Looking For a Good Book

A new ‘Old Man’s War’ novel?! Yes, please, and thank you.

You will want to have read the previous books in the series as there are some important connections between this and the earlier books in the series. Author John Scalzi does do a good job of reminding the reader of what has gone before (or laying some ground work for those who haven’t read any of the other series books) but it will be a more enjoyable read if you go through the series.

Our main character is Gretchen Trujillo – a friend of Zoe’s (of Zoe’s Tale). She’s a diplomat now, working with an Obin assistant, helping to maintain the decade of peace between the Colonial Union, the Earth, and the alien Conclave. That peace is threatened, however, by the Consu – an extremely advanced race that is expanding. And to really set nerves on edge, a multi-species space colony – intent of showing that the different species can live in harmony – has gone missing. It’s not easy to make an entire colony disappear without a trace, but someone’s done it and the technologically advanced Consu are the prime suspects.

In addition to being perhaps the most intelligent species in the known galaxy, the Consu are also the most formidable in combat, practically designed as killing machines. While in addition to being a diplomat, Gretchen is also skilled in combat, but one human against even one Consu would not end well for the human. If the missing colony is the result of Consu action, will Gretchen have any chance to find and rescue the colony if the Consu don’t want her to?

If you enjoy reading a Scalzi novel, everything you love about it is here – particularly the Scalzi sass and humor (you know – naming terrifying aliens with goofy, cuddly names).

There’s plenty of action and excitement here but I wouldn’t consider this an action novel. Scalzi spends a lot of time explaining how things work – whether it’s the Consu’s fighting skills or the Skip Drive (how ships get around very long distances), it’s all made clear.  Maybe more clear than we need.  I’m not sure I needed to know that the skip drive was basically Star Trek‘s transporter but on a larger scale. (There, I just told you in much shorter time than Scalzi does.) I admit, it is important because the plot does revolve around a variation of this (I’m trying really hard not to give too much away).

I really liked Gretchen as our protagonist.  She is, as I suspect Scalzi intended, the perfect combination of fighting skill and diplomatic negotiator and she steps up when it’s important. She’s kept humble by her alien assistant with plenty of humor.

There is an interesting little twist that I did not see coming and it does suggest that there may be still more to come in the series. But don’t hold your breath – this one took awhile to get here.

I find the series quite interesting. It all started with Old Man’s War – a fascinating look at upgrading a body and intergalactic war, but it quickly developed into a series of diplomacy and expansion. Is this reflective of our times? Are we getting back to a more aggressive nature? Only Scalzi knows.

Overall, this fits in very nicely with the scope of the series. Our protagonist is not unfamiliar to readers of the series, though this is her first time getting so much focus.

Looking for a good book? The Shattering Peace by John Scalzi is the seventh book in the popular Old Man’s War series. A blend of the familiar and the new, Scalzi keeps the story fresh without alienating (pun intended) the reader.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Shattering Peace

author: John Scalzi

series: Old Man’s War #7

publisher: Tor Books

ISBN: 9780765389190

hardcover, 288 pages