The Ghost Brigades

Book Review: WARNING! WITH SPOILERS

You've been warned. I mowed through the last of the second book in the series by John Scalzi. It was also very good. Not quite as good as the first, but that one was up in the stratosphere, so we're still talking much better than most.

You got to the point where you really liked John Perry by the time the first book finished, so for those John Perry fans out there, there is no John here.

There is a nod to other science fiction stories. Scalzi has a group of people reading war fiction, and it's really a reading list of influences on his development. Interestingly, we've read most of the same material.

This version really got into how the Special Forces troops were made. It gets into the awakening and integration of the troops as well as their training. The computer brain interface allows them to have consciousness, even as they are first awakened. They talked about how they were able to clone a full grown adult in 16 weeks by accelerated development, which was cool. They talked about consciousness transfer, which was an interesting concept.

The main character is a clone that is made to house the consciousness, stored in a device, by a mad scientist that defected from the humans and was trying to serve his own goals, which unfortunately involved the slaughter of the human race.

He has the memories or personality of the defecting scientist downloaded onto him, but it doesn't take. So he is trained as a Special Forces soldier, only to have some of the memories and emotions of the bad guy come out gradually and incompletely.

They did another space drop in this one, and they had only one really active battle scene, although it focused more one the main character than the blood & guts you come to see.

In the end, the story was more about morals and honor, conceptual ideas, rather than the mechanics of how all this works. You find that the person that is accused of having no morals or sense of humor has the best of both of these. The way he kills the bad guy in the end is a very interesting twist.

There is a third book in the series, which I think I will wait a while to read. Perhaps when it comes out in paperback. I look forward to seeing more good things from John Scalzi in the future.

Old Man's War

WARNING: THIS BOOK REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS:

I found this book by John Scalzi by accident. I was looking for a book called The Forever War in a newly reissued version around Christmas and was told casually by the person at Barnes and Noble, who had read the Forever War, that this book was a little like it and also good. So I bought it and put it on a shelf for a month.

Then I read it in 3 days.

Absorbed is kind of a light word for my reaction to the book. I might also say entranced or enthralled, but that doesn't quite cover it either. Let's just say that I have not one critism of the book, it's excellent in every respect.

Probably my favorite aspect of the book, after the concept, is the dialog. Probably my favorite dialog is the part where John Perry talks with the Consu, a superior alien species, in order to find out information about humanity's enemies. It's not a negotiation, but a one sided conversation with a species that hates humans and doesn't care much what they say. The funny part is that John Perry has nothing to lose, so he talks with the irreverence of a high school kid with an attitude. It's fun.

The character development is very good. You really feel like you are getting to know John Perry well, and you really get to like him and feel some strange pride in his accomplishments.

The technology is very interesting. Cloning, consciousness transfer, integrated personal computers in your brain, the Skip Drive to get you around the cosmos without having to slog along in a straight line, nanobots, and advanced weapons spice up the story nicely. The space drop onto a planet is a cool touch, similar to a halo drop by our combat forces in real life.

The story builds nicely, because you know of some important things without knowing about them. The whole mystery of what is going to happen to them as their age is reversed is a wonderful mystery until it happens. Another favorite thing about the book is their time in basic training. The drill sergeant character is another high point in the book.

Threading through the book is the love story of John and his dead wife. It's poignant, believable, and interesting without weighing the book down with melancholy. I like the way the believability of the book is enhanced by this aspect of the story. You know that the character understands why things have to happen, and even understands what it is that he is feeling without being rendered useless by his feelings. That in itself makes John Perry a hero, but his matter of fact way of dealing with each new twist, shock, or surprise is what you really come to like.

I'm half way through the sequel, The Ghost Brigades. Not as compelling as the first book, but still head and shoulders over most books I've read. I'll write about it when I'm done.