John Scalzi channels Robert Heinlein (including a wry sense of humor) in a novel about a future Earth engaged in an interstellar war against more advanced species. Citizens volunteer for the Colonial Defense Forces after retirement, in exchange for which they have their consciousness transferred into a young body, cloned from their DNA but enhanced. If, against the odds, they survive two years of combat (or 10 years if things aren't going well, which they're not), they get another body and enjoy a fresh start on a colony. This is Scalzi's first novel, and it creates a future he will revisit in subsequent stories.
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 alien …
John Scalzi channels Robert Heinlein (including a wry sense of humor) in a novel about a future Earth engaged in an interstellar war against more advanced species. Citizens volunteer for the Colonial Defense Forces after retirement, in exchange for which they have their consciousness transferred into a young body, cloned from their DNA but enhanced. If, against the odds, they survive two years of combat (or 10 years if things aren't going well, which they're not), they get another body and enjoy a fresh start on a colony. This is Scalzi's first novel, and it creates a future he will revisit in subsequent stories.
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 alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So: we fight. To defend Earth, and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding. Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity’s resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defense Force. Everybody knows that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don’t want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You’ll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return. You’ll serve two years at the front. And if you survive, you’ll be given a generous homestead stake of your own, on one of our hard-won colony planets. John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine—and what he will become is far stranger.
It's a fun read, with Scalzi's humor hauling most of the weight. There are some interesting technological ideas, but there's not much philosophical depth. The characters are serviceable but not memorable.
It's a fun read, with Scalzi's humor hauling most of the weight. There are some interesting technological ideas, but there's not much philosophical depth. The characters are serviceable but not memorable.
Scalzi's book starts from a well explored premise: the abundance of life in the universe makes its finite resources a scarce commodity, and therefore the space-faring species are engaged in battles to share them. The metaphor to the way humans must learn to share Earth's finite resources is obvious but not gratuitous. The interesting take is on what makes us human: what is the relationship between our consciousness, our experience, and our body? Well written and engaging, a bit too humorous at times, but nevertheless a very good read for lovers of SF.
Scalzi's book starts from a well explored premise: the abundance of life in the universe makes its finite resources a scarce commodity, and therefore the space-faring species are engaged in battles to share them. The metaphor to the way humans must learn to share Earth's finite resources is obvious but not gratuitous. The interesting take is on what makes us human: what is the relationship between our consciousness, our experience, and our body? Well written and engaging, a bit too humorous at times, but nevertheless a very good read for lovers of SF.
Found as EN "boxed set" and read the trilogy (with The Ghost Brigades and The Last Colony) in less than a week (nights mainly). Many interesting ideas.
Found as EN "boxed set" and read the trilogy (with The Ghost Brigades and The Last Colony) in less than a week (nights mainly).
Many interesting ideas.
