Book notes: Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

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Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

Synopsis:

“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 of 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.” -Audible

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Opening thoughts:

I chose this book because I enjoyed two previous works by this author Lock In and Head On, so I figured I might as well pick up this one. This book is older than the two I mentioned, but it had a large volume of good reviews so I figured it would be worth a shot.

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Key notes:

Part One

Chapter 1

• John was 75 and enlisted in the military
• This was what a lot of old people did around that age because medical technology could extend their lifespan

Chapter 2

• They had a discussion about how the CU was so technologically advanced and nobody understands it, but it also keeps people on Earth in line
  • It might not be sinister reasons but it could be to protect humans

Chapter 3

• They debated over breakfast just how they were going to use technology to make all of these old recruits physically capable of being in the military

Chapter 4

• They were put through basic cognitive, emotional, and physical tests
  • Later, they witnessed the jump to the new star system
• The Colonial Union doctor finally explained that they were going to move their consciousness out of their old body and into a newer, younger version of themselves: a clone

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

• He was playing around with the computer assistant in his new body
• They discussed the theory that their new attractive bodies were meant to help them bond but also like and learn to appreciate their new bodies
• Their first order was to “have fun” in their new bodies so that they’ll be comfortable once they start the training and getting into the field
  • Everyone was having sex with everyone
  • He partnered with Maggie who was also the most attractive one and for sure had a thing for him even before
• The 7 of them became the closest friends he’s ever had in the last half of his former life
• The main task of the CU was a colonization race against other species for habitable planets
• Most of them will serve the full 10 years and a majority of them will die statistically before then
  • But the benefits are a new life afterward, or they can reenlist
• They promised to keep in touch with a group thread

Part Two

Chapter 7

• He selected his squad leaders

Chapter 8

• They started their rigorous training as the 63rd platoon and started to do well under his leadership
• They graduated and he got compliments from drill sergeant Ruiz that he wasn’t as bad as most other recruits

Chapter 9

• They won the battle, in part because of John’s double shot strategy he passed along

Chapter 10

• Maggie was the first to die in their group
  • Her platoon got ambushed and she spent her last few moments of free fall from orbit to attack enemy ships before sending out a death haiku, then plummeting to her death toward the planet
• A recruit and former politician named Bender got himself killed thinking he could broker peace through diplomatic means but ended up just getting annihilated instantly

Chapter 11

• John started to have a mental breakdown fighting the 1-inch-tall aliens
  • He felt like he was losing his sense of self because of their constant efforts to kill other intelligent species simply for the sake of colonization
  • It felt wrong that he could do these things so easily
• John was telling everyone that unlike everyone else, he misses being married, his connection with his wife, his old life, and the security from it all
  • Part of what makes them human is what they mean to people and what people mean to them. He misses meaning something to someone

Chapter 12

• His escape ship that survived the ambush crash-landed on the planet
  • Allen died and John is the only survivor when the rescue crew comes
• One of the rescuers looks like his dead wife Kathy

Part Three

Chapter 13

• Only Jessie and Harry’s crew barely survived, and only John from his
• They discussed the Ghost Brigade, which was rumored to have even more enhanced non-humans using the DNA of dead people who enlisted before they died
• They suspect that the CDF / one of the special forces members was using his wife’s body

Chapter 14

• Jane Sagan, the special forces person who was in his wife’s cloned body, visited him and apologized for attacking him
  • She didn’t know how to react. She told him she was only 6 but knew things and was training to be in special forces since then
  • She doesn’t really interact with the regular born people often and running into someone who knew your person’s body is very unlikely
• He had a meeting with high-ranking officers and was awarded a bronze star
  • He was also asked to be stationed on the Sparrow Hawk, the special forces ship, to provide oversight and observations for the counterattack that demolished their entire fleet
• John’s special request was to get Harry and Jessie out of infantry duty and into the research arm of the CDF in order to keep them safe
  • They resisted a first, but he insisted that they’re the only family he has and wants to do whatever he can to keep them safe 

Chapter 15

• He kept telling Jane about Kathy and their past life together whenever Jane asked

Chapter 16

• After the death match with the Consu, they learned that they had given the RA the technology to “advance both races” to perfection
  • They also mentioned that the Consu doesn’t kill other species because they “love them” and want them to advance
• John volunteered to go on the mission to help the special forces and their dangerous mission
  • Jane tried to explain how she felt about John and wished she could remember her past life

Chapter 17

• The first assault was easy, but defending the tracking station against the enemy forces afterward was difficult
  • Jane was wounded and John managed to get her back behind Allied forces
• He managed to get Jane to safety and also got the memory module containing the info for the tracking system

Chapter 18

• He was subsequently promoted and celebrated for a while, and taken out of infantry duty
  • He also didn’t see Jane again
• Whenever special forces see him, they send him quick emotional pings as a sign of respect, as he was the only real born who served in the special forces
  • He also rescued one of their own and made the mission a success despite the conditions
• He eventually got a message and postcard via his brain pal from Jane, who told him where special forces go when they’re retired to learn to become human
  • She invited him to join her if he wanted

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Closing thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book. Above just being a very interesting premise (using technology to enlist old people in an intergalactic army), I really like the main character John. He’s a trustworthy guy worth rooting for because he operates on a solid set of principles and values. Moreover, he’s very competent, for whatever reason, at being a soldier and particularly leading. I don’t think it exactly goes into why he’s so good, but I got the vibe that we’re just to accept the fact that he’s above average in leadership qualities because he’s the main character. Which I think is totally fine.

The only thing I thought was weird was him being semi-okay with falling in love with a 6-year-old in an adult body clone of his late wife. Sure, he is basically a test-tube-like species of human who like others of her kind, rapidly matured due to their circumstances. And she has very similar tendencies as his late wife, but none of her memories. In my opinion, she’s just a brand new mind with the genetics of his wife (hence the similar tendencies) but the author is trying to spin it as a reincarnation of sorts. Like they’re supposed to “fall in love all over again” in this 2nd chance at life. I don’t completely buy it, but I do admit that I am a sucker for this unconditional type love sort of thing. And it’s not the annoying type of K-drama romance where the writers make both characters do stupid things just to build tension. These two characters are actually respectable and competent.

Overall, it’s a solid sci-fi book and would recommend to anyone who is a fan of this genre.

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One Takeaway / Putting into practice:

While this book was mostly just a very interesting sci-fi novel that I felt was mostly to enjoy, I was able to find a decent takeaway from it.

In the middle of the book when the soldiers were recounting their past lives and what they missed most, John stood out because he said he misses being married and meaning something to someone.

• Part of what makes them human is what they mean to people and what people mean to them

This point is underscored when John makes a special request before the last suicide mission to have Harry and Jessie (the last two survivors of their original cohort) reassigned to a safer department within the army. He said the reason for that was that they were the only family he has left in this universe and wanted to keep them safe as best he could.

Basically, relationships are all we have. In a world where people get a 2nd chance at life, relationships are all that really matter.

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Nutshell:

On his 75h birthday, widower John Perry joins the Colonial Defense Force, Earth’s intergalactic army for a 2nd chance at life. There he not only gains a new family but discovers the true threat that their species faces.

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Similar books:

• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
• Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
• We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
• Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
• Armada by Ernest Cline

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Rating:

3.5/5

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