The Human Division

I read the serialized version before I read the rest of the Old Man's War series. I've rated each of these individually. Overall, I liked the universe and really enjoy Scalzi's writing style. ( )

The fifth book in the Old Man’s War series is a serialised collection of 13 tales that go into making 1 overall story arc. With the Colonial Union now at loggerheads with Earth after the events of the previous book it seems that to continue with the status quo the CU will need a more diplomatic approach to dealing with the conclave and any other species that are not currently aligned to either group. It mostly follows the creation of a diplomatic fire-team and their first few missions. Is there also something more sinister behind these fires that requires a team in the first place?

Each of the stories contained in the collection has at least some relevance to the overall arc but how much varies significantly. Some are just of the get to know you type while others show the underlying plot more readily. Although each segment has a resolution to that individual part the final denouement is not revealed in this book. Still a fine addition to the old man’s war universe though and definitely worth picking up if you’ve read and enjoyed the previous books in the series. ( )

I enjoyed the other books in the Old Man's War series, but this one just didn't seem as interesting somehow. I quit halfway. One thing- I didn't like the sense of humor of main character which gave the story a kind of vapid feel. This was a kind of subsequent add on to the series written to appease some fans, I suppose, but has no real heart. ( )

This is not a novel.

This is a serial: a series of short, reasonably self contained stories that contribute more or less vaguely to a story arc. It's very much like one season of an ongoing television show, and has the same not-very-much of an ending possessed by seasons that are not Final Seasons.

I normally dislike Scalzi, and I particularly didn't care for the Old Man's War books. But I really enjoyed reading this! It felt like good old fashioned science fiction, with interesting characters, interesting science, reasonable aliens, believable political intrigue, funny comments, and people who by and large did the Decent Thing, without prompting, even at significant personal or institutional cost. There are clearly villainous baddies in the book, but they largely operate from behind the scenes. There's also a fair helping of in-group allusions to other SF, which adds to the fun.

I was very surprised that I enjoyed this book! I conclude that this is the perfect format for Scalzi: short, self-contained stories where he never has to actually write a complete ending. He should just keep writing serials. ( )

not every one of these short stories is a winner, bit overall I enjoyed the book quiet a lot. ( )