Arbieroo reviewed Old Mans War by John Scalzi
Review of 'Old Mans War' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I'm not sure what to make of this. I'm not sure the world really needed another Starship Troopers or even another anti-Starship Troopers and I don't even know which this is. The characters discuss whether the endless conflicts with all and sundry are really necessary or not but the genuine political situation is never made clear and the author's politics of conflict is left in doubt, too.
What I see is a cleverly plotted story about an under-developed world (we get very little by way of a big picture), using the kind of smart-arse protagonist that seems to be Scalzi's default. It's fun, funny and minus all the SF trappings is a Vietnam war movie novelisation with nothing new to say. It is more of a novel than the thinly disguised screen-plays of later years, though.
Weirdly, despite the flimsy feel of it, I'd happily devour the sequels - or …
I'm not sure what to make of this. I'm not sure the world really needed another Starship Troopers or even another anti-Starship Troopers and I don't even know which this is. The characters discuss whether the endless conflicts with all and sundry are really necessary or not but the genuine political situation is never made clear and the author's politics of conflict is left in doubt, too.
What I see is a cleverly plotted story about an under-developed world (we get very little by way of a big picture), using the kind of smart-arse protagonist that seems to be Scalzi's default. It's fun, funny and minus all the SF trappings is a Vietnam war movie novelisation with nothing new to say. It is more of a novel than the thinly disguised screen-plays of later years, though.
Weirdly, despite the flimsy feel of it, I'd happily devour the sequels - or maybe because of the flimsy feel of it - I want to learn what that missing big picture is!