The Worlds of Old Man’s War Series – John Scalzi
So the other day I finished the first book in my Other World’s Reading Challenge. The world that I visited or should I say “revisited” was the world that John Scalzi has created in his “Old Man’s War” series. The book that I read was The Human Division. It is book five in the series.
John Scalzi – Old Man’s War Series
While The Human Division is the fifth book in the series. It is only the fourth book In the series that I’ve read. I read the first two books in the series Old Man’s War, The Ghost Brigades in quick succession and loved them. Then for whatever reason The Last Colony sat on my bookshelves for a long while. When I finally did get around to reading it, it became a favorite.
Zoe’s Tale like The Last Colony has sat on my bookshelves for a long while. So long that Scalzi had time to write two more books in the series, The Human Division and The End of All Things
During that time he also started a new series with a book titled The Collapsing Empire. I did read that one . Here is what I wrote about it.
About The Human Division
Now back to The Human Division. as I wrote I earlier, I put off reading The Human Division because I hadn’t read Zoe’s Tale. However, when I was reminded that Zoe’s Tale was just a retelling of the events in The Last Colony but from Zoe’s perscpective, I said it’s time to read it.
When I started The Human Division it became obvious quickly the John Perry who was the main character of the first four books was not going to be the focus of this book.
However, one of the first people John Perry met when he first join the Colonial Defense Force Harry Wilson is one of the main characters in the book. He is also my favorite character.
In The Human Division Harry Wilson is a lieutenant in the Colonial Defense Force assigned to a B-Team diplomatic unit. A unit, being given no-win diplomatic missions constantly. But Harry and the team perform well!
Meanwhile, John Perry has returned to Earth and it has been revealed that the Colonial Union has been using Earth for two hundred years. While the Union has kept them in the dark about space explorations, they have been using earthlings as soldiers and colonists.
Now the Colonial Union faces the possibility of losing it’s prime source of new soldiers and colonists. At a time, when colonization by the Colonial Union is being restricted by The Conclave a larger alliance of worlds. So the Earth has a choice to make does it side with the CU, which may have been protecting and screwing theEarth over the last 200 years, or join with the Conclave.
And the diplomatic B-Team, which Lt. Harry Wilson is a key member of, is smack in the middle of the negotiations between the CU and Earth.
Bottom Line
The bottom line, like all of John Scazl’s work, The Human Division is a humdinger! I was foolish to put off reading it for so long! As all of Scalzi’s work The Human Division has great characters. Inn addition there’s good action with just the right amount of humor blended in.
So check it Out! As for me I am ready to move on to The End of All Things. But I may have to wait a bit because I have several other worlds to visit first.
