Old Man's War (Old Man's War, 1)

Perfect for an entry-level sci-fi reader and the ideal addition to a veteran fan's collection, John Scalzi's Old Man's War will take audiences on a heart-stopping adventure into the far corners of the universe.

John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army.

The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce--and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So: we fight. To defend Earth, and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding.

Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity's resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defense Force. Everybody knows that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don't want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You'll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return. You'll serve two years at the front. And if you survive, you'll be given a generous homestead stake of your own, on one of our hard-won colony planets.

John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine--and what he will become is far stranger.

Old Man's War Series
#1 Old Man's War
#2 The Ghost Brigades
#3 The Last Colony
#4 Zoe's Tale
#5 The Human Division
#6 The End of All Things
Short fiction: "After the Coup"

Other Tor Books
The Android's Dream
Agent to the Stars
Your Hate Mail Will Be Graded
Fuzzy Nation
Redshirts
Lock In
The Collapsing Empire

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320 pages

Average rating: 7.9

42 RATINGS

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4 REVIEWS

Community Reviews

Paukku
May 25, 2024
8/10 stars
Very Starship Troopers-esque, I really liked this story. Well written and thought out, it was a good enough read to get me to read the other books in the series. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and found them to be warm and likable.
Anonymous
Nov 03, 2023
8/10 stars
I really enjoyed this! The characters were great, the story was wonderful, and I laughed about as much as I cringed (that whole putting 75 year old widows and widowers in new, amazingly attractive bodies after they've all gone a good long while without... ahem, being intimate, is a little awkward). While the entire book is wonderful, the drill sergeant during basic is by far one of the most entertaining sections of the book.
I did find myself feeling for Perry, the protagonist of the story, as he discussed his late wife. While I have not had to endure the pain of losing my bride, I can't help but feel for Perry. My wife is my best friend and my companion and I could not imagine going through life without her, much less to another section of the galaxy to war with ferocious aliens.
While this is the first of Scalzi's books that I have read, it most certainly will not be the last, and definitely not the last in this series. On to Ghost Brigades!

BarelySpicy
Feb 25, 2023
6/10 stars
Average, somewhat overrated in my opinion. The author’s choice for the love interest made me uncomfortable
MegLBrown
Jun 26, 2022
8/10 stars
Such an interesting story! Really enjoyed it. Definitely recommend to anyone who likes sci-fi books.

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