Old Man's War (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "I did two things on my seventy-fifth birthday..." (more)
Key Phrases: slashing arms, skip drive, stasis chamber, Special Forces, Colonial Defense Forces, Henry Hudson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. 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. Seventy-five-year-old John Perry joins the Colonial Defense Force because he has nothing to keep him on Earth. Suddenly installed in a better-than-new young body, he begins developing loyalty toward his comrades in arms as they battle aliens for habitable planets in a crowded galaxy. As bloody combat experiences pile up, Perry begins wondering whether the slaughter is justified; in short, is being a warrior really a good thing, let alone being human? The definition of "human" keeps expanding as Perry is pushed through a series of mind-stretching revelations. The story obviously resembles such novels as Starship Trooper and Time Enough for Love, but Scalzi is not just recycling classic Heinlein. He's working out new twists, variations that startle even as they satisfy. The novel's tone is right on target, too—sentimentality balanced by hardheaded calculation, know-it-all smugness moderated by innocent wonder. 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.
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From Booklist

With his wife dead and buried, and life nearly over at 75, John Perry takes the only logical course of action left him: he joins the army. Now better known as the Colonial Defense Force (CDF), Perry's service-of-choice has extended its reach into interstellar space to pave the way for human colonization of other planets while fending off marauding aliens. The CDF has a trick up its sleeve that makes enlistment especially enticing for seniors: the promise of restoring youth. After bonding with a group of fellow recruits who dub their clique the Old Farts, Perry finds himself in a new body crafted from his original DNA and upgraded for battle, including fast-clotting "smartblood" and a brain-implanted personal computer. All too quickly the Old Farts are separated, and Perry fights for his life on various alien-infested battlegrounds. Scalzi's blending of wry humor and futuristic warfare recalls Joe Haldeman's classic, The Forever War (1974), and strikes the right fan--pleasing chords to probably garner major sf award nominations. Carl Hays
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (December 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765309408
• ISBN-13: 978-0765309402
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.9 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (337 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #479,079 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

111 of 116 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Methuselah's Troopers Will Fear No Evil, August 9, 2005

By	John S. Ryan "Scott Ryan" (Silver Lake, OH) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The title of my review isn't fair; I'm making it sound as though John Scalzi's first novel is a mishmash of Robert A. Heinlein works. It's not; in fact it's refreshingly original, and you certainly don't have to be a Heinlein fan (or even to have read Heinlein) in order to enjoy and appreciate it. But as Scalzi himself remarks in his acknowledgements, the influence _is_ fairly obvious.

At any rate, I really like the book -- and on its own merits, not just because it reminds me of Heinlein. (Nor is it just because the hero, John Nicholas Perry, hails from the county seat of Darke County in my home state of Ohio, where Scalzi now lives.) Scalzi is a fine writer and his ideas sparkle off the page.

I won't spoil anything for you; just keep your eyes peeled for at least one really cool idea every three or four pages. (And if Scalzi hasn't blown your mind within the first couple hundred pages, it'll happen when Alan Rosenthal explains how the skip drive works.) I can't really tell you anything specific without giving away something better left for you to discover as you read.

I can say in general, though, that Scalzi has a pretty healthy sense of what it will take for human beings to colonize other planets in a universe that contains other sentient species. (And I think he has a better appreciation of moral ambiguity than Heinlein did even on his best day.) He's also got a knack for thinking up clever and gruesome ways for people to die. Oh, and there's a lot of nicely handled bittersweet stuff that may bring tears to your eyes if you're inclined to that sort of thing.

All in all, a fine first novel; I'll look forward to reading his next (_Agent to the Stars_) as well as what appears to be a sequel currently in the works (_The Ghost Brigades_). And welcome to Ohio, John.

174 of 188 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mindblowing. A terrific read., January 1, 2005

By	Roger J. Buffington (Huntington Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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I went back and forth between four stars and five. On the one hand, this novel is not great literature on the level of say, "Dune" by Frank Herbert. On the other hand, "Old Man's War" is a terrific read, very imaginative, and not terribly implausible.

No spoilers here, so my discussion of the story will be limited. The essential premise and storyline is that in the near future, Earth/humankind have discovered the "skip drive" which is a method of interstellar space travel. Mankind quickly learns that valuable planets are a scarce commodity and there are several intelligent races in our neck of the Galaxy that as a matter of routine try to use military force to take planets away from other races. Including, of course, human colonial planets. Accordingly, to protect Earth and also to protect colony worlds, the "Colonial Defense Force" enlists elderly human beings on Earth as soldiers to protect the colony worlds. The protagonist in the novel is such a one.

The novel includes pretty strong character development. It manages to make some of the characters both lifelike and alien. This is no small feat and a task that most science fiction authors struggle with. Here, the author succeeds.

The author's speculations about what interaction between mankind and aliens will be like are startling. The reader can decide for him or her self whether they are plausible. I was not able to say that they were implausible, at any rate.

The novel contains dazzling speculation about the future destiny of humanity in space and technology in general. This, combined with a fast-moving storyline and solid plot, earns this one five stars in my opinion. Quite frankly, this is far and away the best science fiction novel that I have read since "Dune" and "The Forever War" and it gives my old favorite "The Forever War" a run for its money in terms of which is my favorite military science fiction novel of all time. Any lover of "hard" science fiction will want to snap this one up, and I imagine "Old Man's War" is destined for Hugo and Nebula awards.

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly amazing, May 12, 2006

By	Christian McCallister "dr dolphin" (The waters of the Great Lakes) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: Old Man's War (Paperback)

Premise: In the future, humanity has colonized many planets, and discovered other intelligent species in the galaxy. Sadly, everyone is into the colonizing thing, creating competition, also called "war". Humanity's answer is the Colonial Union (CU) and it's military arm, the Colonial Defense Forces (CDF). Where do they get recruits for the CDF? Well, Earth is overcrowded. But, the CDF doesn't want inexperienced recruits, nor those who have grown up in poverty. The answer: at age 65, people can sign up for the CDF and then they can enlist at 75.

What does a military force want with 75-year-old recruits? The recruits don't know, but assume that the CDF will somehow rejuvenate them. You see, the CU and the CDF started on Earth, but have separated themselves from Earth, have bought, borrowed, or taken technology from many other species, and have moved way beyond Earth technologically.

Plot: John Perry and his wife signed up for the CDF at 65. At 67, John's wife died suddenly. At 75, John says good-bye to his family, his wife's grave, and Earth, and enlists in the CDF for two-to-ten years. He meets other recruits and they rapidly bond, labeling themselves "The Old Farts." Then, the CDF does their magic (I will not spoil the details), and "The Old Farts" end up a bunch of twenty-year-old, genetically-enhanced, semi-bionic super-soldiers. They go through training, to help them adjust to their new bodies.

While The Old Farts get separated, they stay in contact (another interesting aspect of the story is how they do so, but I'll not divulge that). Their separate troops go off to defend colonies, find new colonies, and retake colonies overrun by aliens. The story follows John Perry, as he surprises himself as being a creative and able soldier with some leadership skills. He is not perfect, though, and is almost killed several times. He even runs into a rather amazing surprise, when he is rescued after being almost killed.

I like this story because of the interesting premise. I like this story because the science is articulated very well, without going over my head. I like this story because the plot has lots of surprise turns.

But, all that would add up to a good, four-star, science-fiction adventure story. This is more than that.

"Old Man's War" has two powerful strengths. The characters never ignore the ethical implications of what they do. The author repeatedly introduces the question of whether there could be a better alternative to war, but he does so without turning the book into an anti-war rant. He never answers the question; he just keeps it alive in a realistic, powerful way.

The main strength here, though, is the characterizations. Within five pages, I knew that I liked the characters. They were superhuman (after being changed), but never lost their humanity. John Perry would make anyone an interesting and wonderful friend, father, and grandfather, but he is not perfect. He is utterly credible, utterly likable, and utterly human. John Scalzi has created a marvelous protagonist here.

Wow.

I've ordered the sequel, "Ghost Brigades."

Some people are comparing John Scalzi to Robert Heinlein. He has to write dozens more novels to prove it, but John Scalzi's debut novel rivals Heinlein's masterpieces.

Wow.