An older man joins the Colonial Defense Forces, an off-world army that only wants soldiers who've passed their seventy-fifth birthday.

What an enjoyable book! First and foremost, it's immersive. John (the protagonist, not the author) has little idea what's in store, so this world is as new for him as it is for the reader. We learn how the CDF works right alongside him. Scalzi manages to tell us an awful lot about this interesting world without ever resorting to crude infodumps. There's a ton of information, true, but it works within the story.

I also enjoyed the back-and-forth between the characters. While I can't say as any of them leaped off the page at me, they were an engaging crowd. I had a good time hanging around with them.

There's a fair amount of snark here, too. I kept snickering to myself as I read. (I read on my breaks at work, so I got a lot of strange looks from those sitting nearby). The book isn't laugh-out-loud funny, and there are some considerably darker scenes, but there's enough humor to satisfy those who like a little sarcasm with their sci fi.

But good bits aside, there were a couple of things that I had trouble with. First and foremost, the context is skewed throughout the first chapter. Scalzi switches back and forth between past and present tense; while this does help the reader build up a personal connection to John, it also gives the impression that he's writing this account of his adventures from his home on Earth. Anyone who's read the back of the book knows that that just isn't true--and in fact, John later comes right out and says that he's writing this during his military service. (I figure I'm safe mentioning that without a spoiler warning, but if not: I apologize, sincerely and at great length). It's jarring, and it bugged the hell out of this context-obsessed reader.

I was also a little iffy on the connection between John and Jane. I'd have to give you tons of spoilers to explain the whys and hows of that, though, so let's just say that it only semi-worked for me.

A few of the other big revelations failed to impress me, too, but I think this was mostly because I'd already read ZOE'S TALE and so had some prior knowledge of this universe.

All in all, though, this was a good read. I can't say that I'm all, "OMG, OLD MAN'S WAR!!!one1!!!" like most other people, but I did have fun with it. I'd certainly recommend it to anyone with an interest in military science fiction.

(A slightly different version of this review originally appeared on my blog, Stella Matutina). ( )

A great book. I loved the idea of forming a military out of senior citizens. John Scalzi has a great way of putting words onto paper, that makes you feel like you are the main character. I am looking forward to reading more books in this universe as well as other universes created by John Scalzi. ( )

I took a slight detour from the fantasy neighborhood into the world of military sf* with this story. At the age of 75, John Perry visits his wife's grave and then enlists in the Colonial Defense Forces. The CDF only takes recruits who have reached the age of 75 -- they only want people with a lifetime of experiences to draw on. Then these recruits are whisked off Earth to one of the many CDF spaceships and given new genetically-enhanced bodies. Soon after that they are off killing aliens and protecting human colonists on other worlds. Moves quick enough and kept me interested, but not so interested that I'm rushing out to get the sequel. I think it's time for some non-fiction next. * Those in the know refer to science fiction as "sf", never "sci-fi." ( )

Starship Troopers, again.

Perhaps Cory Doctorow described it best when he wrote, “Old Man’s War is Starship Troopers without the lectures and Forever War with better sex.” That just about says it all, though it speaks more to the juvenile nature of the sex in Forever War than to any sex which may be present in Old Man’s War, which is pretty negligible.

An elderly widower, with little else to live for, joins the army. At the time, many elderly humans join the Colonial Defense Force because of the promise of a return to their youth. The Colonials are apparently technologically superior, owning the secret for interstellar travel (the skip drive) as well as the secret for eternal youth.

While the science in this novel is outstanding and the premise is good, much of the dialogue is contrived and trite. This is the first in a series of three novels and well worth proceeding to the second, The Ghost Brigades. ( )