Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
Reviewed By: Jeremy Zentner, Adult Services Assistant
Genre: Science Fiction
Suggested Age: Adults
What is This Book About? John Perry is in the golden years of his life. A widower with little to do, Perry decides to join military service and maybe reclaim some of his youth. He enlists with the Colonial Defense Forces to protect Earth and her colonies within the Colonial Union.
This space-faring military branch of humanity only recruits men and women of a seasoned age. Competing for the scarce habitable planets against monstrous aliens is a never-ending battle and only the wise can fight it. At the end of Perry’s tour, if he survives, the Colonial Union will award him with a new colony planet to settle on, not to mention the rumors of reverse aging being a part of his fighting enhancement.
On Perry’s journey patrolling the frontiers of space, he will witness combat of unparalleled imagination as he comes to cope with the wonders and horrors of the universe.
My Review: This book is a mixture of high-octane, action-packed thrill-rides and interpersonal challenges between comrades and romantic interests. The first book in a series of seven, Old Man’s War can be read as a stand-alone novel or as the beginning installment to a space-faring epic. What’s great about this book is that it does not explicitly rely on action or sci-fi techno wonders to entertain the reader, though both are certainly present.
Its true quality revolves around Scalzi’s ability to be a very readable writer as he tells riveting stories about people rather than the space opera in the backdrop, though there are properties of world-building as well. With all of these elements in Old Man’s War, I was pleasantly surprised by the humor involved. For the first time in years, I found myself chuckling out-loud from reading a book! That’s not to say that this is a straight-up comedy, but it’s certainly a well-rounded novel.
Three Words that Describe this Book: excitement, action, readable
Give This A Try if You Like… Starship Troopers (film and novel), The Forever War, The Expanse Series (tv and books), Orion, Orion Among the Stars, Altered Carbon, The Fifth Element (film)
Rating: 5/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.
