Book Review: Old Man’s War
Old Man’s War by John Scalzi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I used to read a lot more science fiction than I do these days. I keep nudging book recommendations aside, telling myself I’ll get back into space soon. Maybe. And then my book club chose Old Man’s War as our next read. I’d heard good things about it, and knew that John Scalzi was a heck of a writer, so I went along with the choice.
Little did I know I’d be hooked from page one. Scalzi’s easygoing narrative style felt like I was just sitting around with a friend who was telling me about his life. And what a life! And as I read further, my definition of ‘life’ was challenged. How far could Scalzi take that concept, I wondered, and those are the words of someone who’s been well and truly hooked.
There’s lots of science fiction here. Plenty of space ships, cool tech, scary aliens and even a couple of really weird ways of traveling through space. But there’s more. At its heart, this is a love story, it’s a buddy film, it’s making friends in Freshman year. It’s sneaky passing notes in class when the teacher turns their back. It’s just so many things, bundled up inside a science fiction cover (and it’s a cool cover).
If you love science fiction, or if you aren’t sure you like it, or if you love well-thought-out concepts, or if you’ve ever been a human being, this one’s a must read.
Lori Alden Holuta
Lori Alden Holuta lives between the cornfields of Mid-Michigan, where she grows vegetables and herbs when she’s not writing, editing, or playing games with a cat named Chives.
