August 29, 2013

It's another gray, rainy day in Vermont, so I think I'll continue with recent book reviews.  All of these reviews are of audio versions of John Scalzi books.  I've gotten them through audible.com.  The quality of the audio is great and I've had very few disappointments.  I'm going to review the audio versions of the Old Man's War series, all written by John Scalzi, starting with The Old Man's War.

I loved Old Man's War from start to finish.  It's a science fiction classic, written from the perspective of John Perry, a 75 year old volunteer for the Colonial Defense Force for the Colonial Union.  I'm not yet 75, but I did listen to the story as an older person.  I'm quite amazed at the maturity and insight offered by the author, John Scalzi, who is only middle-aged at this point.  If Old Man's War is any indication, Scalzi has quite a career ahead of him.  The narrator was wonderful, but the story definitely would have read well, too.  I listened to it twice, once by myself and once with my husband.  I was totally engaged with the story both times, catching little nuances that I missed the first time during the second listen.  It was definitely a GREAT listen, and I am sure it would be an equally great read!

Ghost Brigades is the second book in John Scalzi's Old Man's War series.  This time, the perspective switches to that of the Special Forces for the Colonial Union.  Scalzi continues to set up background for the series, while weaving a great story that continues to explore what it means to be a human.  Jane Sagan emergences as a more developed character and Zoe Boutin is introduced.  Once again, the audio version was great.  The narration was excellent, enhancing an already fantastic story.  Definitely a GREAT listen, and I'm sure it, too, would be an equally great read!

The Sagan Diary was my introduction to John Scalzi and his Old Man's War series.  I got it as a special deal when I first joined Audible.com.  The first time I listened to the novelette, I was totally unaware of the series and had no background at all.  Despite this, I loved absolutely loved The Sagan Diary.  It was a sensitive and touching story, told from Jane Sagan's perspective.  It stood up well as an independent story.  Since then, I have listened to the story two more times, both after listening to Old Man's War and Ghost Brigades.  I enjoyed it more each time I listened.  Definitely a great little book and an awesome listen!

The Last Colony continues John Scalzi's Old Man's War series.  Although the third book in the series, I'm sure it would stand up well as an independent book.  In The Last Colony, characters from former books, notably John Perry, Jane Sagan and Zoe Boutin, continue on with interstellar exploration and wars determining the fate of humankind.  Once again, Scalzi has woven a great story that is totally engaging.  The narration on the Audible version was excellent, adding to Scalzi's unique perspective.  Definitely a great listen, and would be an equally great read!

I don't have much to say about Zoe's Tale.  I only got through the first three chapters.  It appears to be a valley girl, young adult retelling of The Last Colony.  I was hoping for more than this from Scalzi.  Definitely not my cup of tea!

I'm writing this review after listening to the Audible version of the entire Old Man's War series over a period of a few weeks.  The Human Division is very different from other Scalzi books. The book is actually a series of short stories, not a novel.  At first, the stories seem unrelated.  However, as the book progresses, the relationships begin to reveal themselves.  The stories were intriguing and their relationship was interesting.  However, for me, the ending was frustrating and unsatisfying.  There were also two, totally unrelated short stories thrown in after the ending.  Since we were listening to an audio version, it wasn't entirely clear where the actual story ended until the two extra short stories were finished.   I really question the quality of editing Scalzi is receiving.  Someone reading the book prior to publishing should have caught the ending issue.  I'd give this four out of five stars because the short stories were great.

August 28, 2013

One of the best parts of this vacation has been the time to read.  I've been able to read a lot every day.  Today, I finished my book club selection for the month:  The Books They Gave Me: True Stories of Life, Love and Lit by Jen Adams.  At first, I wasn't sure I would like it, which I didn't.  I LOVED it!  It was full of stories about people receiving books as gifts.  I loved it for the stories the people told about the occasions surrounding the giving of the books.  They were both personal and charming.  However, most of all, I loved the descriptions of the books.  We made a special trip to a wonderful bookstore in Lydonville, Vermont called Green Mountain Books, where I picked up two of the books that were included in The Books They Gave Me.  I have two more "must reads" on my list which I am going to order right away.  There is nothing better than a good book that leads you to other great books.  The Books They Gave Me was a great read!

At the same time, we've been listening to the audio books ever since we left home.  On the long, 10 hour ride to Vermont, we listened to Redshirts by John Scalzi.  This is one of those books that was probably much better as an audio book than it would have been as a straight read.  I can't say that for sure because I didn't actually read the book. (Added 9/4/13:  Obviiously, it's just as good as a book.  Redshirts just won the 2013 Hugo Award.  Congratulations, John Scalzi!)  However, the narrator was wonderful and his expression and interpretation of the characters really enhanced the story.  Without giving away any spoilers, I think that Scalzi needs to work on stopping when the story is done.  In Redshirts, he had a perfectly plausible ending that was satisfying and yet left the real ending up to the interpretation of the reader or listener. Then he added a snarky, one-liner that felt like whip-lash.  I'm not talking about the Coda, which I loved.  It definitely added to the story and was clearly separate from the main story.  You will see what I mean if you listen to or read the book.  I would definitely recommend Redshirts as a very good listen, especially good for a long drive.   I'm giving it 5 stars because we loved the book, despite the ending.  I feel the editor should have caught the weak ending to an otherwise great book.