Customer Reviews

Zoe's Tale

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Let me first say that I think John Scalzi is a wonderful writer. I read Old Man's War when it first came out and enjoyed it very much. Earlier this month I noted he had penned a few sequels and I decided to give them a go. In preparation for doing so I actually re-read Old Man's War and, surprisingly, I enjoyed it even more the second time around. I can say unhesitatingly that I feel that Old Man's War, The Ghost Brigades, and the Last Colony are all wonderful five star reads that evoke the best from the golden age of science fiction and yet are distinctly modern in their presentation.

Scalzi writes in a deceptively easy and smooth style and you glide silkily from one page to the next. His writing is leavened with liberal humor and spiced with adrenalin-fueled action scenes making for a thoroughly enjoyable treat. Many people have compared him to Robert Heinlein...I would go even farther. Scalzi could easily be Heinlein's clone when it comes to writing. Their styles are that similar. This is a good thing though, a grand thing, and I am so pleased that Scalzi is writing the books he is.

But...I have to say I was disappointed with Zoe's Tale in several ways. This is entirely my fault as I was so very excited to get a fourth installment in this series that I did not bother to read the publisher's blurb on the Amazon page. The fact I didn't do so is actually a form of homage to Scalzi because I have already decided that anything he writes is worthy of reading so I didn't really feel like I had to check out the plot first. Zoe's Tale simply retells the story of The Last Colony from the perspective of Zoe, a young teenaged girl. Since I just read The Last Colony a few days ago, I already knew what was going to happen and so there was little ability to generate tension during the story. I still very much enjoyed the smooth, humorous writing but the story itself was a little bit like eating leftovers that you aren't really interested in. It's better than not eating, but it's simply not that thrilling.

I think Scalzi did a remarkably good job of capturing the perspective and outlook of a teenage girl in the novel, which as he explains in the afterword is something of a challenge for a middle-aged guy to pull off. Speaking as another middle-aged guy it seemed to me like he did a good job, but then again, what do I know? Yet, since I am a middle-aged guy I do generally prefer stories told from an older perspective than that of a teenager. I definitely preferred the protagonists of the first three books from a narrative point-of-view. Shifting from an adult perspective to a teenaged one, while well done, detracted a little from the book for me. It could be a plus for others, but I share this so others can make informed decisions.

I must say that overall I enjoyed the book, but I probably would have ordered something else if I'd known beforehand what this was going to be (again, completely my fault). So my advice is to understand what you are buying here before you do it. This is a good book, very enjoyable, and it does throw in a few scenes and explanations that were not in The Last Colony, including a bit more about the werewolves. On the whole though, there isn't much additional informaiton here and I would have preferred a brand new story over a rehashed one. So I'll give this one five stars for the enoyable writing style that will keep me coming back for more, but three stars for not really adding anything new to the series, and settle out at four stars.

In his fourth novel set in the world of OLD MAN'S WAR that jumpstarted John Scalzi's career in writing science fiction, the author doubles back for a second helping of story from his last novel, THE LAST COLONY. With a new voice, new events, and a batch of new stakes, Scalzi rekindles that reading experience to white-hot intensity.

The protagonist is a teenaged girl named Zoe who has an interesting background that has shaped not only her present, but her foreseeable future. She was a secondary character in THE GHOST BRIGADES and THE LAST COLONY, but now she's center stage. Although Scalzi's work has often been compared to Robert A. Heinlein's, with this new protagonist, those parallels have never been more sharply defined. I constantly felt as though I were twelve years old again, hunkered down with one of Heinlein's novels for juveniles.

Zoe is a marvelous character and leaps from the pages. As a kid, I knew girls like her. As an adult, I raised a daughter like her in so many ways. The fierce independence and need to shield her parents from her world (and to protect her privacy) was endearing.

Scalzi's voice in the first-person narrative is pitch-perfect. If I hadn't known the writer was male, I wouldn't have believed it. The views and opinions Zoe and her best friend Gretchen shared were incredibly well done.

I enjoyed the portrayal of the scientific realm as well, especially the way that it was rendered through Zoe's eyes. Her chief concern was her PDA, and it was just as much a part of her as a modern teenager's cell phone: for calls, for pictures and videos, for texting, and for storing media. The other things (like the interplanetary ship) were primarily taken for granted since they were in the adult world.

Zoe's crush on Enzo was particularly good as well. I like the way the couples paired off, and the fact that their close relationships later caused problems for all of them when those friendships also became liabilities.

Readers of THE LAST COLONY are going to know most of the major arcs of the story and won't find any true surprises in this book regarding those. But to hear the story in Zoe's words, to find out all the behind-the-scenes action that was going on regarding Zoe and her alien protectors, to find out more about the "werewolves" in the forest's outside the colony's containment walls is a veritable feast made from leftovers. Sure, the story's been told before in some regards, but there's a reason twice-backed potatoes are popular too.

Not many writers can pull off a second visit to what is - essentially - the same story. Scalzi not only does pull this off, but he brings so much more out of the second trip in such a unique way that this trip through doesn't even feel like the same book. Even though so many of the characters and situations are familiar, I was swept away to another world seemingly made whole from the one I'd only thought I knew.

I enjoy Scalzi's writing. He's deceptively easy to read. His voice, whichever voice he's using, always rings true and pulls me through his novels. Zoe's voice was hauntingly familiar from the Heinlein juveniles, but Scalzi just has a much better hook on today's kids.

ZOE'S TALE is a perfect book to offer a young reader. Especially one that's wondering why you're reading Scalzi's books. A young reader doesn't have to read the preceding three books because this novel is self-contained. It's a great exposure to the Old Man's War books, and it might just have your kid raiding your book shelves or the local library for Scalzi's previous novels. If that happens, you're going to have competition for his next book!

The hard core sci-fi cover might make you think otherwise, but Zoe's Tale is chiefly an empowering yet sweet coming of age story about 17 year old Zoe, both player and pawn in a complex interstellar battle between the Colonial Union (the human alliance) and the Conclave (an alliance of roughly 400 alien species). If you've read The Last Colony, I guess you probably know how it all turns out since this is apparently a novel with a parallel timeline told from a different perspective. If you haven't, no matter, as this exciting tale can stand on its own.

Zoe, her adopted parents, her two alien bodyguards and about 2000 settlers from 10 different human colonies are sent off by the Colonial Union to colonize a new planet called Roanoke (and anyone who knows American history will appreciate the irony of the name). As it turns out, the Colonial Union has plans that don't have the best interests of the colonists at heart. But fortunately, Zoe is not the type of girl who goes down without fight, especially when the lives of her parents, her new best friend Gretchen (with whom she has a great sarcastic rapport) and her new boyfriend Enzo's lives are at stake.

I like sci-fi, but I've never been big on books where alien races make up a big part of the narrative because of all the exposition you normally have to slog through. Author John Scalzi is wise to keep this to a minimum and the aliens he does introduce even manage to be entertaining (picture big spider like creatures at a hoedown and try not to laugh). Don't let the star trek like premise turn you off, because Zoe, an ordinary teenage girl asked to be extraordinary, is worth getting to know. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Although this isn't a YA novel, Publisher Tor is actively courting the teen market. And with a heroine as appealing and strong as Zoe, I think they just might succeed.

See more of my reviews at presentinglenore.blogspot.com

Frankly, this book is a little disappointing. It's the 4th book in Scalzi's "Old Man's War" universe - this time a retelling of the immediately preceding book, "The Last Colony," retold from the perspective of Zoe, the adopted daughter of the hero, John Perry, from "Old Man's War" (and the biological daughter of the human race's greatest traitor). If this book had truly been a stand alone book, I would have been hard pressed to have given it 2 stars. However, because it does add a little depth to the "Old Man's War" universe and is written in Scalzi's easygoing style, I gave it 1 more star (for a total of 3). As Scalzi himself notes, this storytelling approach is similar to Orson Scott Card's treatment of the Ender series ("Ender's Game") in "Ender's Shadow." It doesn't work quite so well for me for two reasons: (1) unlike "Ender's Shadow," which was written almost 15 years after "Ender's Game," this is a retelling of the last book I read by Scalzi less than 2 years ago - I felt like I had already read this story; and (2) Scalzi just isn't Orson Scott Card (at least not yet), so he doesn't quite pull this approach off - it just doesn't seem as fresh, interesting, or add enough to justify me spending the time re-reading the tale told in "The Last Colony."

If you really like the "Old Man's War" universe, you'll enjoy this book, but don't expect a masterpiece. Frankly, I wish I had waited a few more years before reading this book (after "The Last Colony" had begun to fade from my memory). For those interested in a great book/universe to delve into, though, start with "Old Man's War" and "The Ghost Brigades". Great books.

Scalzi suffers from the same problem King did in his third book of his Dark Tower series - when you try doing a book in which the readers already know the plot, it's very hard to make it interesting.

Frankly, the high reviews on Amazon kind of astonish me. Old Man's War was a great novel, and the two follow-ups were quite good as well, but this story is just a rehash, and rehashes aren't interesting. Especially when told from the point of view of a sassy teenage girl. Ok - I get it. She's sassy. (How sassy is she? Sasssssy.) She's not a terribly interesting character beyond her sassy-ness. We already know her boyfriend dies, so ok yeah, it's tragic. But it's not really, since we knew it was coming.

The only interesting bit to the book was, naturally, the only new plot in the book when she goes off on her own mini-space adventure to save the day. The camera was off her in The Last Colony during this time period, so it's not a rehash, and lo-and-behold, it's actually pretty good.

Scalzi's a great writer, and while I normally think experimentation is good for writers, in the case of rehashing plots, I've just never seen it work successfully. Ever.

"Zoe's Tale" is essentially a retelling of the events in Scalzi's previous novel in the "Old Man's War" universe, "The Last Colony". Thematically, there's no new ground being tread here, but this version of the tale is told by the teenage daughter of the TLC protagonists, which provides an interesting contrast.

Scalzi uses the opportunity to fill in a few of the gaps in the backstory in a way that avoids the "As you know, Bob" syndrome of intrusive exposition. The events are familiar to anyone who's read The Last Colony, but Zoe's take on things makes the retelling different and interesting enough for "Zoe's Tale" to stand on its own very well.

Stand-out characters include Zoe's sensitive and intelligent boyfriend Enzo, and her best friend Gretchen, whose latent sarcasm and sense of humor mesh well with Zoe's own. (The interactions between the teenagers of Roanoke colony contain some of the funniest exchanges in the entire Old Man's War series, and Scalzi is quite adept at both convincingly writing their voices, and giving their characters dimension.)

Overall, "Zoe's Tale" is a satisfying finishing touch to the Old Man's War universe, which gains a little more depth and dimension with Zoe's perspective--not only on the events, but also on life, teenage angst, identity issues, and the status of family and friends in one's life. Zoe is a remarkably layered and believable character, one of the most convincing and positive depictions of a teenage girl you'll find in any genre.

I love John Scalzi. Old Man's War was just awesome all round. But this book... To be honest, I couldn't finish it. The writing was good, but the plotline was pretty much a repeat of The Last Colony from a different perspective. Zoe's character was well done, but without new plot, I just lost interest. It was a nice idea, but really I just want to read a NEW John Scalzi book. I'd be happy if he just ended this universe and created a new, innovative one.

(I received a Zoe's Tale ARC through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program)

Zoe Boutin Perry was never a significant character on her own merits in the previous John Scalzi book "The Last Colony" - a key to parts of the plot, but more important there for what she was than who she was. Combine that with her involvement in the one big plot gap of the book - where key events happened offscreen - and there's plenty of room for something like "Zoe's Tale", which covers roughly the same time period but from the perspective of Zoe rather than her parents.

And Zoe's Tale it truly is - though the previous books in the Old Man's War series were primarily from first person perspective, they were not as focused on a single character. As a result, Zoe may be Scalzi's best established character; the note-perfect sarcasm was a little overplayed (Scalzi is great at snark) but not by much. Plus, it allows him free reign with her primary conflict - growing as a person and facing the issue of who she is as a person versus her role as a icon to an alien species and part of a treaty between that species and humanity.

The personal focus also causes a problem, however; it's not as easy to switch the grand events occurring during the novel. This leads to some strained info dumping on occasion as the reader has to be caught up on the background plot to understand what's going on. Scalzi also manages to write himself into a corner later on, setting up a big fight scene that he can't write out - it would completely throw off the books pacing and is too large to manage - so he has to offhandedly dispatch it in 7 words.

For all that this is a parallel to the third book in a series, it feels accessible as a standalone book; the plot dumping helps, but the book is mostly shaped well on its own. There are a couple minor points that a new reader is unlikely to get - the roles of Phoenix and Earth, certain aspects of the CDF - but they're not significant distractions. Zoe's Tale is as good a place as any to start with Scalzi, and a good book in its own right.

****

John Scalzi returns to his popular "Old Man's War" universe with a parallel novel to the last entry, told from the perspective of Zoe Boutin Perry. Covering the same time frame as the previous entry, "The Last Colony," "Zoe's Tale" examines the ins and outs of the story from Zoe's perspective as a teenage girl and the lynchpin of peace agreeement between several interstellar races.

Hearing how Zoe thinks and reacts to things is fascinating and even though we may know where things are going, Scalzi still manages to keep the story suspenseful and compelling. The big part of this is the voice of Zoe. Scalzi sets up the character's voice early and then steps back, allowing her to take over telling the story in such a way that it is fresh, compelling and a definite asset to the universe of Old Man's War. I know at the end of "The Last Colony," Scalzi said he was taking a break from the universe for a while, but after reading this, I'm glad he didn't. "Zoe's Tale" comes along just soon enough after "Last Colony" to allow readers to remember enough of the critical events and turning points from the story.

However, don't think that just because you haven't read "Last Colony" you can't or shouldn't read this one. Scalzi's strength is that you can read his novels in any order and while having some background will enhance some aspects of the novels, it's not required. Scalzi has created a series that is equally rewarding for new and old readers. If anything, the compelling nature of "Zoe's Tale" will have those who haven't read the previous installments heading to a bookstore or library to see what they've missed.

While I think Scalzi is among the best authors in recent years, this book is a big disappointment. Had this been intended for a young audience I wouldn't write a review. But I thought this was an extension of the great books Scalzi has written. Unlike the well written and humorous previous books, this novel appears stretched and unfinished.