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

would buy again

Loved it. Loved the various forms of alien life, customs and adventures. Loved the idea of a new available to us at a time when we can clearly see the end of this life. Loved the idea of new and augmented bodies. Feared and questioned the idea of such a governmental body as the CDF without obvious oversight.

Awesome!

I'm in the process of giving several different Science Fiction stories a try. So far this is #1 on the list. There are very few books I would read/listen to more than once. This is one I could listen to over and over. If you're into books with a great plot and where the author doesn't go off on 100 plus page long tangents describing how a character picks their boogers, this story is for you. A perfect blend of plot, character story, and action :)

Great author and great narrator

This is my third time listening to old man's war, because I enjoy John Scalzi's writing so much and thoroughly enjoy William Dufris' narration.

it should win the Hugo award

That was the coolest and most compelling SciFi story since I have read since "Rainbow's End".

Slow starter, then it gets good, then it skims

This book started a little slow, as told from the perspective of a bunch of 75yo people, it felt a little like chatting around at the retirement home and I was skeptical at first. Then it picked up a little bit, with the storyline sounding more like a video game than a novel. Nothing too deep, or too long, just a fun listen. Some of the potentially great action scenes were skimmed through (montage style), and only a few of the good action scenes were actually detailed- making it a shorter work than it could have been. The main character is a little too perfect, making him a bit flat- the accidental wild success is a little frustrating and flat. But like I said, overall its a fun listen and worth it.
The narrator was best at 1.25x speed, and does the voices well.

Will now be among my favs!

This was a great book and a great narrator, had to review and it, great story amazing imagination, and great to be book 1 of a 6 book series will definitely continue with the rest!

awesome book!

after reading a Novelle by scalzi, I jumped at the opportunity to read old mans war. I was pleasantly surprised. funny, engaging, and very interesting.

Great Story, Alright Narrator

It took me awhile to get used to the narrator and he still was the worse part of the experience. However, he grew on me and I started to really enjoy the series. Everyone in the comments compares it to starship troopers but it has a lot of heart and is less openly satirical. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys sci-fi.

Avatar meets starship troopers

My title pretty much says it all. Though it's more heavier on the starship trooper side; which is how I like it. Once I started this book I couldn't put it down I'll hopefully start the next book soon enough

Absolute must listen.

Military fiction isn't my normal thing, but this is different. The human story around the life of the soldiers is compelling, funny and bittersweet. First rate story, first rate narration. Swear warning. But really, really great.