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I've become a fan of Mr. I found it exciting, fun to read, and difficult to put down. Scalzi and can't wait for his next book. This last installment of the "Old Man's War" trilogy has John Perry retired and, along with his wife and daughter, responsible for "The Last Colony". The story develops nicely with twists and turns that keep you wondering what could possibly happen next, then it happens, and it all makes perfect sense.
I'm really glad I didn't put it down. These three books are well-crafted and well-paced. Looking back on the experience, I see how the various story arcs and plot fit into the uber-plot and it's just amazing. I almost put the first book in the series down, thinking it would be endless old person "got to pee" references. I'm SO glad I didn't put it down in volume one. Scalzi has done some very sophisticated thinking about the interactions of humans and "alien" races. Highly recommended.
Both were plausible and the author knew when and how much to explain; it fit the narative seamlessly. The only complaint in this area is that the character of the Drill Sergeant (MSGT Ruiz) is a little over the top; if this is based on Sergeant Zim in Starship Troopers then it's not quite there. The military parts are realistic and not romanticized. Once the characters were developed, empathy kicked in like gangbusters. The aliens (species and individuals) are well thought out: the reader becomes invested in the plot and characters.
The characters were a little slow to build up an empathy with, but after the first few chapters things worked out. The author has constructed a very realistic universe socially, politically, and technologically. One thing I really appreciated in the Last Colony was the point of view of the other alien races in the Conclave. Scalzi has done a superb job with the technology, both the space flight and the bioengineering. And in the tradition of Heinlein, just when things seem smooth, the crewman in the red jumper goes out to dump the trash and.
The Good: As has been the case with all of Scalzi's work that I have read thus far, great story, interesting characters, great thoughts on the science behind science fiction and dialogue full of sarcastic humor. Curiosity and idealistic thoughts of adventure draw them to the stars once again but they are in for more than they bargained for.Scalzi once again writes an interesting book chock full of signature Scalzi science fiction, dialogue, characters and sarcasm. The Bad: Nothing memorable.Overall: If you have enjoyed other books by John Scalzi then you won't be disappointed with "The Last Colony" "The Last Colony" by John ScalziJohn Perry and Jane have finally left behind their military life and with their new adopted daughter Zoë have settled down on the Planet Huckleberry where John acts as the Village ombudsman. It would appear that the Colonial Union isn't quite finished with John and Jane however as a new Planet ominously named Roanoke needs a leader and John and Jane have been selected.
Either book would have been a good read. There is no mention of them in the last half of the book.It felt to me like Mr. Scalzi set out to write one book, and suddenly changed his mind half way through and decided to write an entirely different book. I have really enjoyed the Old Man's War series by John Scalzi. but I feel I only got half of two separate stories. the colony found a new race, the werewolves. In this latest (and apparently last) installment, he includes all the political intrigue of earlier novels.But some of the plots were really left hanging. You had high drama about them, and then they suddenly vanished from the plot.
"The Last Colony" is much closer to the style of "Old Man's War" and I'm enjoying it immensely. "Ghost Brigades" was good, but not in the same vein as the first and now this third installment. I'm 3/4 of the way through and it's a lot of fun. It includes John Perry who I came to love in the first of the novels. "The Last Colony" is also written in first person (like "Old Man's War) and I like that, too.Get it. I just loved "Old Man's War" and the closest thing I had ever read to science fiction before was "Jurasic Park" many years ago (before the movie). A friend recommended it and I read it faster than any other book in a very long time.
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