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

Comes through again!

Scalzi doesn't fail to deliver - another entertaining and satisfying experience! Well read and well written. I'm glad I discovered this fine author.

A solid sci-fi novel with some humor

I enjoyed this novel. Scalzi's writing here is superior to Red Shirts and Lock In. Old Man's War had a likeable protagonist and the pacing never dragged as happens in so many novels. Most of all, I enjoyed Scalzi's humor which complimented the solid sci-fi/action scenes. Don't be put off by the title as the book is far from being old and tired.

finally another writer as fun as Heinlein.

Good characters, great story, compelling narrative. reminded me of starship troopers mixed with time enough for love. it made you care, and was very believable. i found the cursing distracted fro. the story. why do writers of late find the need to add thr F word so much? Heinlein never cursed in his boiks, amd thr story was rhe better for it. i will read more from this author.

Great beginning, good middle, weak ending.

The story was very good at the beginning but I found the ending
disappointing. That's how life does end doesn't it. We just sort of slow down like the story but I still consider it a good listen and the narrator was good too.

Author has a great imagination

This was my first Sci-Fi military read. I think I’ve been missing out before now because apparently military plus Sci-fi equals lots of great futuristic possibilities. And probably the author just has a great imagination. The first few chapters were on the slow side, but it still wasn’t boring. When the book gets warmed up it’s very fascinating! I couldn’t wait to keep listening.

Scalzi is a modern master.

Just. Wow.



(Audible requires 15 words, which is ruining my heartfelt review. Screw you, Audible.)

best book

loved this book the whole story was great start was good and the view points were amazing

Excellent

Incredible achievement for his first book. Can't wait to read the next one. Reminds me of an "old" master.

Good, basic, homespun sci-fi yarn

It takes a while to chew through through the rind of the author's set-up before savoring the tastier plot morsels later on. Once you've shucked the shell of introductory material, there is a fair amount of guesswork -- enough to keep you listening. Also, the narrator is good at distinguishing voices; I was never at a loss for who was speaking. All these positives outweigh the negatives of Norman Rockwell sentiment and corny repartee. Overall, soldiering through "Old Man's War" along with the characters is a worthwhile investment in time. The author succeeds in drawing us into his world and reflecting on his questions about humanity even if the answers are not surprising.

A Fine Space Opera

Well worth the “read” but not quite an Enders Game or an Asimov Foundation novel. Those are very high bars and take nothing away from this fine work. Good SF makes you stretch into a new reality and this novel did that. I’ll be back soon to listen to the next chapter.