Review: Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi 3.5/5

With his wife dead and buried, and life nearly over at 75, John Perry takes the only logical course of action left: he joins the army. Now better known as the Colonial Defense Force (CDF), Perry’s service-of-choice has extended its reach into interstellar space to pave the way for human colonization of other planets while fending off marauding aliens.

The CDF has a trick up its sleeve that makes enlistment especially enticing for seniors: the promise of restoring their youth. After bonding with a group of fellow recruits who dub their clique the Old Farts, Perry finds himself in a new body crafted from his original DNA and upgraded for battle, including a brain-implanted computer. But all too quickly the Old Farts are separated, and Perry must fight for his life on various alien-infested battlegrounds.

Review:

I have been neglecting my sci-fi reads of late. I wanted something to get me thinking, take me on an adventure in space, and surprise me at every turn. Old Man’s war has a fantastic concept: take old people, give them a new body, but on one condition… they are part of a space army, and their youth comes at a price.

During the first one hundred pages or so, I could easily stop and start this book. Sometimes, going days between reading it, helped me to get back into the story when I found the time. That being said, it did pick up, and I read the remainder of the book much more quickly.

Scalzi’s imagination is broad and a wonder to read. I wanted sci-fi and I got sci-fi by the bucket load. The characters were refreshing; the older generation- even after they swap bodies- still had seventy-five year old, wise minds. It was a fun mix of old and young. And what would you do if you were seventy-five and suddenly in a younger body…Oh, they did! Lots!

The overall narrative was fast paced. The beginning was a little slower, but the real action started at about chapter seven. We follow Perry through his transformation, through combat, through injury, and through an unexpected encounter. The story progression was well thought out and paced. Scalzi has woven a thought provoking, sci-fi tale that readers, whether eighteen or eighty, can enjoy.

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The opinions expressed here are those of K.J.Chapman and no other parties

All books reviewed on this blog have been read by K.J.Chapman

K.J.Chapman has not been paid for this review

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