Old Man's War

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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

What Customers Say About Old Man's War:

Thanks to Amazon's recommendation I've found a new author to enjoy. Excellent book for a fan of Sci-Fi.

If this is a shortcoming of the book (and I think it is) it is an artifact of the old fashioned style, and probably intentional.John Perry, the hero and narrator, enlists in the Colonial Defense Force on his 75th birthday. War is brutal and totally without mercy. There is very little visual description, and almost no emotion, so that even though Scalzi tells you what is going on, you can neither see nor feel it. They're fighting to make the galaxy safe for the human race, even as they've given up their own humanity.More memorable, for me anyway, is Scalzi's Idea #2: that the galaxy is a hostile place, swarming with aliens who want to kill us, eat us, and colonize our planets. Many people have compared OLD MAN'S WAR to the works of Robert Heinlein, and this comparison is apt.

Its greatest strength is that it raises all the issues it sets out to raise, and makes it readers think. It refuses to distract its readers with details of plot, setting, or character, and instead gets right into its premise in a straightforward and unadorned manner. Habitable worlds are such hot real estate that diplomacy and peaceful relations are basically unheard of. In this way he improves on Heinlein, who would have turned each discussion into a one-sided lecture; ultimately, however, Scalzi lets himself be seduced by the simplicity of the grunt's-eye-view tale, and never really deals with the moral issues in the text itself.OLD MAN'S WAR works, despite its flaws, because it does what few recent science fiction novels have tried to do. What have they got to lose. Characters frequently engage in discussions about the ethical and moral consequences of their actions, and those of the CDF -- with such an advanced army, war is easier than diplomacy -- and Scalzi generally allows them to argue their points intelligently and doesn't take sides. This is Scalzi's Idea #1: old folks bring a lifetime of experience to the army, and they are less likely to question their predicament -- after all, they've already lived one life, and this new one is just a bonus, even if it involves unquestioning loyalty to the military and participation in endless wars. However, Scalzi is a good enough writer that he brings this up in the text.

Scalzi writes in a Golden Age style, focusing his text almost entirely on dialogue, scientific or sociological explanations, and brief scenes of action; most of the dialogue is also there to explain scientific, technological, or military subjects. This is a pretty pessimistic outlook, and also a fairly unusual one. I'm looking forward to seeing if Scalzi's future novels improve on this format, and if they manage to reconcile their form and content. He's transported off the earth and given a new and improved body. A further effect of this is that the soldiers of the CDF are not entirely human: their bodies are augmented with implanted computers, artificial blood, and improved speed and strength.

She dislikes science fiction. I will admit that as an older recently disabled man I found myself daydreaming a lot about what I would do if I were given the same chance. I remember well what I was like when I was younger and felt that anything bad that happened to me physically could be easily recovered from. I'm doing a two review in one od this book because both me and my wife read it. Note to young folks; Some things that happen to you when you are younger really do come back to haunt you when you are older and it happens faster than you think it will. I would have liked to have seen a bit more done on the social aspects of going from a 75 year old man's body into that of a 20 year old. Young or old this book is still a good read in in my humble opinion.

That being said she really enjoyed this book despite the fact she dislikes SF.My own review is a bit different. I'm not sure that a younger person might actually enjoy this book. Instead of sitting around thinking about what I used to be able to do I found myself thinking about what I would do if I had this opportunity. I'm an occasional science fiction reader. The book was a very pleasant distraction to me.

Her review is fairly simple. Me, I would feel indebted to the people who gave me that chance and would probably approach it with a what the heck I was doing to die anyway attitude. I really enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to more from the author. She's maybe read a few books of it and usually will not finish the story. I do have to agree with some of the negative reviews but I really liked it anyway.I'm familiar with Joe Haldeman's work and I have been a fan of his for many years.

It is astounding that this is the debut novel from Mr Scalzi, I would expect great things from him in his later books. In the second half the plot develops nicely, with some nice twists, and really saves the work as a whole. He has decided to give up everything he had ever known in order to join the Colonial Defense Forces in return for the vague promise of some type of youth treatment. I have already ordered "The Ghost Brigades" from Amazon and I look forward to watching Mr Scalzi develop as his first novel was so artfully constructed. The characters were generally humorous and nicely developed. I have been on a bit of a military science fiction kick lately and this was a book that was highly recommended by those "in the know" about such matters.

John Perry is a 75 year old earth dweller who's wife has passed on some eight years earlier. I would consider this a somewhat flawed but very, very enjoyable novel. After reading it I would have to say that I agree one hundred percent with the critics. the plot is a bit thin in that it consists mostly of a series of "vignettes" or scenes rather than a fully developed plot in the first half of the book. Highly Recommended. This is one of the best military science fiction books I have ever read.

Perry is not prepared for what he will face during his time as a CDF trooper, or what he will become.This book was very well written and engaging.

I loved it. This is the story of John Perry and his enlistment into the Colonial Defense Force.The CDF's mission is to protect Earth and all other human colonies in the galaxy.In this first book you follow John through his basic training and subsequent battles that he and his fellow CDF soldiers fight against alien forces bent on human destruction\consumption.This book is a serious page turner.