[Scalzi] Old Man's War

[Zaxxon]

Given the status of this book, I'm amazed that it doesn't have a thread here. I started the book late last night and am a third of the way done this morning. What an entertaining and original (in my experience, at least) tale so far. Any love from other OOers? Is the whole series this good?

[McNutt]

I really liked it too. If you like Old Man's War I highly recommend The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. It's the same theme of future war where you can never truly go back.

[Odin]

I thought it was more derivative than original, feeling a LOT like Starship Troopers with a more engaging action element to the story. That said, I thought it was an extremely enjoyable read and I liked it very much. It was the story I wished Starship Troopers had been. The two sequels were each successively less good, but I still liked them.

[silverjon]

It doesn't have a thread, but it gets plenty of mentions. I don't remember if that's why I read it or not. I thought it was pretty good but I never touched any sequels.

[Reemul]

I enjoyed them all well worth reading

[ChaoZ]

I believe I got to about Zoe's Tale before I grew tired of the series. Read them all in quick succession though, so that may have had something to do with it. Scalzi has a new one out in June called Redshirts, which parodies the Star Trek away team paradigm.

I actually really liked Scalzi's first work, Agent to the Stars. A quirky little fun tale. I believe he made it available for free at some point.

[Zaxxon]

Finished the book (and am halfway through book 2 and still enjoying the series immensely).

I really liked it too. If you like Old Man's War I highly recommend The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. It's the same theme of future war where you can never truly go back.

It's on my to-read list.

I thought it was more derivative than original, feeling a LOT like Starship Troopers with a more engaging action element to the story. That said, I thought it was an extremely enjoyable read and I liked it very much. It was the story I wished Starship Troopers had been. The two sequels were each successively less good, but I still liked them.

It's certainly inspired by Starship Troopers, but I'd peg it closer to 'original' than 'derivative' on the original-to-derivative meter. Also, there are 4 sequels, no? I'm on 'book 2 of 5'.

[Zaxxon]

I believe I got to about Zoe's Tale before I grew tired of the series. Read them all in quick succession though, so that may have had something to do with it. Scalzi has a new one out in June called Redshirts, which parodies the Star Trek away team paradigm.

I actually really liked Scalzi's first work, Agent to the Stars. A quirky little fun tale. I believe he made it available for free at some point.

Nice post timing--yours came in while I was composing my last reply. I heard about this Redshirts book and will definitely have to check it out. Ceiling is high on that one. Thanks for the Agent to the Stars heads-up.

[Grundbegriff]

Spoiler:

Most of the characters are essentially the same in ideology, tone, and verbal style. If you're looking for dept of characterization, turn elsewhere.

The plot progresses by means of combat set pieces. The main character resolves each scenario through a display of intelligence. We're expected to think his peers and superiors are smart but that he's brilliant; however, it comes across as if he's equipped with a grasp of the obvious and everyone around him is dull witted.

The book reads, in language and construction, as if the author had one eye on movie adaptation at all times.

There's worse light fare, but this is pretty thin gruel.

[Reemul]

Spoiler:

Most of the characters are essentially the same in ideology, tone, and verbal style. If you're looking for dept of characterization, turn elsewhere.

The plot progresses by means of combat set pieces. The main character resolves each scenario through a display of intelligence. We're expected to think his peers and superiors are smart but that he's brilliant; however, it comes across as if he's equipped with a grasp of the obvious and everyone around him is dull witted.

The book reads, in language and construction, as if the author had one eye on movie adaptation at all times.

There's worse light fare, but this is pretty thin gruel.

Yeah but that'sthe point with these types of book, there are thousands of literay geniuses out there to read but as an avid reader amongst the literature there needs to be some decent pap.

Variety is the spice of life and some decent pap is not to be snubbed and this is decent stuff.

[Odin]

I believe I got to about Zoe's Tale before I grew tired of the series.

Lucky for you, that's the last book in the series.

there are 4 sequels, no? I'm on 'book 2 of 5'.

Nope. From his website, the books in the OMW series are:

Old Man’s War (2005)
The Ghost Brigades (2006)
The Last Colony (2007)
Zoe’s Tale (2008)

And note that, by and large, only "The Last Colony" would arguably count as a sequel, as it's the only one to focus on the same main character as OMW. And Zoe's Tale is more a sequel of The Last Colony than of OMW. But they're all tied together.

[Zaxxon]

I was going off Shelfari, which lists a short story called 'The Sagan Diary' as book 5. Whups.

[Grundbegriff]

Spoiler:

Most of the characters are essentially the same in ideology, tone, and verbal style. If you're looking for dept of characterization, turn elsewhere.

The plot progresses by means of combat set pieces. The main character resolves each scenario through a display of intelligence. We're expected to think his peers and superiors are smart but that he's brilliant; however, it comes across as if he's equipped with a grasp of the obvious and everyone around him is dull witted.

The book reads, in language and construction, as if the author had one eye on movie adaptation at all times.

There's worse light fare, but this is pretty thin gruel.

Yeah but that'sthe point with these types of book, there are thousands of literay geniuses out there to read but as an avid reader amongst the literature there needs to be some decent pap.

A valid point, I guess.

I found it disappointing. But then, I'm pretentious!

[silverjon]

I found it disappointing. But then, I'm pretentious!

Sometimes, that makes it so hard to find a book you enjoy unequivocally.

I think my expectations for this one going in were not super-high, so I could like it for what it was. All the more reason to avoid the sequels though.

[Isgrimnur]

I highly recommend The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. It's the same theme of future war where you can never truly go back.

$1.99 for ebook version today.

[Scuzz]

I really liked it too. If you like Old Man's War I highly recommend The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. It's the same theme of future war where you can never truly go back.

I recently read this after buying it at a used book store. Very good book and in my opinion more original than Scalzi. It was written in the early 70's and you can tell that. Kind of reminded me of some Vonnegut I had read.

I did read Old Man's War first, and currently am about to read the the fourth book in the series.


I would also recommend Haldeman's Accidental Time Machine. Very simple, interesting story.

[Sepiche]

Similar to Old Man's War is an older book that's a personal favorite:
Armor by John Steakley

The planet is called Banshee. The air is unbreathable, the water is poisonous. It is home to the most implacable enemies that humanity, in all its interstellar expansion, has ever encountered.

Body armor has been devised for the commando forces that are to be dropped on Banshee—the culmination of ten thousand years of the armorers’ craft. A trooper in this armor is a one-man, atomic powered battle fortress. But he will have to fight a nearly endless horde of berserk, hard-shelled monsters—the fighting arm of a species which uses biological technology to design perfect, mindless war minions.

The story switches up at some points and feels disconnected, but eventually it all ties together and pays off.

[Jaymann]

Haldeman rarely fails to deliver.

[TheMix]

I haven't read OMW. Or, for that matter, anything by the author (that I'm aware of).

I remember enjoying Haldeman's novel, though I remember nothing about the story itself. Isn't there a sequel of sorts now?

Steakley's novel is one of my favorites. I've read it multiple times. Much like Ender's Game, its a novel that, if I pick it up, flip to a page, and start reading... I'll be hooked until I finish it.

[Smoove_B]

I just finished The Forever War (currently $2 on Amazon, for Kindle) and it was amazing. Scalzi did the forward in the copy I read and he said he had no idea about The Forever War when he wrote Old Man's War. I liked Scalzi's story, but The Forever War blows it away by a mile - really, quite...prescient. Would absolutely recommend to anyone.

EDIT: Corrected

[McNutt]

Old Man's War is a fun read. There's nothing fun about The Forever War.

I don't remember specifics about the war, only that you are left feeling how awful and pointless the war was. I'm sure that was his goal. I need to read some of his other books.

[TheMix]

I meant to add that my go to for "pap", or what I'm understanding that to be, is probably MIke Resnick's stuff. I tend to classify it as science-fantasy/space opera. Like Star Wars. Action, fun, but very little depth or actual science.

[Jaymann]

I just finished The Forever War (currently $2 on Amazon, for Kindle) and it was amazing. Scalzi did the forward in the copy I read and he said he had no idea about The Forever War when he wrote Old Man's War. I liked Scalzi's story, but Old Man's War blows it away by a mile - really, quite...prescient. Would absolutely recommend to anyone.

I can't tell from this post which book you liked better.

[Smoove_B]

Whoops, my bad. The Forever War was (IMHO) so much better than Old Man's War (which I also enjoyed). They're on a totally different level, in terms of tone (as suggested by McNutt).

[Kasey Chang]

I did read all of those... a long time ago.

My personal thought on the Forever War... It's basically an EXTREME scifi-driven version of Vietnam War, where the civilian government had a TOTAL disconnect from the actual fighters, due to the relativistic effects. It's sorta the ultimate parable / satire of the real Vietnam war.

Steakley's "Armor"... it's a very different story. It's basically a tortured soul story presented as action and a lot of mystery.

Scalzi's "Old Man's War" is really about exploitation of a segment of population. Scalzi chose "old people", and in a way it's ingenious, but also in a way, it kinda doesn't make sense. But it's an interesting story nonetheless. Other authors chose different populations to exploit.

(Isaac Hooke's ATLAS series chose "immigrants" and William C Dietz chose "dead people")