Monday, March 03, 2008

BOOK: Old Man's War

Tor is offering John Scalizi's Old Man's War as a free load if you sign up for their newsletter. I like sci-fi. I like free. And now I like John Scalzi!

In my rather-questionable-memory, I haven't read anything from Scalzi. I think it is his first novel? But this was a great introduction to him. The book is extremely well written and reads at a blinding pace. Truth-be-told I could barely put it down. I think I finished it in three nights. I couldn't stop turning the pages.

Scalizi's prose is light, without needless flourish or too much rambling. He zeros in on the core of the tale and keeps it flowing from scene to scene. The characters are very fleshed out and believable.

The plot was a combination of On Golden Pond and Starship Troopers with a bit of a prolonged reveal as to what is actually happening behind the scene and an interesting twist toward the last third of the book. Some creative thinking on the weapons and antagonists and the whole milieu. Very little predictability. Nothing trite. And very little over-used elements.

Old Man's War is highly recommended on the McDougal Scale. Especially for the price! It garnered much respect from me and I'll be buying Scalzi's follow up novel post haste.

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