Customer Reviews

Questions for a Soldier

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This little tome does not seem to have ever been intended for wide distribution. It is intended just for fans of the universe conceived by John Scalzi in his books, OLD MAN'S WAR and THE GHOST BRIGADES. It exists merely to fill in a little of the background of the that artistic universe. To that degree, it has some small success but is not really a great entertainment value.

The situation is a PR tour by the protagonist of the first book. He is visiting some colonial worlds and pitching the mission of the military. The entire book, all 30 pages, is a transcript of a public interview he gives on one of the worlds. In it, he is asked some questions and he answers them without any dodging. Some of the questioners are supportive and some are antagonistic. Surprisingly, he seems to share some empathy with the antagonist at some points.

This is worthwhile if you are a great fan or if you want to fill in a small bit of the cultural background of this particular playground. If neither sounds appealing, wait for the next book.

As soon as I completed Old Man's War, I went right online to pick up Questions for a Soldier. OMW was such a great read that when it was over I was left wanting more and couldn't wait to learn of what happens to John Perry. QfaS is a very short story- it takes all of 5-10 minutes to read to whole thing. That's right, ten minutes tops. Is it worth the price of admission? Absolutely! If you loved OMW, you can't not get it. As the title suggests, John Perry is the honorary speaker at one of the colonies that he and the CDF defends. There he is asked by townspeople what it is like being a soldier and the talk turns into a deeper discussion about the meaning of the CDF and what it is to be a colonist and a soldier. This really is a fun read and a great, if only minor, expansion to this great universe that Scalzi has created. As far as timelines go, you can read this before or after Ghost Brigades, QfaS is a stand-alone one shot- but worth reading. This is especially worth picking up because John Perry isn't a part of Ghost Brigades; Jane Sagan takes a more forward role in that story. So if you want more of John Perry, buy Questions for a Soldier. Here's hoping the third book reunites John and Jane for an entire story of their own!

This is a signed, limited edition chapbook from Subterranean Press, with cover and interior illustrations by Bob Eggleton.

Captain John Perry, in Old Man's War, did a goodwill tour of the colonies after the Battle of Coral. This is the Q&A session from one of those stops, on the colony world of New Goa. There's no story here, really; just the back-and-forth between a combat veteran and some of the civilians the Colonial Defense Forces are defending-who have a variety of views of the CDF, the fact that it's composed entirely of old folks from Earth (colonists cannot enlist), and the perpetual state of war between humans and most other intelligent species they're in contact with. It's interesting, entertaining, and thoughtful.

This is a short story that just doesn't hold up alone, wait for the short story collection (I hope will someday come).

Only the die hard John Scalzi fan needs this in their collection... and yes I still have mine.