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Old Man's War
John Scalzi
With his wife dead and buried, and life nearly over at 75, John Perry takes the only logical course of action left: he joins the army. Now better known as the Colonial Defense Force (CDF), Perry's ser...

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Comment from [Reddit user] with 7 upvotes on /r/books/

Finished: The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman Loved it, it was a bit short and the story sometimes moved at blistering speeds. Won't be bothering with the sequels though.

Old Man's War, by John Scalzi Really enjoyed it and eager to continue with rest of the series. Finished it in a couple nights.

Started:

The Ghost Brigades, by John Scalzi It would seem that the sequel to Old Man's War has nothing to do with the main character of the first book but so far I've been enjoying the world building and it would appear that the John Perry will be returning in the next book. Still, it's full of familiar characters.

Comment from [Reddit user] with 7 upvotes on /r/books/

I finished Old Man's War, by John Scalzi. Excited to explore the next book in due course!

Started and now halfway through The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley. It's a little slow and the protagonist is very, very precocious.

Comment from [Reddit user] with 5 upvotes on /r/books/

Finished Old Man's War, by John Scalzi. This is a book I see recommended a lot. But I found it absolutely mediocre - a generic sci-fi book with some humor mixed in. It was kind of funny, but nothing to write home about.

Now reading The Woman in the Window, by A.J. Finn. Halfway through, this is really good so far, better to me than Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train, books in the same genre. Most of all it borrows its concept from Hitchcock's Rear Window, though, and I find it very weird that the narrator does not herself remark on her situation's similarity to that movie. The character is obsessed with old movies, and she does mention Rear Window at one point, but so far does not seem to realize that she is basically living in that movie. I'm sure it probably differs a lot by the end but the setup is almost exactly the same.

Comment from [Reddit user] with 5 upvotes on /r/books/

Finished Old Man's War, by John Scalzi and now getting into Rogue Protocol, by Martha Wells

Really on a sci-fi kick lately, plus who doesn't love Murderbot?

Comment from [Reddit user] with 5 upvotes on /r/books/

Finished:

The Fold, Peter Clines It was a fast and fun read. Thought the last half of the book was better then the first, with the last quarter being the best part of the book. Until then most of the characters are insufferably stupid for very smart people.

Old Man's War, by John Scalzi Again a fast and fun book. I'm interested enough in the world to continue.

Exit Strategy, by Martha Wells Last in the initial Murderbot Diaries novella quartet. I love this series and Murderbot is the best. So happy the author is writing more.

Started: Cibola Burn, by James S.A. Corey I adore these books.

The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers It took me a bit to get into it but now that I am the book is speeding past. I like it so far.

The Ghost Brigades, by John Scalzi The second novel in the Old Man's War series. The story got me a lot sooner then the first one did. I'm liking it a lot more.

Comment from [Reddit user] with 5 upvotes on /r/books/

This week I’m reading:

Old Man’s War, by John Scalzi

The Robots of Dawn, by Isaac Asimov

I liked The Naked Sun and I’m continuing with Asimov’s Elijah Baley series by reading The Robots of Dawn.

Close friends of mine recommended Old Man’s War. Don’t know anything concerning what the book is about, hopefully it lives up to my expectations. Considered whether to read Xenocide (Enders’s game book 3), but wasn’t really that excited for it seeing how it also takes place on Lusitania also. Loved Speaker for the Dead though. I’ll read Xenocide sometime later.

Comment from [Reddit user] with 4 upvotes on /r/books/

i finished Old Man's War by John Scalzi which was at the same time both predictable and not. entertaining, for sure, but i wish it had been more thought-provoking.

i started the book club book, Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant - i had tried to read Feed and hadn't been impressed enough to continue, but her prose has improved since then, imo. the characters are all still a bit too shiny, but it's not bad enough to pull me from the plot. :)

Comment from [Reddit user] with 4 upvotes on /r/books/

Finished since last week:

Old Man's War, by John Scalzi - I won't go too much into it since too much description gets into spoiler range, but this was pretty good. Had some really funny moments in here, and sets up nicely for future books, or can stand on it's own. I'll probably read the next one at some point.

Taste Of Marrow, by Sarah Gailey - the second novella in this series, I found this one slightly less enjoyable than the first. Felt like less action and less of everything building toward something. Still a fun and fast read.

Sharp Objects, by Gillian Flynn - Pretty good if not wholly disturbing at times. There was a creepy amount of sexualization of some fairly young girls and there's some rather graphic stuff at times as well. Still a rather good book, fast and enjoyable.

Beneath The Sugar Sky, by Seanan McGuire - the third in her Wayward Children series, and like the other two it's essentially a standalone novella, but having read the other books will give a touch more context. All three of these have been absolutely fantastic, and I'm looking forward to the next one (or two it looks like).

Upon the Dull Earth and Other Stories, by Philip K. Dick - did this as an audio book during yard work and some travel time. The short stories here ranged from fairly impressive and having held up well over the 60+ years since they were written, to a couple that felt entirely out of touch with the times (because they were, and there's some stuff we don't say anymore).

Currently reading:

A Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood - Found out that kindle and prime have some free reads, and this is currently one of them (though I'm certain it's probably available through overdrive). It's pretty good so far and I'm enjoying it.

Comment from [Reddit user] with 4 upvotes on /r/books/

I finished the audiobook Etiquette & Espionage, by Gail Carriger and am almost finished Curtsies & Conspiracies, by Gail Carriger and my hold finally came through for The Fifth Season, by N. K. Jemisin, so I'm please to be starting that next!

I am working on Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel H. Pink and I finished Senlin Ascends, by Josiah Bancroft as well as Briarpatch, by Tim Pratt. I'm in the middle of the graphic novel Monstress, Vol. 3: Haven, by Marjorie M. Liu and when I'm done that I'll be starting Old Man's War, by John Scalzi.

Comment from [Reddit user] with 4 upvotes on /r/books/

Just today finished Old Man’s War by John Scalzi which meant I could pick up Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut.

Really enjoyed Old Man’s War which I had wrongly assumed was standard military science fiction but is much more.

Loving some of Vonnegut’s lines......’a fairly pretty girl, except that she had legs like an Edwardian grand piano’

Comment from [Reddit user] with 3 upvotes on /r/books/

It was a slow week for reading as I was at a work thing most of the week. I'm off in the summers, so this is generally a time of year when I get through a lot of books, but only managed one since I only had the weekend really to read.

Anyhow, finished since last week:

The Stone Sky, by N.K. Jemisin - the final novel from this year's Hugo nominees, and if I were voting, my pick for the award this year. The third book in the Broken Earth trilogy, and a satisfying resolution to the whole arc. The world building continues to get more detailed and the magic/science systems are fleshed out very well. I loved how each book gave you a bit more of how orogeny works, and more details about the world come through in a way which always feels relevant and never forced or artificial.

Started: Old Man's War, by John Scalzi - only about 10% into it so far, but enjoyable. I've really enjoyed his writing in the couple of books I've read by him and this was one that seemed well liked and recommended.

Comment from [Reddit user] with 3 upvotes on /r/books/

Finished:

Chasm City, by Alastair Reynolds

Old Man's War, by John Scalzi

Redemption Ark, by Alastair Reynolds

Comment from [Reddit user] with 3 upvotes on /r/books/

Finished: 2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arhur C. Clarke. I was blown away by the quality of the writing. It was definitely a challenging book to get through, not because of its length but because of the close attention I had to pay to every line. I'm not sure I managed to fully understand the ending but from what I read online, I don't think anyone did. [5 out of 5 stars]

Started: Old Man's War, by John Scalzi, Destiny, by Cececila Ahern and Dry, by Neal & Jarrod Shusterman. I'm almost done with all three — less than a hundred pages to go for each. I'm really, really enjoying the Scalzi book and if the ending holds up I'll probably give it 5 stars. I'm reading the Ahern book for a dystopian challenge and right now my enjoyment sits at a 2 stars. As for the Neal & Jarrod Shusterman book, my expectations were really high and sadly the reality did not meet them. The story isn't bad but I feel like it constantly gets overshadowed by the annoying characters and their dumb decisions. I usually love the way Shusterman writes his characters to so I'm super disappointed.

Comment from [Reddit user] with 3 upvotes on /r/books/

started old man's war, by scalzi

finished replay, by grimwald

Replay was so good. It was hard to start a new book when I finished it. Replay had my thoughts and imagination after finishing. At one point in the book, I got very emotional and just hugged my GF for a long time, and have since been trying to be as present as I can in the moments we spend together. Replay is less scifi and more fantasy, although it features themes like time loops and alternate universes. Those elements are at the same time in the forefront driving the plot inexorably forward, as well as taking a back seat to the characters, their experiences, and relationships with each other. The pacing feels natural. The ending is open to interpretation. My only complaint is the epilogue, which I feel was not supposed to be there, and probably forced when the book was written to leave open the possibility of a sequel. Replay totally reads like a singular vision. If you ignore the (short) epilogue, Replay is such a fantastic story, and it really does make you think about your own choices in life and personal relationships and what makes them so special. There are such happy moments and such sad ones, but in the context of the wider narrative in the book, the sad moments are the most thought provoking. This book was medicine for my soul. I know it's not some obscure or overlooked book, but if you haven't read it, it's totally worth a read. It reads as fresh today as it probably did in 1986.

Comment from [Reddit user] with 2 upvotes on /r/books/

I finished Old Man's War by John Scalzi been meaning to pick this up for a while and enjoyed it, managed to get the 2nd and 3rd parts in a kindle sale as well so will be carrying on...

and then I read the thriller Forty Acres by Dwayne Alexander Smith, quite liked this as well though the ending felt a bit rushed, a young african american lawyer has just won the biggest case of his career when the opposing lawyer(who due to his skills/courtroom style and several big news cases has became something of a celebrity) invites him out to a party, there he is introduced to several men and realises 2 things, 1.they are all titans of their respective industry and 2.they like him and the other lawyer are all african american.

it turns out they are all members of a secret club who would like him to join, and thats all I can say without getting into the main plot and proper spoilers but it was pretty good.

and now I'm reading Evil and the mask by Fuminori Nakamura

Comment from [Reddit user] with 2 upvotes on /r/books/

Finished Vernon God Little, by DBC Pierre - it has a lot of funny moments, and the narrator's voice is funny, but I didn't enjoy it as a book. It was too absurd, or maybe trying to be satirical, but it just wasn't something that made for an absorbing read. I was glad to just get through it and move on.

Now reading Old Man's War, by John Scalzi. Hard to tell if I will like it or not. It's easy to read, that's for sure.

Comment from [Reddit user] with 2 upvotes on /r/books/

Finished:

Old Man's War, by John Scalzi

This was my first time reading a "Space Opera" book and I have to say I really enjoyed it. The first half of the book I really enjoyed for it's mystery surrounding the CDF and the protagonists slow change into what he is near the end of the book. I started reading this for the /r/fantasy Bingo and I suspect my next book will be something containg The Fae (Feel free to recommend something!).

Comment from [Reddit user] with 2 upvotes on /r/books/

Just finished Old Man's War by John Scalzi. I know it seems to get a lot of praise on here but I'll be honest, it left me a bit disappointed. The first half of the novel really clicked with me; the impossible technology, the secretive CDF, the moment they drop reality on the recruits; all very intriguing. But then the direction of the latter half, whilst great if you're into that sort of thing, was not what I was looking for.

I've read a lot of Banks, Simmons, etc, recently and I find Scalzi's lack of description and detail for some elements of characters, environments etc a little lacking. I doubt I'll follow up with Ghost Brigades.

Comment from [Reddit user] with 2 upvotes on /r/books/

Finished IT, by Stephen King. I loved it. It was incredible. 1138 pages flew by. I even loved all the weird cosmic turtle stuff, although I could have done without "that" scene in the sewers. I don't think it added anything to the book.

Started and Finished Monster Hunter International, by Larry Correia. Meh. Just barely good enough to not stop reading it. Wouldn't recommend.

Started and Finished Old Man's War, by John Scalza. Pretty good stuff. I'll probably look into the sequels when I have time.

Started The Eyes of the Dragon, by Stephen King. It's okay so far, although the style of writing is much different than the other King books I've read. This is more narrative styled, and seemingly aimed at more YA.

Comment from [Reddit user] with 1 upvotes on /r/books/

I finished the audiobook Curtsies & Conspiracies, by Gail Carriger and am almost finished The Fifth Season, by N. K. Jemisin, and next up is Circe, by Madeline Miller.

I finished Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel H. Pink, the graphic novel Monstress, Vol. 3: Haven, by Marjorie M. Liu, and Old Man's War, by John Scalzi. I just started Arkwright, by Allen M. Steele.

Comment from [Reddit user] with 1 upvotes on /r/books/

Finished: Tiamat's Wrath, by James S. A. Corey. Another absolute belter in this series (no pun intended, but delightfully accepted). This latest book was a turbulent ride in every sense of the term. Would recommend this series to any science fiction fan who hasn't had the pleasure yet.

Just bought: Old Man's War, by John Scalzi. This has been on my list for a while so I decided to finally take a punt.