The Sagan Diary

By: John Scalzi

Narrated by: Stephanie Wolfe, John Scalzi

Length: 1 hr and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Jane Sagan: Soldier. Killer. Lover. Dreamer.

In John Scalzi's best-selling Old Man's War series of science-fiction novels, we see this warrior woman as the other characters see her: silent and strong, from the outside. But now The Sagan Diary shows us Sagan from another point of view - her own. As she prepares to leave military life and join her new husband and adopted daughter on a colony world, Sagan reflects on her life, in her own words - recalling friends, battles, and experiences; illustrating all the violence and wonder of her times; trying to fit "an entire life into this compressed space".

For fans of Scalzi's works, it's an intimate and surprising glimpse into one of his most popular characters. As read by Stephanie Wolfe, it's unlike any other science-fiction story you'll hear this year.

©2006 John Scalzi (P)2008 Audible, Inc.

beautiful book but way too short

very beautiful book. I loved it because it gave us Jane's perspective on things and it was an interesting idea. just honestly full price for something this small is kind of annoying when I used my last credit and a pack of three lol. but I do love the author and I love the series. if the proceeds were going to the public library fund, I would actually rate this a lot higher. if that were the case which it should be the case because it came into existence because of that, then I would definitely give this five stars.

All Jane, All The Time

Very different than what I was expecting! The interview at the beginning let me know it was a departure from the rest of the series, but this is very different. It was nice to see a different view on the mind of Jane.

Not what I expected

I have always enjoyed Scalzi's work. This is not one of his usual efforts. In the introduction he explains how this piece came about. I think he did a good job of meeting his goal, but it wasn't quite what I wanted. And at the end, I really don't think I learned anything important about Jane Sagan. I'm glad I listened to it, but I'm also glad it was short.

In Honor Of The Other Books In The Series...

I am really only rating this book as '3 Stars' out of honor for the other books in the series, which were VERY good in my opinion... If I'd listened to this book as a "Stand Alone" I probably wouldn't have even bothered to rate it, but since I enjoyed the other books in the series, I guess I have to give it at least a 'three' for filling in a little background on one of the main characters... Having said that, it's not a book I'd listen to again just for the enjoyment, and to be honest, I struggled to finish it.

As I said in my review of the first book in the series ("Old Man's War"), "The Sagan Diary" seems to be some sort of "Side-Step" to the main series, and in my opinion didn't really add anything important to the "actual" series. It was written as a "prize" for the highest bidder when one of the other books in the series was auctioned to benefit a library... I'm sure it's a masterpiece of prose, but I like "Sci-Fi" and action, not a deep treatise that I now remember only as "how do I feel about feeling when not born to feel?" (Those aren't exact words, but it's the "feeling" *I* got from reading it ;)

The narration by Stephanie Wolfe was very well done, and I truly think her performance was just about the only thing that actually kept me paying attention to the story overall.

Scalzi please stick to action

This was a long weird story that kinda confusingly connected to the main series. One review said it was like poetry in a bad way, I’d have to agree. Honestly from what little I gained I would have skipped it, just like I will be doing with Zoe’s Tale.

Excellent Short Story

This is an excellent short story based on Jane Sagan, one of the lead characters in Ghost Brigade & The Last Colony. A bit different than the standard stuff in this series, but still an excellent read.

poetic internal monolog

Let me start off with the pros:
1. love the description of I am Killing and then of Death. the poetic thought of the wording and imagery was great
2. can seem almost a reflection of how the writer feels at moments ie how the words are formed on the lips and rhe hand gestures. how she pities them never knowing the beauty

cons: lost one star for monotony. i found myself tuning out. became overly poetic and lack of high and low emotional points. very even keeled in description. no rage, sadness was explained but not felt, happiness the same.

Truly lovely short story

A beautifully crafted companion piece to Old Man's War. Must read the series though to follow this narrative. Highly recommend to Scalzi readers.

Unexpected Poetry

I was not expecting this to move me like it did. Bravo to John for this work.

Unexpected but Excellent

Any additional comments?

I've seen a lot of negative reviews on this piece, and I'd like to respond to them in a way that will help a prospective reader decide whether to purchase this short.

This is not full of thrilling action. It is full of philosophy and thought-provoking questions. A lot of reviews have said that it's not like a normal John Scalzi book, and I would like to suggest that they may have missed all the philosophy and thought-provoking questions that exist in between the action sequences in a normal John Scalzi book.

I'd also like to point out, before any reader of other reviews feels too sorry for the reviewers complaining that they paid for this and it wasn't what they wanted - they could have returned it, so if they didn't that's on them. Also, Scalzi says very clearly at the beginning that this was an experiment for him, and that it's different, so if they thought it was going to be the same old Scazi after that, that's also on them.

This story explores the mind and thoughts of someone with a unique perspective on life, and I think it does it very well. The narrator captures the emotions with skill. However, it's less a story than a mental journey. If you're looking for a plot-driven tale with battles and conquest, this isn't your best bet. If you're interested in a character-driven set piece that reads like a diary entry, then this may do for you.

I would like to point out that Audible has identified it as entry 4.5 of the Old Man's War series, but that's inaccurate. It's really entry 2.5, as it immediately predates the events of The Last Colony.