Thursday, April 24, 2008

Old Man's War by John Scalzi

I took a chance on a science fiction book called Old Man's War by John Scalzi.

Normally, I don't read Science Fiction. This book kind of tore me in two directions. On one hand, it made me wonder why I don't read science fiction more, and on the other, it cemented my decision.

Scalzi's main character, unsurprisingly named John, fights to secure human colonization. I had some problems with the plot points, as he is the only character in the story to be able to succeed. All the way from Basic Training, where he wins over the drill sergeant (first guy ever to do this), to his first ever combat mission where he discovers the secret to defeating the enemy (shoot twice instead of once) to various other things that he's able to do that nobody else can do.

Still, the technology that's imagined in this book is amazing. Things like computers implanted in your brain made this book worth reading.

I don't believe I'll continue the series, more because I don't care for the writer's style than because of anything to do with Science Fiction. I'm definitely interested in reading more ideas that Science Fiction writers have about advancements in technology and exploration of the boundaries of the universe.

So, while this one was a bit of a dud, I'll definitely try again. In fact, I am right now, with Robert Charles Wilson's Spin.

2 comments:

Totty said...

I got Spin as an e-book and I use it to read whenever I'm waiting in doctor's offices, etc. It's kind of interesting.

Liam J. said...

I finished Spin just before I left for Chicago. Good book but I wasn't a huge fan of the way it ended.

Did you get Spin from the Tor newsletter?