Zoe's Tale: An Old Man's War Novel

This is the fourth book set in the Old Man's War universe, but it's not a continuation of the story arcs he established in the first three, but rather a retelling of the events of the third book, The Last Colony, but told this time from a very different perspective, that of sixteen year old Zoe Boutin-Perry, daughter of a traitor, the object of a major treaty between the Colonial Union and the Obin, and adopted by John and Jane Perry. Now doing something like this is fraught with peril, as readers of the earlier books will certainly know how everything ends, and will therefore have little sense of suspense throughout this work. It is even more perilous for a middle-aged man to attempt to find the correct `voice' for a teenaged female, one that rings true and will appeal to younger readers, and still engage readers of much greater ages. I'm happy to say that Mr. Scalzi quite deftly succeeded very, very well with both the characterization and being able to still hold at least this reader glued to the pages, even without the suspense. Zoe herself is a full-bodied person, one you'd definitely like to meet, someone you come to care about a great deal over the course of this work. She's not perfect, she makes mistakes, occasionally her sarcasm and biting comments might make you grimace, and there is an element of unthinking `me-ness' to her, an attitude that she's unique. But in this case, she really is unique - not many girls can say that they are the goddess-object of an entire alien race. But besides her, several of her close friends also come alive as real people, something that's a little rare in first-person perspective works. Gretchen, Magdy, and Enzo are very much real people, and even better, real teenagers. Certain aspects of other major players are given better backgrounds, most especially the Obin and Zoe's two Obin bodyguards, Hickory and Dickory, and a certain story `hole' in The Last Colony gets a better, fuller explanation. These are nice touches that help hold your interest. Scalzi's writing style has much to do with your enjoyment of this book. It's witty, sarcastic, funny, thoughtful, and incredibly easy to read, a trait he shares with a writer he's often compared to, namely Robert Heinlein. But beyond this, in this book he also grabs your jugular of emotional response, expertly playing you like a harp, and making you at time furious, sad, and very strongly up-lifted to the point of tears. It's just this strong emotional content that makes me think this book is better than The Last Colony, and on par with the first book of this series, Old Man's War. All in all, a great accomplishment, one that should appeal to both teenagers and old codgers like me. ---Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

In his fourth novel set in the world of OLD MAN'S WAR that jumpstarted John Scalzi's career in writing science fiction, the author doubles back for a second helping of story from his last novel, THE LAST COLONY. With a new voice, new events, and a batch of new stakes, Scalzi rekindles that reading experience to white-hot intensity. The protagonist is a teenaged girl named Zoe who has an interesting background that has shaped not only her present, but her foreseeable future. She was a secondary character in THE GHOST BRIGADES and THE LAST COLONY, but now she's center stage. Although Scalzi's work has often been compared to Robert A. Heinlein's, with this new protagonist, those parallels have never been more sharply defined. I constantly felt as though I were twelve years old again, hunkered down with one of Heinlein's novels for juveniles. Zoe is a marvelous character and leaps from the pages. As a kid, I knew girls like her. As an adult, I raised a daughter like her in so many ways. The fierce independence and need to shield her parents from her world (and to protect her privacy) was endearing. Scalzi's voice in the first-person narrative is pitch-perfect. If I hadn't known the writer was male, I wouldn't have believed it. The views and opinions Zoe and her best friend Gretchen shared were incredibly well done. I enjoyed the portrayal of the scientific realm as well, especially the way that it was rendered through Zoe's eyes. Her chief concern was her PDA, and it was just as much a part of her as a modern teenager's cell phone: for calls, for pictures and videos, for texting, and for storing media. The other things (like the interplanetary ship) were primarily taken for granted since they were in the adult world. Zoe's crush on Enzo was particularly good as well. I like the way the couples paired off, and the fact that their close relationships later caused problems for all of them when those friendships also became liabilities. Readers of THE LAST COLONY are going to know most of the major arcs of the story and won't find any true surprises in this book regarding those. But to hear the story in Zoe's words, to find out all the behind-the-scenes action that was going on regarding Zoe and her alien protectors, to find out more about the "werewolves" in the forest's outside the colony's containment walls is a veritable feast made from leftovers. Sure, the story's been told before in some regards, but there's a reason twice-backed potatoes are popular too. Not many writers can pull off a second visit to what is - essentially - the same story. Scalzi not only does pull this off, but he brings so much more out of the second trip in such a unique way that this trip through doesn't even feel like the same book. Even though so many of the characters and situations are familiar, I was swept away to another world seemingly made whole from the one I'd only thought I knew. I enjoy Scalzi's writing. He's deceptively easy to read. Hi

"Zoe's Tale" is essentially a retelling of the events in Scalzi's previous novel in the "Old Man's War" universe, "The Last Colony". Thematically, there's no new ground being tread here, but this version of the tale is told by the teenage daughter of the TLC protagonists, which provides an interesting contrast. Scalzi uses the opportunity to fill in a few of the gaps in the backstory in a way that avoids the "As you know, Bob" syndrome of intrusive exposition. The events are familiar to anyone who's read The Last Colony, but Zoe's take on things makes the retelling different and interesting enough for "Zoe's Tale" to stand on its own very well. Stand-out characters include Zoe's sensitive and intelligent boyfriend Enzo, and her best friend Gretchen, whose latent sarcasm and sense of humor mesh well with Zoe's own. (The interactions between the teenagers of Roanoke colony contain some of the funniest exchanges in the entire Old Man's War series, and Scalzi is quite adept at both convincingly writing their voices, and giving their characters dimension.) Overall, "Zoe's Tale" is a satisfying finishing touch to the Old Man's War universe, which gains a little more depth and dimension with Zoe's perspective--not only on the events, but also on life, teenage angst, identity issues, and the status of family and friends in one's life. Zoe is a remarkably layered and believable character, one of the most convincing and positive depictions of a teenage girl you'll find in any genre.

The hard core sci-fi cover might make you think otherwise, but Zoe's Tale is chiefly an empowering yet sweet coming of age story about 17 year old Zoe, both player and pawn in a complex interstellar battle between the Colonial Union (the human alliance) and the Conclave (an alliance of roughly 400 alien species). If you've read The Last Colony, I guess you probably know how it all turns out since this is apparently a novel with a parallel timeline told from a different perspective. If you haven't, no matter, as this exciting tale can stand on its own. Zoe, her adopted parents, her two alien bodyguards and about 2000 settlers from 10 different human colonies are sent off by the Colonial Union to colonize a new planet called Roanoke (and anyone who knows American history will appreciate the irony of the name). As it turns out, the Colonial Union has plans that don't have the best interests of the colonists at heart. But fortunately, Zoe is not the type of girl who goes down without fight, especially when the lives of her parents, her new best friend Gretchen (with whom she has a great sarcastic rapport) and her new boyfriend Enzo's lives are at stake. I like sci-fi, but I've never been big on books where alien races make up a big part of the narrative because of all the exposition you normally have to slog through. Author John Scalzi is wise to keep this to a minimum and the aliens he does introduce even manage to be entertaining (picture big spider like creatures at a hoedown and try not to laugh). Don't let the star trek like premise turn you off, because Zoe, an ordinary teenage girl asked to be extraordinary, is worth getting to know. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although this isn't a YA novel, Publisher Tor is actively courting the teen market. And with a heroine as appealing and strong as Zoe, I think they just might succeed. See more of my reviews at presentinglenore.blogspot.com

John Scalzi's latest is an excellent addition to the 'Old Man's War' universe. If you haven't read any of the previous books, don't be afraid to jump right in with this one. It works just as well as a stand along novel and was written that way on purpose. Mr. Scalzi continues to impress me with each novel he releases. His writing style is quick, entertaining, and the characters really come alive for the reader. Zoe's Tale takes place during the same events as 'The Last Colony' but from the perspective of a 16 year old girl. The bare bones of the story are that Zoe's parents are picked to lead a planetary colony. Adding to the risks of starting a colony from nothing, the colonists must also fear being attacked by other alien races that compete for any habitable planet. Not only are there lots of alien species in the universe, but they are all fighting over the same planets and are hyper xenophobic to boot. Zoe, her family, and the entire colony are pawns in a intergalactic power struggle. I highly recommend this book.