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Loading... Zoe's Tale (2008)by John Scalzi
Proper YA sci-fi! We don’t get enough of that, so I was quite pleased. All in all, I loved Zoe’s voice and thought Scalzi did a great job of capturing her (despite never having been a teenage girl). I haven’t read any of the rest of the series, but I’ll definitely keep them in mind now. [May 2011] A disappointing read. I guess I deserve it for not reading the synopsis. I was expecting something truly new. I mean, it's okay for the plot to pick up slightly earlier than where the last book ended off, but this is ridiculous: It's just a rehash of book #3 with an annoying faux-teen voice that really doesn't work. : Given the quality of the first three books, I expected much more from this one. Feel free to skip this one -- I wish Scalzi would not have given it to the temptation of adding yet another volume to the series, or better yet, had taken the time to create something truly new. Retells the story of [b:The Last Colony|88071|The Last Colony (Old Man's War, #3)|John Scalzi|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312021759s/88071.jpg|18279847] from Zoe's point of view. This allowed Scalzi to clean up some missing or too-implicit information from that book, but unlike Bean's stories of [b:Ender|375802|Ender's Game (Ender's Saga, #1)|Orson Scott Card|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1316636769s/375802.jpg|2422333] from a different perspective, where I admired Card's ability to build a story behind and supporting Ender's, I didn't feel like Zoe's voice or position added much to my experience of John and Jane's. Throughout, I had a sense of déjà vu rather than of revelation or deeper understanding. I did learn more about Zoe, and there was some entertainment to be had in learning how she went about obtaining what the colony needed in its fight against destruction, but I might have preferred that as a short story rather than a novel. Loved visiting these great characters again and hearing the story from Zoe's pov was great. Scalzi has the voice of an intelligent teen girl down well!
I wondered if it was very realistic to have a heroine that young be so clever and observant while spouting off with Scalzi's trademark sarcasm. Some readers might think that a brilliant and resourceful young Messiah of an alien race who Saves the Day with blatant Deus ex Machina has it a bit too easy. But Zoë's Tale isn't really about the clash of mighty empires or rescuing loved ones from monsters, exciting as those parts are — it's about Zoë. It's about that time in our lives after we've come to grips with how the world sees us but we are still not sure how we see ourselves. It's not about what you are, but finding out who you are. This whip-smart, often funny, and deeply moving novel portrays that journey of self-discovery to the satisfaction of adults young or otherwise. Is a retelling of
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0765356198, Mass Market Paperback)How do you tell your part in the biggest tale in history? (retrieved from Amazon Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:59:19 -0500) SCIENCE FICTION. 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.… (more) |
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I love Enzo's character, and totally forgot what happened to him until the moment Scalzi ripped out my heart. Ouch.
There was some awesome banter -- I remember that being a strength in other books, too. Definitely glad I finally got round to reading this, even if it's sad in places. (