Space Opera Fans discussion

The Old Man's War series by by John Scalzi is our SERIES PICK for the foreseeable future, starting with the book of the same name, Old Man's War, and continuing until we either complete the series, or community members vote to pick a different series to read as a group.



"John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army. The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce-and aliens willing to fight for them are common. The universe, it turns out, is a hostile place..."

Why not discuss the book in the community thread below. It's okay to post links to your reviews or discuss the book, but if you write spoilers, please be kind and hide them behind a spoilers html (click 'some html is ok' above the comment box to learn how).

I read this book about a year ago, so my leaky memory may be short on a lot of details. But I did think it was a wonderful tribute to Robert A. Heinlein and Starship Troopers. Excellent writing, lots of fun!

I read and enjoyed this one back in 2010 and, like Stephen, my memory of it may be a bit hazy. I may have to breeze through my copy again. I look forward to this discussion.

I read this a few years ago too. I remember that it was pretty good, but I also remember that I spent a lot of time mentally rewriting bits so I liked them better. I think it was a little too close in some ways to some of my WIPs so I couldn't really read it as just a reader. My inner editor insisted on coming out to play. I was planning to give it a second chance soon, now that I'm better at keeping my inner editor locked up when she's not in use, so I'm glad it got picked. That gives me an excuse to move it ahead of other stuff in my to read pile.

I read this a l-o-n-g time ago! I'm not sure whether I own it, or borrowed it from the library. Will have to dig through the as-yet unpacked boxes of books, see if I can find it for a re-read. Have NOT read the subsequent books in the series, though, so this will be fun as a series pick :-)

Wow! I haven't stayed up all night to finish a book in a long time, but I did for this. It totally pulled me in. Here is my review.

Betsy wrote: "I usually don't care for first person fiction... I started with the audible version ... and found that the first person aspect didn't bother me at all. Perhaps, having a mature baritone voice telling the story was the difference.."

Yes ... there's nothing like a nice, baritone voice telling a story :-)

My plan was to just skim the book since I had read it a few years ago. It didn't work out that way. Once I got started I couldn't stop reading aand ended up enjoying it even more than before.

If I had any criticism it is in the way Scalzi presents scientific information. Having the 'Old Farts' present it in conversation comes off as pedantic and makes them sound like, well, old farts. Aside from that I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading the next one.

Tom wrote: "Once I got started I couldn't stop reading aand ended up enjoying it even more than before..."

Don't you just love it when your happy memories turn out to be more than just 'old fart' nostalgia :-)

Tom wrote: "My plan was to just skim the book since I had read it a few years ago. It didn't work out that way. Once I got started I couldn't stop reading aand ended up enjoying it even more than before.

If ..."

I also read it again recently, and would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't "yet another" Starship Troopers knock-off with a twist. That's like me writing a book about child soldiers learning tactics in a battle room and having one child reach the top and lead Earth's forces against an alien invader, and have him regret wiping them out. Only, the aliens are.. oh... how about spiders instead of evolved roaches? Oh wait, Heinlein already used spiders. Dangit. No, the blatant ripoff of a great old story rubs me the wrong way, and then writing 6 sequels as if it was such a great new idea he earned the right to run with it. Meanwhile, Heinlein moved on to other themes after Starship Troopers. Seriously, the Heinlein estate should be getting royalties from these knock-offs. Forever War and Forever Peace included.

Jon wrote: "I ... would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't "yet another" Starship Troopers knock-off with a twist. "

By this logic, nobody should be able to write books about wizards or dragons or vampires or zombies or...you name it. Sub-genres work because they sell. I usually don't read books twice (the exception being to re-familiarize myself with a series before I read subsequent books. If I enjoy a book I'd more likely look for something similar to it than read it again.

It's been a long time since I have read Starship Troopers but beyond the obvious fact that they are both military sci-fi and some of Scalzi's aliens have exoskeletons I don't see the grounds to call his book a "blatant ripoff of a great old story". Besides, when ST came out in the 1960s, not too many people considered it all that 'great'. There were a lot of people who accused Heinlein of selling out to the hawks during a time when anti-war sentiment was increasing.

1959. And I don't care what people said about it in the 60s. This is where modern futuristic warfare began, with a specific emphasis on humans wearing powered combat armor. Not sure about aliens (what are you talking about?) but Scalzi's troopers wear suspiciously similar combat armor. Maybe it's a theme rather than a unique idea. Fine, but Heinlein owns the genre, let's not forget it, just as Tolkien owns traditional fantasy.

I have a hobby of rooting out the source material for "new" works. For instance, have you read Peter Hamilton's Void series? That was obviously the source material for Bioware's Mass Effect video game series (even some alien races in the game were completely ripped off).

Credit should be given when its due but SO MANY, TOO MANY, today, want to take credit for their artistic vision when it's SOOO derivative one must question their talent. Need I bring up Redshirts? I actually like Scalzi, despite my comments. His writing is direct, to the point, reminds me of Asimov. But there are no new ideas here, just derivatives. (Observe a hamburger. Let it sit for 30 days. Now what does it look like? That's what I think of Scalzi's speculative fiction).

Oh, the Halo series is right in line with this, but you'll never see any designer giving credit where it's due. Speaking of Asimov, Scalzi's new novel is ALSO derivative of Asimov now. I'm actually eager to read his own version of Lije Bailey and R. Daneel Olivaw in his new novel "Lock In". The main difference is obviously that "Elijah" is a woman (does that throw off the reader sufficiently?).

I'm not going to argue in favor of Scalzi, I was never all that taken with his work. Some of his work does seem a bit derivative, but is it good on its own merits?

Heinlein didn't invent the idea of powered armor. As far I can tell Doc Smith did, twenty years before Starship Troopers. He was certainly popular, and Heinlein gave a nod to his origins in The Number of the Beast where the characters are flitting through alternate universes and encounter a Lensman of the Galactic Patrol!

The US military is/has been actively working to make powered armor a reality. The latest from DARPA is that they expect to have 'ironman' suits in two years. Any science fiction that didn't include at least some use of powered armor would seem unrealistic. It won't be derivative, it'll be reality.

Good points, you're right, it's not so much derivative as it is a natural evolution of war machines. I stand corrected on the matter and will revise my opinion. (How often do you hear that on the internet these days?). No, I think anyone who takes themselves seriously as a science fiction reader, let alone writer, MUST be capable of adapting, incorporating new ideas on a daily basis, evolving intellectually rather than sticking by your guns (haha).