scalzi's dialogue was excellent. The aliens were perfectly believable as alien. The one and only downside of this "book" was that it was way too short.
chutten's review
4.0
Oh how I enjoy Scalzi's OMW universe. Never a disappointing read in it.
Found this short story on tor.com and gave it a go. Entertainment in every paragraph.
Found this short story on tor.com and gave it a go. Entertainment in every paragraph.
jgolomb's review
4.0
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun Short Story from Terrific Author, July 30, 2010
This review is from: After the Coup: A Tor.Com Original (Kindle Edition)
"After the Coup" is a short story set in the same world as John Scalzi's "Old Man's War", and its' sequels "Ghost Brigade", "Last Colony" and "Zoe's Tale". While the focus is on one of Scalzi's minor characters from the first two books, this is really just a fun snippet of interplanetary diplomatic relations resolved by good old-fashioned alien vs. human hand-to-hand combat.
Scalzi always writes amazing character dialogue and fully half of this 20-page story is a simple discussion. In the conversation, Scalzi's able to subtly but clearly set exposition, motivation and the structure for the story itself. And he does it with his usual humor, which typically draws out a couple of laugh-out-louds.
The battle scene is creative, sharply written, and comes to a satisfactory conclusion.
I highly recommend this book. And what's to stop you? It's only a dollar.