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

Great Story

A great book that helped keep me awake on a long drive. Finished it in a day. I think my wife even teared up a little at the end. My only criticism is a decent part of the book has most of the character dialogue in staccato metered military speech which can wear on you after a while, but it's true to the characters and the scenes so you just have to power through. Probably not as noticeable if you're not listening to the whole thing in one sitting.

Great Escape to another world

This story was quickly addictive and had me anticipating what was next the entire time! Great writing and amazing character development!

Old Farts

Enjoyed the concept of our elderly being given a second life to live. Old Farts HOORAH!

A sci-war with heart

it's a sci - war, but like the Forever War, it has believable, interesting characters

Best Sci-Fi author today

If you like sci-fi, you need to read John Scalzi. A friendly librarian gave me this book a decade ago, and believe me, she is a knowledgeable reader (there's a reason she's a librarian!) She also gave me Game of Thrones at least 5 years before HBO made it famous.

Scalzi is unquestionably the best sci-fi writer working today. Humor, philosophy, intelligence and adherence to basic scientific principles (as we currently understand them) make his work a joy to read. I've read everything by him i can find, and I only wish he wrote faster. 😀Can't wait for his next book!

Excellent Sci-if

This was an excellent science fiction book. It does a great job illustrating how fictional technological advancement could have intriguing interplay with society, producing unexpected and plausibly, creatively conceived results. Well worth you time.

Great all the way around!!

Excited about this series!! I can see it going in a million different directions with all of them potentially entertaining!! Loved it!

Great Ending

War stories, love story, friendship,

good story, enjoyed it very much reccomended for Heinlein or Science fiction fans of nearly any interest. ending is well written

the story is amazing

i found myself listening in every spare moment. loved it completely and will listen to more of his books. when it started it was different from books i normally like but as it progressed, the character development and the world building drew me in like nothing else.

Great Story Line

I like the story line and William Dufris is an excellent narrator. I would prefer not to hear "He Said, She Said" when referring who is speaking. I think the writer, John Scalzi, already does a good job at identifying who is speaking without that additional information.