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

Delightful

my kind of sci-fi! great ideas, convincing, wellwritten/read. looking very much forward to the movie!

Fantastic!

This was one of my first science fiction books. Such a great story. Highly recommend!

Excellent!

Funny, engrossing, with characters you enjoy the ride with and terrific action scenes. Plus a most interesting premise. What else do you want? Classic Scalzi.

great book. decent narrator

book was awesome. story was creative and funny. the narrator was ok. a better one would have made it a lot more interesting but he didnt do bad either.

Good solid story, some unexpected bits

This was the second time I listened to this book and I enjoyed it as much as the previous occasion. The premise is that people join the army at the age of 75 and are somehow made into soldiers. Most people believe that they will be rejuvenated somehow but the truth is a little different and not in a bad way. I liked the way Scalzi handled the Star Trek transporter problem.

The story is held together by following what happens to the main character and the small group of friends he was with right at the beginning. There is good character development and some twists and turns. All in all a very enjoyable book. I already have the next one queued up.

couldn't have asked for more.

This story made me laugh and cry. my favorite part has got to be the training.

Great book!

Great of humanity and Scifi. Can't wait to listen to the rest of the rest of the series.

Why have I been sleeping on this book?

This book has long sat on my bookshelf at home, not sure how I acquired it or when.

It wasn't until I picked up the audiobook because it was on sale that I fell in love with this book!

The Universe feels rich and full. The book has a wicked sense of humor and the narrator reminds me of Jimmy Stewart, a very comforting tone.

The book is asks fantastic questions about nearing the end of your life and whether you'd give it all away to be young again.

If you love Sci-fi, and have a sense of humor check this book out.

Refreshingly Amazing!

I absolutely loved it. I was so immersed from the first chapter to the last. There might have been a few tears at the end.

Wow. great book and time warp

This book was not on my radar and a friend said I should listen to it for some brain candy. I'm glad I did. This was my 1ooth book for 2021. It was worth the mark on being #100 for the year. I wont give it away but I will offer a good thumbs up and if you like fast paced good stories in the SIFI arena then you will most likely like this one.

Good Luck.
Charlie