With the imminent release of John Scalzi’s The End Of All Things, the latest book in his Old Man’s War series, and the upcoming UK rerelease of the previous Old Man’s War novels, I decided to go back to the beginning and make my way through each novel. I’ve read them all in the past, but it’s been a good few years since I’ve revisited any of them, with the exception of The Human Division (which I read on its release). How does the series stand up now, 10 years after Old Man’s War first hit the shelves? The answer is a simple one: remarkably well.
When John Perry turns 75 he joins the Colonial Defense Force and leaves Earth behind. With his wife dead, John departs his home planet with few qualms, though with many questions, the main one being: what do the CDF do to get you in fighting shape? The rumours are abundant, from transplanted organs to advanced medicine, but the one thing those who sign up are sure of is that their old bodies won’t last much longer. The CDF have a monopoly on space travel, with only colonists from over-crowded countries, and those signing up to the CDF, able to travel the stars. But everyone knows that once you leave Earth, you won’t be coming back.
We follow John’s story, told through his eyes, as he leaves Earth behind and embarks on a new life, one where he learns just what is required of the CDF, what awaits humanity in the wider galaxy, and just how much one man can do before breaking.
I discovered, and read, Old Man’s War via a Tor.com newsletter way back in, I think, 2009, where they were making some of their releases available for free, and the only way I can stress how much I enjoyed this book is to tell you how I initially came to read it. On my lunch break one Thursday I was stuck for something to do – I hadn’t brought anything in with me to read and had no interest in browsing the internet. So, I went to my email inbox and choose Old Man’s War for the short time I had before having to get back to work. To say I was hooked would be an understatement. I dropped by the library to get it on the way home, and promptly devoured it before bed that night – I can’t remember the last time a book hooked me so much. And it wasn’t just that first reading of Old Man’s War that hooked me – I was equally immersed this time around too.
To start with, although the premise of Old Man’s War isn’t too complicated on the surface, it has quite a lot going on. The universe that John Scalzi has created here is both intriguing and vast. We get little snippets here and there as we progress through the narrative, some about the history of the Colonial Union, some about the varying alien races that humanity have met (and fought), and these really add depth to the story. It’s clear that there has been a good deal of thought put into all of this, and boy does it show. The story flows very well and we aren’t subjected to the mundane infodumping that can be all-too-present in other novels. The characters (which are truly excellent) are fully formed for the get-go, and the story just hits the ground running, barely relenting until the final page is turned. At times I had to struggle to put it down, if only for two minutes, simply because the story urges you to go on – it doesn’t want you to stop until you’ve heard it all.
The characters, as I said above, are amazing. Each having a full life of experiences adds a nice depth to them, it’s like the moment you start reading you just know they have this vast knowledge to draw on and will do so while being utterly entertaining. The dialogue is a large part of what makes both the characters and the story so successful, with many bringing a great humour to what can often be uneasy and complex situations. There are little jokes between friends, and a genuine warmth to the many of the interactions. Even the characters that you may not like (and there won’t be many of those, trust me) you can quite happily read and enjoy because they bring something to the story.
Having an army of old people, albeit in young bodies, is a fascinating idea, and the way Scalzi has crafted the universe makes it such an entertaining one too. Add to this the idea of the CDF Special Forces – the Ghost Brigades – and it’s a complex system that has much to offer. While the technology isn’t really looked into much (mostly you just accept it without question), the times that it is brought up can be both interesting and funny: hearing Harry Wilson explaining the skip drive to John Perry is one such example. And while Old Man’s War can mostly be thought of as entertaining and fun, it also has a depth and sadness to it that is explored through John’s loss of his wife prior to his joining up. All in all, Old Man’s War really can offer pretty much everything you could ask for in a science fiction novel.
As for bad points? Well, to be honest, very few. There are a couple of times when it’s glaringly obvious where the story is going to go, but it doesn’t detract at all from the events. Old Man’s War is straight to the point, follows events that are entertaining, and is a genuinely enjoyable read. If you haven’t read this I suggest you make it one of your priorities. Highly recommended.
Publisher: http://panmacmillan.com
Author: http://www.scalzi.com
Re-release in November 2015, 332 Pages
Paperback, ISBN: 9781447295372
Review from purchased copy
© 2015 Mark Chitty
What the hell happened to the beautiful John Harris cover?
This cover is from the UK re-release that’s coming up – looks like they’re going for a new and different look for the series. I agree that the John Harris ones are stunning, and while these aren’t as nice I think the look works with the series a s whole 🙂