Zoe's Tale

Zoe's Tale is an excellent addition to the OMW universe. This retelling of the events in Lost Colony from the perspective of Zoe, John and Jane's teenage daughter, offers fresh insight and adds interesting details.

This is a great book to share with the teens in your life, too. The story is very approachable for teens, but well written and entertaining for adults.

I pre-ordered this book because I love John Scalzi. Unfortunately, nowhere (on the cover or anywhere else) did anyone warn me that this book is written from the viewpoint of a teenage girl, and thus really is aimed at that market. As far as that goes, it's a good book. If you are a teenager, you will probably enjoy it. I was looking for a lot more.

In addition to that, however, the storyline raises major moral and ethical issues that are glossed over and pretty much ignored for the sake of a happy ending. Two scenes of extreme combat carnage on which the outcome of the story depends happen off-screen, and are described in brief and flippant sentences. This is very convenient because it allows the author to continue to ignore the question: how many strangers would you allow to be killed to save the ones you love? Are their lives less valuable? The novel raises these central and provocative questions, but then doesn't answer them. That is a real failing, in my view. I expect better of Scalzi.

I loved this book, which is yet another in the Old Man's War universe. Many scenes show a different perspective of Lost Colony, and are OK. But what really gives this book the gold is the parts John Scalzi fills in with the rest of Zoe's adventures. Totally worth it- I almost cried (and I'm not being sarcastic or anything).

I read all of Scalzi's "Old Man's War" series in sequence, including Last Colony, then Zoe's Tale. In case anyone doesn't know, Zoe's Tale covers the same ground as "The Last Colony," but this time it is from the point of view of Zoe Boutin-Perry, rather than her parents. Between the two, I consider Last Colony to be the better book. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy Zoe's Tale, too. And I highly recommend it if you want an introduction to Scalzi's writing and don't want to read the more 'military' stories that he has written. Just consider that if you think you might like the military aspect, then Zoe's Tale is probably NOT the place to start.

Zoe's Tale, though a fine book, is really more of a YA story. It focuses much more on relationships than on events. John Scalzi still shows his great skill at characterization and his clear, concise writing style that is so effortless to read

It does take place at the same time with the same general frame as Last Colony. It nicely rounds out some of the questions I had, but some events and details that were very important in The Last Colony aren't even mentioned in Zoe's Tale, and vice-versa. In some cases it is almost like 2 parallel worlds.

Essentially Zoe's Tale is more of a coming of age story, and gives you a much better understanding of the Obin as a race, and of Zoe as a person. It also gives more detail on one or two very important things that happened towards the end of Last Colony, but even then it doesn't go into the detail you would expect for such important occurrences.

Zoe's Tale is also, clearly, a character study. I actually marveled at Scalzi's ability to capture the mind and heart of a teenage girl. Very nicely done. And some of the relationships are interesting in and of themselves, especially Zoe with her friend Gretchen and her Obin bodyguards, as well as her relationship with Enzo, the boy she comes to love. I liked it, but if that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, then this book probably isn't for you. You can feel free to stop at "The Last Colony" and not worry that you have missed too much.

Now, if Scalzi writes more stories about Zoe, or the Conclave, or the Obin, or the new choices that Earth makes among the stars, and I suspect he will do exactly that, then this book might assume more importance as a key pivotal point in the series. But as things currently stand, you can choose to read it or skip it.

If you do read it, just don't expect it to be quite the same as what has gone before.

John Scalzi returns to his popular "Old Man's War" universe with a parallel novel to the last entry, told from the perspective of Zoe Boutin Perry. Covering the same time frame as the previous entry, "The Last Colony," "Zoe's Tale" examines the ins and outs of the story from Zoe's perspective as a teenage girl and the lynchpin of peace agreeement between several interstellar races.

Hearing how Zoe thinks and reacts to things is fascinating and even though we may know where things are going, Scalzi still manages to keep the story suspenseful and compelling. The big part of this is the voice of Zoe. Scalzi sets up the character's voice early and then steps back, allowing her to take over telling the story in such a way that it is fresh, compelling and a definite asset to the universe of Old Man's War. I know at the end of "The Last Colony," Scalzi said he was taking a break from the universe for a while, but after reading this, I'm glad he didn't. "Zoe's Tale" comes along just soon enough after "Last Colony" to allow readers to remember enough of the critical events and turning points from the story.

However, don't think that just because you haven't read "Last Colony" you can't or shouldn't read this one. Scalzi's strength is that you can read his novels in any order and while having some background will enhance some aspects of the novels, it's not required. Scalzi has created a series that is equally rewarding for new and old readers. If anything, the compelling nature of "Zoe's Tale" will have those who haven't read the previous installments heading to a bookstore or library to see what they've missed.