The Ghost Brigades

Scalzi's ability to make space- and worlds-spanning sci-fi impactful on the  small scale, the personal level, is what keeps me coming back to this series, even if on first glance it would appear to fall just slightly outside my wheelhouse. 

I don't do ‘space war' sci fi. It's kind of a given that war, and associated actions like sabotage, espionage, taking prisoners, assassination and kidnapping, sucks and affects people negatively in a multitude of ways, so I rarely feel the need to engage in speculative fiction that elaborates on those themes. 
 
Likewise overuse of technology - the cautionary tales already in the zeitgeist are legion. 
I find it fascinating to consider the pragmatic and ethical aspects of gene manipulation and biotech integration, the clone/android arena, even if that is fairly well tread ground as well. 

But aside from the poignant emotional impact, how Scalzi creates relatable characters in truly alien circumstances, where it gets me, is the unique angle on exploration of the self - the mind, individuality, personality, thought and memory, awareness, consciousness, free will, CHOICE, of how to live, and how and to die. 
A bit of ‘I Will Fear No Evil', to give Heinlein his due. 

As with The Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers, I was surprised how much I liked the second book's decision to veer from the majority of the group we got to know in the first book and while referencing previous people and events, telling a different story. I do think it has more significance if you've read the first in the series.   

Lastly, I will continue to say it, because not enough of sci-fi does it. Scalzi is marvelous at immersive world building,  that never features too much info dump/exposition at once, usually with bonus humourous asides included. More please! 

Will definitely be reading the next in the series.