Zoe’s Tale is the fourth novel from John Scalzi set in his Old Man’s War universe, following on from Old Man’s War, The Ghost Brigades, and The Last Colony. Previously we’ve followed either John Perry or his wife, Jane Sagan, but in Zoe’s Tale we get what the title makes obvious – the story of Zoe, their adopted daughter. We also have another first in that the events of Zoe’s Tale run parallel to those in The Last Colony. So, does Zoe’s Tale live up to the promise of Scalzi’s previous novels? Is Scalzi able to write as effectively when his protagonist is a teenage girl? Does the book work when what we are actually getting is a re-telling of The Last Colony? Read on to find out…
The Conclave, a new gathering of races formerly at war with each other, have announced that colonisation by any race not part of their group is forbidden, and any planet settled after this statement will be removed, by force if necessary. The Colonial Union is not a part of the Conclave, and are determined to do anything in their power to bring them down, starting with a new colony. However, this one is not like the usual Colonial Union colonies, instead made up of current colonists, and led by John Perry and Jane Sagan. Zoe Boutin is their adopted daughter, a teenager whose biological father died after pioneering consciousness implants for the Obin race, and because of this all Obin revere her. Part of the Human-Obin treaty allows the Obin access to Zoe, and two members of that race – Hickory and Dickory – live with her and her family. In this novel we follow Zoe as she moves from her life on Huckleberry with John and Jane, to the new colony of Roanoke, and the many dangers that are ahead…
I won’t lie – I’m a big fan of John Scalzi and find his writing makes for compulsive reading, but when I first heard about Zoe’s Tale I had to admit that the thought of reading a story following events that I had already read and enjoyed didn’t do much for me. Perhaps this is why I didn’t get straight to it on its release back in 2008, and why it is the only one of Scalzi’s books that, prior to this re-read, I had only ever read the once. I remember that I had left a rather long gap between reading The Last Colony and Zoe’s Tale, and that I felt it was beneficial to my enjoyment of the novel, allowing me to come in with a fresher perspective. However, this time I read them back-to-back, and while I found much of the story fresh in my memory, I also found that it helped me more than expected in keeping events straight in my mind, especially which parts are new to this novel.
One aspect of Zoe’s Tale that works very well is the viewpoint we have – that of a teenage girl adjusting to life on a new world – rather than the militaristic one we followed throughout The Last Colony. There are also events that took place off-page during The Last Colony that we get to see in more detail now, as well as the day-to-day differences a younger protagonist brings to the story. Most of these events are minor, from the teenager’s point of view of the strange attempts at breaking into the village, to the attacks on the village and, ultimately, the arrival of the Conclave. The biggest addition is the time Zoe spends apart from her parents in trying to find a solution to the whole Conclave/Colonial Union problem. This is outlined in The Last Colony, but getting to see it first hand and experiencing everything properly certainly adds to the story while somewhat removing the deus ex machina resolution given in The Last Colony.
While Scalzi manages to portray Zoe in as close to a believable way as possible, her sarcastic and quick-witted personality is a little too close to that of John Perry. It’s easy to dismiss as he raised her from a young age, but it doesn’t change the fact that you can often wonder if the age and sex of the character is the only difference. This is, however, a minor gripe, and Scalzi does a solid job of giving Zoe her own personality along with a group of friends who complement each other well, allowing for situations to be explored a little more than expected.
The Obin, Hickory and Dickory, are also seen in a somewhat different light this time around. Not only are they a larger part of Zoe’s life than I expected, but their motivations and emotions are delved into more often than The Last Colony had led me to believe. Zoe’s view of them is also challenging from time to time, and the expectations and weight of an entire race watching her is a burden that is explored during the narrative, much to the benefit of both character and story.
Scalzi once again delivers an excellent story with great characters. Yes, the viewpoint is not one you’d expect from an author who has given us some pretty violent military sci-fi books, but it works. In a book where the main downside is that it’s reliving previously told events – which isn’t as bad as it sounds, not by a long shot – John Scalzi has given us a story with everything he’s known for with his typical flair. Highly recommended!
Publisher: http://panmacmillan.com
Author: http://www.scalzi.com
December 2015, 420 Pages
Paperback, ISBN: 9781447295358
Review from purchased copy
© 2015 Mark Chitty
