The Last Colony by John Scalzi
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Book Reviews of The Last Colony
Book Review: Scifi Watch: 'The Last Colony' Review by John Scalzi
Summary: 4 Stars
I've just finished reading `The Last Colony` by John Scalzi and although it's very early in the year I can honestly say this is going to be one of the best reads of 2009. John Perry, the hero of John Scalzi's Hugo-nominated debut novel, Old Man's War, has found peace in a violent universe. When him and his wife, Jane, are asked to lead a new colony world, he jumps at the chance to explore the universe. Him and his new colony are pawns in an interstellar game of diplomacy and war between humanity's Colonial Union and a new, seemingly unstoppable alien alliance that has ordered an end to all human colonization.
This is a great read. Scalzi characters are believable, his plots are adventurous and engaging without running the risk of being primarily action-driven. What Scalzi also achieves to make the world of Roanoke, the last colony in the novel, truly shine is the level of detail. He presents the planet as a microcosm in a larger geo-political empire. Scalzi's novel reads simple on the surface but what you take away from the novel is something more complex. What he also achieves is showing the reader the grand scale of galactic empires without reading like some of the daunting space opera epics (i.e. Alaistar Reynolds, Ian M. Banks). If you're a seasoned science fiction aficionado or just want an enjoyable read. This is the book for you!
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Book Review: 4 1/2! Another good read from Scalzi
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Last Colony" by John Scalzi
John Perry and Jane have finally left behind their military life and with their new adopted daughter Zoë have settled down on the Planet Huckleberry where John acts as the Village ombudsman. It would appear that the Colonial Union isn't quite finished with John and Jane however as a new Planet ominously named Roanoke needs a leader and John and Jane have been selected. Curiosity and idealistic thoughts of adventure draw them to the stars once again but they are in for more than they bargained for...
Scalzi once again writes an interesting book chock full of signature Scalzi science fiction, dialogue, characters and sarcasm.
The Good: As has been the case with all of Scalzi's work that I have read thus far, great story, interesting characters, great thoughts on the science behind science fiction and dialogue full of sarcastic humor.
The Bad: Nothing memorable.
Overall: If you have enjoyed other books by John Scalzi then you won't be disappointed with "The Last Colony"
Book Review: fresh ideas for scifi, very good
Summary: 4 Stars
I have read the "Old Man's War" 'trilogy' and think that Scalzi has brought great and new ideas to scifi. I bought one book and quickly had to buy the others to see what new things were in store. Though you don't have to read the preceding 2 books before The Last Colony it would help to understand the.. universe Scalzi has created. I would say that this is a scifi that most could read, even if they didn't necessarily like scifi's. There is more than just action and space travel, which is pretty cool, but it delves into fresh scientific ideas, philosophies, love, and finding priorities. I would also like to add that Scalzi's books have a military appeal I suppose, in that they are much more strategically and tactically realistic than many scifi's I've known of. I would have liked to have read more on the 'werewolves' in this book, but I suppose that allows for one's imagination to unfold as it wants. Anyways, great scifi and all around great read.Book Review: What happened to the werewolves?
Summary: 4 Stars
Great storytelling, but less-than-stellar editing. While neatly resolving all the interstellar crises, Scalzi seems to forget all about the intelligent "werewolves" introduced toward the middle of the book. I really thought he was going somewhere with these creatures, but they just disappeared from the narrative. In the acknowledgments, Scalzi credits his editors for helpfully ripping entire chapters out of the book. Presumably, that's what happened to the werewolves. I also saw more typos than I'm accustomed to in a finished book.
This is the first book I've read by Scalzi; I enjoyed it well enough that I'll pick up the earlier volumes, but I sense this book could have been better. The four stars are for the story; for editing, I'd give it a two.
Book Review: A great finally to a great series
Summary: 4 Stars
This is John Scalzi's third book in the series and just like the previous two this is something special - but I guess all his works are. Once more we're allowed into the realm of John Perry and Jane Sagan, but unlike the previous works, this time they are retired - and yes, it does change the overall feel of the story. The only knock against this book (and I'm reaching here) The ending was a bit stretched and the book focuses more on intrigue than sci-fi. Overall, this is an excellent finally to a political/sci-fi series that many will be disappointed that a fourth book is not in the works.
For those who may have missed the first book, don't miss Old Man's War