John Perry, a widower, joins the Colonial Defense Force. He has reached the approved age of 75 years. Earth needs an interplanetary army to defend its colony planets, and unlikely as it sounds, this is an OLD MAN’S WAR.

This exciting, edgy, classic SF book has been reissued, and it still holds good. Today, the surprise may be wasted on those who have seen Avatar, but the author acknowledges Heinlein’s Starship Troopers, while telling us he had not read Haldeman’s Forever War when he sat down to write. If you combine the three, you have Old Man’s War.

We start with the senior man, John, quietly visiting his wife’s grave for the last time. Once he enlists fully – they had both stated intent to enlist ten years prior – and leaves Earth, he can’t return. Nobody returns from the forces, so nobody really knows what goes on out there in the stars. But they are promised a rejuvenated and active life, with a later opportunity to resettle on a new planet. Provided they survive, of course. No guarantees. When age is catching up, with serious illness maybe a year away, and friends and family lost forever, enlisting doesn’t seem so bad. The CDF takes good care of its staff, and the food is great. John makes friends with some other seniors, and they agree to stay in contact, though they’ll be assigned to individual starships.

The work is like being in the marines, but the enemies are multitudinous species with barbaric practices. Habitable planets are scarce enough that alien races war over territory. John, through skill and intellect and CDF training, survives some fierce battles before things go badly wrong. He used to write advertising copy. Now settlers depend on him for their lives.

At the same time as providing a space war, Old Man’s War is at heart a love story. This is the strength of the tale which changes it from being a collection of army yarns to something much greater. We develop faith in human nature and the general wish for a peaceful life, though it may be hard-won.

With a series of awards behind it, and a self-titled series of five more books ahead of it, OLD MAN’S WAR deserves a place on any SF fan’s bookshelf, Kindle or neural network. John Scalzi hit the right moment with his first novel, and now has a respectable backlist worth exploring – no starship needed.

John Perry, a widower, joins the Colonial Defense Force. He has reached the approved age of 75 years. Earth needs an interplanetary army to defend its colony planets, and unlikely as it sounds, this is an OLD MAN’S WAR.

This exciting, edgy, classic Sci-Fi book has been reissued, and it still holds good. Today, the surprise may be wasted on those who have seen Avatar, but the author acknowledges Heinlein’s Starship Troopers while telling us he had not read Haldeman’s Forever War when he sat down to write. If you combine the three, you have OLD MAN'S WAR.

We start with the senior man, John, quietly visiting his wife’s grave for the last time. Once he enlists fully – they had both stated intent to enlist ten years prior – and leaves Earth, he can’t return. Nobody returns from the forces, so nobody really knows what goes on out there in the stars. But they are promised a rejuvenated and active life, with a later opportunity to resettle on a new planet. Provided they survive, of course. No guarantees. When age is catching up, with serious illness maybe a year away, and friends and family lost forever, enlisting doesn’t seem so bad. The CDF takes good care of its staff, and the food is great. John makes friends with some other seniors, and they agree to stay in contact, though they’ll be assigned to individual starships.

The work is like being in the Marines, but the enemies are multitudinous species with barbaric practices. Habitable planets are scarce enough that alien races war over territory. John, through skill and intellect and CDF training, survives some fierce battles before things go badly wrong. He used to write advertising copy. Now settlers depend on him for their lives.

At the same time as providing a space war, OLD MAN'S WAR is at heart a love story. This is the strength of the tale which changes it from being a collection of army yarns to something much greater. We develop faith in human nature and the general wish for a peaceful life, though it may be hard-won.

With a series of awards behind it, and a self-titled series of five more books ahead of it, OLD MAN’S WAR deserves a place on any Sci-Fi fan’s bookshelf, Kindle or neural network. John Scalzi hit the right moment with his first novel, and now has a respectable backlist worth exploring – no starship needed.