Zoe's Tale

An Old Man's War Novel

By: John Scalzi

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

How do you tell your part in the biggest tale in history?

I ask because it's what I have to do. I'm Zoe Boutin Perry: A colonist stranded on a deadly pioneer world. Holy icon to a race of aliens. A player (and a pawn) in a interstellar chess match to save humanity, or to see it fall. Witness to history. Friend. Daughter. Human. Seventeen years old.

Everyone on Earth knows the tale I am part of. But you don't know my tale: How I did what I did — how I did what I had to do — not just to stay alive but to keep you alive, too. All of you. I'm going to tell it to you now, the only way I know how: not straight but true, the whole thing, to try make you feel what I felt: the joy and terror and uncertainty, panic and wonder, despair and hope. Everything that happened, bringing us to Earth, and Earth out of its captivity. All through my eyes.

It's a story you know. But you don't know it all.

©2008 John Scalzi; (P)2008 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

“The Last Colony will kick your butt across the galaxy and make you care.” —Rick Kleffel, The Agony Column, on The Last Colony

“Scalzi's captivating blend of off-world adventure and political intrigue remains consistently engaging.” —Booklist on The Last Colony

“In Heinleinesque fashion, the book is loaded with scenes of comradeship, isolation, ruthlessness and the protocols, which govern the lives of active-duty soldiers. But this is where Scalzi, famous for his blog ‘The Whatever,' surpasses Heinlein. Scalzi weaves in subtle discussions of humanity's growing fear of aging and our simultaneous attraction and repulsion to the Frankenstein-like creatures we are able to create.” —San Antonio Express-News on The Ghost Brigades

Like nothing before it.

Each book stands on its own.
But as a collective work, the world Scalzi creates is without peer. From Asimov to Tolkien , I have never been left so satisfied and at the sane time wanting more.
The “Old Mans War” SAGA is A MASTERPIECE!!!

Only so so

I think the overall series could have done without this book. Some somewhat interesting background from previous book but didnt deserve as much time as this book took. Portrayal of teenaged girl characters simply over the top.

Zoe's Tale Tells the Last Colony Thur A Teens Eyes

Zoe's Tale is great I really enjoyed the re-telling of the Last Colony Thru a Teens eye. A lot of blanks were filled in and it was a lot of fun.

Not bax, but the performance could be better...

Pros:
Scalzi's attempt at teenage fiction is OK. The story fills up a few gaps left in, and gives an alternative view on, the events described in the Last Colony.

Cons:
Narration was OK, but could be better. The narrator could have checked the proper pronunciation of the names before massing them up. 😅 Also, depending on your age and mood, you may find the book style fun or less than engaging...

Overall:
Unlike the other books in the series, this one is not something I want to go through more than once.

Odd!

I have enjoyed the Old Man's War Series. This one however is quite odd. It is basically a retelling of the story in the previous book, Last Colony, except it is told through the eyes of Zoe. This means that the book for 80 to 90% of the time is focused on the life of a 14 year old girl, and ALL that entails. So for a preteen, prepubescent girl, I imagine the dialogue, the sarcasm, the intrigue, the emotional volatility, the drama, would all be quite interesting. But not for me. On several occasions I very nearly abandoned the project! After all, I knew how it was all going to end, and it felt laborious (Sigh!) to hear it all recounted again. I would not have continued were it not for the fact I had paid good money for the book! In fairness, the last couple of chapters gave some good suspense as it was a perspective not given in Last Colony. So it got an extra star!

Caveat Emptor!!