Old Man's War

By: John Scalzi

Narrated by: William Dufris

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Perfect for an entry-level sci-fi listener and the ideal addition to a veteran fan’s collection, John Scalzi's Old Man’s War will take audiences on a heart-stopping adventure into the far corners of the universe.

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.

John Scalzi's Old Man's War is a stunning novel of the long war for human survival—in a universe replete with hostility

©2005 John Scalzi (P)2007 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC

Critic reviews

• Hugo Award nominee, Best Novel, 2006

"Scalzi's imagined interstellar arena is coherently and compellingly delineated." (The Washington Post)

“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)

“Solid…[Scalzi] sidesteps most of the cliches of military science fiction, delivers fast-paced scenes of combat and pays attention to the science underpinning his premise.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“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

OMG BEST BOOK EVER!!!

I’m kind of a sci fi nerd. And this book did need disappointment. Holly crap!

best syfi stories I've ever read/listened too

love this story a little bit of everything. character development, great. got it a chance.

Lots of fun

I can’t believe I just discovered this series it is a lot of fun highly recommend

Amazing

Was told about this series by a coworker, and was surprised at how much I love this book. 3 books deep in the series and still going. Very good story.

Fun Listen

characters were interesting and well developed. The future science was reasonably presented. in contrast, The battlefield tactics seemed satirically mundane, akin to 20th century WWII weapons, even while species have conquered multi dimensional space. Overall good read and fine audio performance by William Dufris

she said he said please no more said.

the story was great and entertaining, even if predictable.

the narration of stating who said what after every line of dialog was distracting at best, irritating at worst.

the narrator could have easily implied the text as he did a good job of differing voices.

if you can get over that it's worth a listen.

A complete world, and a complete joy.

Tough. Smart. Full of the pain of sacrifice and the rewards of discovery. Love the adventure, humor, and characters.
I am getting the next in the series immediately. Then the next, and next, and the next.

Great story with a great narration

I was a bit apprehensive for my first fiction audibook . i worried the narrator would affect the story or the characters or the worlds...things I like to come up with in my own imagination. However , this was an unfounded worry, Willian Dufris KILLS it. The emotion and care with which he narrates this story is commendable, and made it all the more enjoyable.

Thrilling and touching

I'd heard about this book a while ago and the it into my wish list knowing it would be a solid listen. I was not disappointed.

This was a fresh look at science fiction for me

I enjoyed this different take on science fiction and the future of mankind. it was humorous at times but not a comedy.