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A review by cinnamonvortex
Old Man's War by John Scalzi
4.0
I took advantage of a couple of snow days to read the bulk of this one. I have become a big fan of John Scalzi. I like his style, and how he avoids the pretentious nature of some of the sci-fi I have read. The field is over saturated, and sometimes I just have to roll my eyes. But Scalzi is approachable and fun.
His premises are what usually grab me. I even recommend his short stories if you are looking to spend a worthwhile 99 cents. The premise of this one is fun and mysterious and I'll let you walk through it yourself. But I will say that this is a quick enjoyable read and it is probably best to know less before you begin.
It is almost like Scalzi has tapped into a sort of anti superhero genre. in our current obsession with superheroes, he has consistently created worlds that defy our natural realm, opening up new possibilities that are fun and exciting, but don't take the bait of the superhero novel. Not that I wouldn't still read them if they were outright superhero books.
One final note... this is a solid 4 and 1/2 star book, but it would have been merely a solid four star book were it not for the exceptional response Scalzi gives to Perry's offhand question to the Consu ambassador after the little Battle Royale thing. No spoilers, so I won't mention his response, but it was creepy and wonderful and memorable and mysterious, and reminded me why Scalzi is such an exceptional author. And it bumped the 4 star score up to a solid 4.5.
His premises are what usually grab me. I even recommend his short stories if you are looking to spend a worthwhile 99 cents. The premise of this one is fun and mysterious and I'll let you walk through it yourself. But I will say that this is a quick enjoyable read and it is probably best to know less before you begin.
It is almost like Scalzi has tapped into a sort of anti superhero genre. in our current obsession with superheroes, he has consistently created worlds that defy our natural realm, opening up new possibilities that are fun and exciting, but don't take the bait of the superhero novel. Not that I wouldn't still read them if they were outright superhero books.
One final note... this is a solid 4 and 1/2 star book, but it would have been merely a solid four star book were it not for the exceptional response Scalzi gives to Perry's offhand question to the Consu ambassador after the little Battle Royale thing. No spoilers, so I won't mention his response, but it was creepy and wonderful and memorable and mysterious, and reminded me why Scalzi is such an exceptional author. And it bumped the 4 star score up to a solid 4.5.