The Human Division (Old Man's War)

A series of vignettes showcasing the solutions those in the "human division", that is, the Colonial Union's diplomatic corps. Interestingly, other stories in this collection focus on quite another dipolomat, Hafte Sorvalh, an officer of The Conclave, who is very fond of churros. (I really, really love Sorvalh). Other characters of note are Harry Wilson, who will tell it like it is; Danielle Lowen, daughter of the US Secretary of State; and Hart Schmidt who seems like a bumbly lackey, until he really, really isn't. Great fun. ( )

I am impressed with Scalzi. In most cases series, esp. ones not initially intended as series are becoming worse with each volume. Not so it this case. ( )

Much as I've enjoyed the latest installment in the Old Man's War saga, it left me both disappointed and eager: disappointed, because the many intriguing threads in the books did not bring a complete resolution, which is left to the next book (or books) in the series; eager because this same lack of resolution means there will be more. And that's a good thing.

As it happens with many of John Scalzi's works, The Human Division starts in a deceptively rambling fashion, the reader's distraction (for want of a better word) aided by the format: each chapter, or single story, focuses on different characters and situations, even though some familiar faces keep reappearing in recurring roles, especially Harry Wilson - a welcome return from the original group of the "Old Farts" from the first book. But soon enough a darker theme starts to emerge from the background, taking shape in the quietly heart-wrenching Part 11 (A Problem of Proportion) and in the breath-taking, terrible destruction from Part 13 (Earth Below, Sky Above).

Humor and adventure, thought-provoking themes and mysteries, all wrapped up in the usual (and expected) swift narrative that's the trademark of a Scalzi book - how could it not leave me wanting for more? Hopefully it will not be a long wait….

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A fun read. I'm fond of Scalzi's sense of humor, his characters run a line of patter that put one in the mind of Bogart and Bacall, or Powell and Loy. If the rating seems low it's because this really doesn't work as a novel, it's a collection of short stories and the seams show. But I'd watch the heck out of a Netflix series adaptation. (Instead of grimdark wannabe sci-fi noir like Altered Carbon.) ( )

The Human Division is a group of stories all related to the diplomatic services of both the CDF and Earth and the work due changed realities of the Earth aware of how the CDF walled them off from the larger galaxy. During the first half of this read, I was not seeing how the stories were related but this changes in the second half of the book as the central theme becomes apparent. Overall, it was another fun John Scalzi read and fans should enjoy this one as well. The only negative point I can make is that the story does not end with the end of the book and many questions still need to be answered. I am looking forward to the next book in the series to find out what happens.

4 stars for an enjoyable read. This one will appeal to fans of John Scalzi along with the any fans of Sci-fi or space opera.
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