John Scalzi

Old Man’s War

John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army.The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce-and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So: we fight. To defend Earth, and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding.Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity's resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defence Force. Everybody knows that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don't want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You'll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return. You'll serve two years at the front. And if you survive, you'll be given a generous homestead stake of your own, on one of our hard-won colony planets.John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine-and what he will become is far stranger.PRAISE FOR THE OLD MAN'S WAR SERIES"Clever dialogue, fast-paced story and strong characters." The Times "Great fun" Daily Telegraph

Old Man's War

Iben Engebråten Ørstavik 

For as much as I hate the cemetery, Ive been grateful it's here, too. I miss my wife. It's easier to miss her at a cemetery, where she's never been anything but dead, than to miss her in all the places where she was alive. 

I started reading Scalzi with Starter Villain, which I loved it's hilarious, light-hearted, supervillain story. To see if I liked Scalzi's writing further, I decided to go with  the Old Man's War series. I'm not sure that was a good decision. That statement is not a reflection upon this book. 

It's a pretty good book. I at least superficially liked the characters with in it. I'm not one to overly like war/military stories, but I did choose to read it). I didn't like the Full Metal Jacket cliché of "boot camp". But I did like the story of taking "elderly" people and giving them new life and putting them in new situations. I would like to have seen more, intentionally diverse characters in main roles and more interactions between them rather than battle scenes. Perhaps it's what they've been through that makes the characters, but we'll never know because it wasn't written that way. 

Because this series name is the same as this book, if it continues with nothing but war and battle, I may lose interest. I'd prefer conflict of a different nature.

Clair High

I started reading Scalzi with Starter Villain, which I loved it's hilarious, light-hearted, supervillain story. To see if I liked Scalzi's writing further, I decided to go with  the Old Man's War series. I'm not sure that was a good decision. That statement is not a reflection upon this book. 

It's a pretty good book. I at least superficially liked the characters with in it. I'm not one to overly like war/military stories, but I did choose to read it). I didn't like the Full Metal Jacket cliché of "boot camp". But I did like the story of taking "elderly" people and giving them new life and putting them in new situations. I would like to have seen more, intentionally diverse characters in main roles and more interactions between them rather than battle scenes. Perhaps it's what they've been through that makes the characters, but we'll never know because it wasn't written that way. 

Because this series name is the same as this book, if it continues with nothing but war and battle, I may lose interest. I'd prefer conflict of a different nature.

John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife’s grave. Then he joined the army. The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce—and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So: we fight. To defend Earth, and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding. Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity’s resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defense Force. Everybody knows that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don’t want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You’ll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return. You’ll serve two years at the front. And if you survive, you’ll be given a generous homestead stake of your own, on one of our hard-won colony planets. John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine—and what he will become is far stranger. "Solid . . . [Scalzi] sidesteps most of the clichés of military science fiction, delivers fast-paced scenes of combat and pays attention to the science underpinning his premise." —San Francisco Chronicle "Scalzi's imagined interstellar arena is coherently and compellingly delineated . . . His speculative elements are top-notch. His combat scenes are blood-roiling. His dialogue is suitably snappy and profane. And the moral and philosophical issues he raises . . . insert useful ethical burrs under the military saddle of the story." —Paul Di Filippo, The Washington Post "Thought-provoking!" —Entertainment Weekly "Smartly conceived and thoroughly entertaining, Old Man’s War is a splendid novel." –Cleveland Plain Dealer "When humanity reaches the stars, it discovers that it must defend its claim to new planets against alien races with similar expansionist tendencies. To ensure the expertise of its soldiers, Earth creates the Colonial Defense Force, an army of men and women otherwise classified as senior citizens, who give up their lives on Earth for an uncertain and perilous future among the stars. Scalzi's first novel presents a new approach to military sf, boasting an unusual cast of senior citizens as heroes. A good choice for most libraries." —Library Journal "Though a lot of SF writers are more or less efficiently continuing the tradition of Robert A. Heinlein, Scalzi’s astonishingly proficient first novel reads like an original work by the late grand master . . . This virtuoso debut pays tribute to SF’s past while showing that well-worn tropes still can have real zip when they’re approached with ingenuity." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Gripping and surpassingly original. It's Starship Troopers without the lectures. It's The Forever War with better sex. It's funny, it's sad, and it's true." —Cory Doctorow "John Scalzi is a fresh and appealing new voice, and Old Man's War is classic SF seen from a modern perspective—a fast-paced tour of a daunting, hostile universe." —Robert Charles Wilson "I enjoyed Old Man's War immensely. A space war story with fast action, vivid characters, moral complexity and cool speculative physics, set in a future you almost want to live into, and a universe you sincerely hope you don't live in already." —Ken MacLeod

First 100 or so pages flew by with coolideas. Crawled the rest of the way.

c0up

Original, but don't expect grand philosophy. That said, it was a highly entertaining read. Basically, it's Starship Troopers in book form. Maybe the story is a bit heavy on the buddy comedy, but that didn't keep me from speeding through it.

Frederik De Bosschere

Aidan Dysart

Typical military sci fi. A couple interesting ideas, but mostly fluff. The constant one-liners get annoying quickly.

Luke Harkness

Actually bloody loved this!

I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed this. It ticked so many of my Sci-Fi needs: nerdy but described simply, funny, ambitious, enjoyable. 

The characters were at a great age where their cares for the world had diminished and so their jokes, opinions and way of life was so much more care free which gave this book such a wonderful and light start.

The middle and end do slow down a bit and I would say these are weaker than the first 150-200 pages, but I thoroughly enjoyed the well-realised cultures and aliens too. Some great, unique thinking from John Scalzi.

Vicky  Nuñez 

There's nothing better than reading a book from an author you've never read anything before and loving that book and knowing you have many other books yet to read from this new author. That's how I feel right now.

Scalzi is that guy I've been hearing a lot from, but who I've only just met, but I know we'll become great friends.

If you love science fiction, you'll probably love this book, even if you don't you should probably still give it a try.

Tobias V. Langhoff

The ideas are great, the alien species are interesting, the technology is cool, and the world has a lot of potential.

Unfortunately, though, the writing itself is not very good. The characters are all very similar (I saw someone on reddit say that there aren't characters so much as there are 50 John Scalzis in the book), and the dialogue is often cheesy (although, to be fair, that's sometimes intentional) and cringe-worthy. I'm usually a fan of punctuation, but this is a book that actually uses far too many semicolons.

There's absolutely a time and a place for pulpy science fiction novels. It's a good beach read. The world intrigued me enough that I probably will read the next book in the series at some point. Hopefully the writing improves as the series progresses as well.

Anyaconda

I really enjoyed the audiobook 🎧 version. It's in a similar style like the Bobiverse (less popculture references). Not hard sci-fi or anything. I'll definitely check out the rest of the series 🌌🚀 🤠

Jeff James

This was an exciting adventure tale and a very quick read. The basic concept is that, in a future society, 75 year olds are recruited for a special intergalactic combat force, made young again, and trained to fight alien races so that humans can colonize the universe. I'll definitely be picking up the two other books set in the same universe - The Ghost Brigades and The Last Colony.

Adam

Unputdownable. Gave me Starship Trooper vibes throughout but with an almost Game-of-thrones-esk attitude to characters that builds up your care for someone and then....

The story can switch from brutal violence to tender personal moments like a handbrake turn from one chapter to another. 

Wish I could erase this book from my memory just so I could read it for the first time again.

Ryan LaFerney

Old Man’s War is a tremendous, confident SF debut for well-known blogger John Scalzi. Openly patterning itself after Starship Troopers, Old Man's War takes an exciting tale of alien conflict and dresses it up intelligently with such themes as individual identity, what makes one human, the significance of mortality, and the ethics of life extension. Economically told at just over 300 pages, the story, peopled with remarkably well-drawn and memorable characters, is a remarkably hilarious yet touching sci-fi tale about your grandpa joining the army in space. The synopsis: widower John Perry enlists, after the death of his wife in the CDF,undergoing a life extension. Mortality, the specter of death, greets us from the opening page — the first scene is in a cemetery — and lingers with us throughout the story. But while it's never portrayed as a reason to succumb to depression or despair, our natural human resistance to the unfairness and capriciousness of death is given full vent. Perry deeply resents the suddenness of his wife's death — making his journey to the stars highly relatable. 

For Perry and the friends he makes among his fellow recruits, their new bodies are an opportunity for Scalzi to reimagine the coming-of-age theme that is a staple of all war stories. The CDF recruits get a chance to come-of-age again, and their rediscovery of youth is told with a warmth and humor impossible to resist. But the the story gets really fascinating when a woman that looks like Perry’s dead wife comes to his rescue in the midst of battle. Fun, confident, touching, and full of unique ideas/questions, this novel is one of the best sci-fi books of the 21st century.

Siya S

3.5 Stars 

Well it was pretty fun for a while, then I was kind of lose interest on the whole thing. I was *yawning*at the final epic battle scene, for crying out loud. Maybe because sci-fi has never been my special cup of tea anyway, I don't know.

Ahmed Salem

I do not know why this one is not popular here in Egypt.
This is very lovely environment and I am totally looking forward to next installment in this amazing saga.

James Eaton

I loved this book. I used it as the book I would read when I had a few minutes to read. Easy to pick up and the story was engaging but pretty straight forward. 

Scalzi’s writing style is simple in the best kind of way. If you want to get into sci-fi but don’t want to get lost in the weeds, then this is the perfect series for you! 

I’ll read more in this series at some point!

Todd Luallen

A great opening sentence. It takes a little while to get going, but the characters are well written and enjoyable and the book finishes really strong. I'll be continuing this series.

Ethan Hill

Very clearly the first chapter in a much bigger saga but it was a really fun read with nice world-building and likable characters!

Yulande Lindsay

This was a lot of fun. Brutal, violent (really can't help that when you're talking about war) but fun. Recommended.

Chad Henderson

Really enjoyed this one. Scalzi has quickly become one of my favorite writers.

Barry Hess

What an excellent book. So readable. The language is as plain and straightforward as any sci-fi book I've read, while still being intelligent, interesting and futuristic.

Read it.

"COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR NEW BODY 
1. Does My New Body Have a Brand Name? 
Yes! Your new body is known as the Defender Series XII, 'Hercules' model."

This was moving and delightful, with characters who are easy to like and root for, even when they're killing various aliens in brutal ways. It had lots of action (duh!), a lot of humor mixed with sadness, and a low-key love story I enjoyed, as well. 

Quibbles: 
1) It didn't seem subversive enough, it was more American (all of the soldiers we meet are Americans without exception) and more gung-ho and pro-military than I expected. I hope this will be undermined a bit more in future installments. While the book mentions that perhaps military solutions are selected too easily and that diplomacy should be chosen more frequently, this and many other serious issues such as psychological trauma (which none of the soldiers experience) and war weariness (which is seen only as a brief phase you grow out of) are either glossed over entirely or only touched upon, lightly and briefly. (But perhaps our characters' brains have been modified a bit to prevent natural reactions of horror and trauma, maybe this will be addressed as the series progresses.) 
2) Sometimes, the amount of coincidence and accidental meetings at just the right moments stretched my ability to suspend disbelief a bit. The amount of luck our hero has also seems extreme.

That said, this was well-written, fast-paced, without a single boring page in the entire book. I also do trust the author to perhaps question his universe and its ethical implications more thoroughly as the series progresses. I'll be reading the other books for sure!

Please speak the name you would like to give your BrainPal™. 
"'Asshole,'" I said. 
You have selected "Asshole," the BrainPal wrote, and to its credit it spelled the word correctly.

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

I enjoyed this book. Really, I did. John Scalzi did an excellent job.

IF YOU GO TO MY SITE I POKE AT THIS A BIT, back to the review.

This novel follows John, a 75 year old widow who has enlisted in a military. Yup, that’s right, but a space military that recruits only the old and promises them a new life. Superbly paced with just the right amount of humor, this book is fantastic and any fan of fantasy or war would likely enjoy this. I know I did.

https://southerntodaygonetomorrow.wor...

Ken Gagne

I'd never read anything by John Scalzi, who comes highly recommended, so I chose to start with Old Man's War, which proved an easy and entertaining entry point for his brand of science fiction and character development.

In the future, life on Earth looks pretty similar to today — but one enterprising company has perfected and privatized interstellar travel. The only way to leave Earth is through them, and they don't let you or your messages ever come back. Plus, you have to join their militia — and the minimum age to do so is 75.

So when the elderly John faces life as a widower, does he stay on Earth, get old, and die... or does he say goodbye to everyone and everything he's ever known and leave for the stars, in the hope that, among this company's impressive technology, is the way to make a 75-year-old body into fighting form again?

It'd be a short book if John chose the former. Instead, readers get to follow along as he seeks out new life and new civilizations — and kills them. Apparently, habitable real estate is tough to come by, and humanity is vying against several competing races to colonize them. John, a former graphic designer, is introduced to a military life with a very high fatality rate, where friends come, go, and are replaced. He handles all this change rather smoothly, cramming a lot of material into one book. But the best parts aren't the technology, but the dialogue. Other characters come to life in unexpected ways, whether it's during demanding battle scenes or off-time in the lounge.

One oversight bothered me: it was acknowledged, but never addressed why, that humanity's sole interaction with alien races is combative and not diplomatic. But I didn't discover until the last page that this book is the first in a trilogy. Perhaps future installments will expand on this relationship.

Overall, I found Old Man's War fun and easy read that would make me receptive to its sequels.

Ben Nathan

This was an absolute blast. I think of it as a slightly less serious, but deeper, Starship Troopers. I am really looking forward to the other books in the series as I get off my butt and actually read them all over time.

In a future where Earth is at war with neighboring aliens on the widening frontier of mankind, recruits are no longer the young. Now the elderly enlist, with the promise of youth and longer life. The first book in the series was solid on its own, although the ending was more rushed than I expected. I probably won't listen to the next 5 in the series.

Old Man’s War

Reviews

Highlights