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

This needs to be a tv series!

I am not one to write a review, but this was too good not to. Short and sweet, this book captures everything you could want in a science fiction. Aliens, war, tech, space travel, and even a solid bit of romance. Excited to continue the series!

Sad I waited this long. Great story, great VA

Heard about his years ago, downloaded months ago. I'm getting the next book immediately

As someone with ADHD…

I struggle to read and find any interest in books weather I read or it’s an audiobook. But this has always been able to capture me. My brain melts into the story. I can’t get enough.

Original and touching!

I really enjoyed this entire book. I thought the narrator did a great job and it was such an interesting ride from start to finish. Great sci fi and I didn’t find the military aspect overbearing at all. It was a touching story of friendship, love, and humanity. I can’t wait to read the next one.

It's like a more exciting Starship Troopers.

Definite Starship Trooper vibes but the baseline of the story is way different. Loved the sci-fi tech in this book.

Best Scifi I've read in a While

I would've chosen Old Man's War over DUNE. This book seemed to me a cross between Starship Troopers, and Planet Story, with a hint of inspiration from Isaac Asimov.

I wish I could forget Old Man's War just to read it again. It's my new favorite sci-fi and a can't wait to go through the whole series.

Don't listen to me or anyone, but read it for yourself. Cheers!

Great book

The first book in this series is so good. Well worth the money. BUT when you get to book 2 it turns into a completely different type of story. Not exactly what I was looking for in scifi. I wasn't really looking for graphic adult content...it doesn't even fit in with the story line...unnecessary and odd. I am skipping the rest of the series. It's so hard to find great scifi these days.

Very different. Really liked it.

My son recommended this book to me, thinking that I would enjoy it. He was right. He and I liked the characters, the story, and the way it flowed to a positive ending.

What a roller coaster of fun, action, amazing technical dives into science fiction, and the horrors of war.

The story, pacing, performance of the narrator, all of it so captivating. And when that slowed a little I was taken in by the dives into theoretical science and exploration.

So good

A really enjoyable story with a unique plot. I can’t wait to listen to the next in the series!