Josh
Added to listOwnedwith 44 books.
Added to listYoung Adultwith 16 books.
Added to listContemporary Fictionwith 13 books.
Added to listMysterywith 13 books.
After the slight step down with The Ghost Brigades, The Last Colony feels like the series finding its footing again. It brings back the humour and fast paced storytelling that made Old Man's War so enjoyable while also delivering imo, a more interesting overall storyline then either of the previous books.
I liked how it expanded and tied together the larger story of the series. The political elements, conflicts, and returning characters all came together in a way that made the journey through the first two books feel worthwhile. I also though the characters overall developed nicely and that the supporting cast while not perfect, were the strongest in this book then the previous two. It doesn't hit all the things I want in military Sci-Fi, but it hits a lot of them and is my favourite of the series so far.
5 dubiously named colonies out of 5.
After the slight step down with The Ghost Brigades, The Last Colony feels like the series finding its footing again. It brings back the humour and fast paced storytelling that made Old Man's War so enjoyable while also delivering imo, a more interesting overall storyline then either of the previous books.
I liked how it expanded and tied together the larger story of the series. The political elements, conflicts, and returning characters all came together in a way that made the journey through the first two books feel worthwhile. I also though the characters overall developed nicely and that the supporting cast while not perfect, were the strongest in this book then the previous two. It doesn't hit all the things I want in military Sci-Fi, but it hits a lot of them and is my favourite of the series so far.
5 dubiously named colonies out of 5.
Scalzi's usual writing style, at last through two books of this series, has always been simple but effective, which works well for the kind of military science fiction said series is. Here though, he takes a much more literary approach and unfortunately it just did not work for me. The prose often felt overly self conscious, at times using awkward phrasing, and overall it felt like it was trying to hard to be profound.
This is made more noticeable because the narrator is Jane Sagan. The voice we get here feels disconnected from the character we've seen through the series, making the diary feel less like an extension of Jane and more like an experiment with a different writing style.
Turns out even a Special Forces soldier can lose a battle against a thesaurus. 1.5 unnecessary words out of 5.
Scalzi's usual writing style, at last through two books of this series, has always been simple but effective, which works well for the kind of military science fiction said series is. Here though, he takes a much more literary approach and unfortunately it just did not work for me. The prose often felt overly self conscious, at times using awkward phrasing, and overall it felt like it was trying to hard to be profound.
This is made more noticeable because the narrator is Jane Sagan. The voice we get here feels disconnected from the character we've seen through the series, making the diary feel less like an extension of Jane and more like an experiment with a different writing style.
Turns out even a Special Forces soldier can lose a battle against a thesaurus. 1.5 unnecessary words out of 5.
Added to listShort Storieswith 8 books.
The previous books balanced cozy fantasy with a dash of adventure, whereas this one feels more like a low stakes adventure with a little cozy sprinkled in. That shift isn't necessarily a bad idea, but I didn't find the characters, Fern's mid life crisis, or the adventure compelling enough to carry it. It never captures the warmth or charm that made the earlier books enjoyable.
2.25 poor Potroasts out of 5
The previous books balanced cozy fantasy with a dash of adventure, whereas this one feels more like a low stakes adventure with a little cozy sprinkled in. That shift isn't necessarily a bad idea, but I didn't find the characters, Fern's mid life crisis, or the adventure compelling enough to carry it. It never captures the warmth or charm that made the earlier books enjoyable.
2.25 poor Potroasts out of 5
For the most part it has the same strengths as the first book with the exception of a reduction in humour. I also though Dirac's personal journey was fairly compelling and it expands the setting in a way I'm interested in seeing unfold.
It also maintains the criticisms I had with the first book though with the thin supporting cast and lack of emotional weight. That coupled with the reduction in humour means while I enjoyed it, I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book.
3.75 Ghosts out of 5.
For the most part it has the same strengths as the first book with the exception of a reduction in humour. I also though Dirac's personal journey was fairly compelling and it expands the setting in a way I'm interested in seeing unfold.
It also maintains the criticisms I had with the first book though with the thin supporting cast and lack of emotional weight. That coupled with the reduction in humour means while I enjoyed it, I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book.
3.75 Ghosts out of 5.
