Tech Mage by Chris Fox, Book 1 in the Magitech Chronicles

I have no idea why I chose this book to read. I was skimming thru some books on Amazon and decided to try it.  Reluctantly I started reading the book when I forgot the book I wanted to read because I was at a place at work with no wi-fi.  I was really happy I chose to read it.

I rate this 7 of 10 but don't let that rating wyrms, and even larger Dragons, all intelligent and can do magic.   These are the bad guys trying to take over, well everything.  The good guys are different races, again sorta like Star Wars and some of these can perform magic.  There are different types of magic in this series, like Earth, Wind, and Fire (wait, that's one of my favorite bands) that people can perform and the more different forms of magic you can perform, the stronger and more dangerous you are.

fool you.  For me, that's not a bad book, it's just not a memorable story, but it is entertaining. It has space pirates, a Confederate Militia not unlike the Star Wars saga, giant

So what we have is a space opera that is not based on tech but on magic.  Even the weapons are based on and made from magic.  Now you get the gist of what the book is about but I won't go further into it, as Doctor Who says, 'spoilers'.

I like this so much that I've already started the 2nd in the series, Void Wyrm and it seems to be just as good as the first book.

Tech Mage by Chris Fox

Book one in The Magitech Chronicles series

The End of All Things by John Scalzi

The End of All Things is aptly named because the last 2 books of this series absolutely ruined it. The books were good and enjoyable but just dragged the series down because it had nothing to do with the original 4. OK, it did, in a way but not the way I was wanting. This like the 5th book, The Human Division was made up mostly of short stories that only had maybe 4 or 5 stories that could have been connected and had a far better outcome for me, anyway.  Me, the armchair writer and storyteller that can sometimes have a rough time putting a sentence together in conversation, not counting writing.

Scalzi basically admitted that he had a lot of material left over after writing The Old Man's War series so he put these into two different books.  I did say I enjoyed them but I love to read series and these last two were not series material for me.

As an armchair writer and storyteller, or call me a Monday morning quarterback, I would have made this a different series, just the same universe as The Old Man's War. But hey, I'm not John Scalzi.  He makes a living writing.  I don't.

The End of All Things are stories of an unrecognized group of races called the Equilibrium, a never heard of secret consortium of races and planets that wanted to end the two most powerful governments in the known universe, the Colonial Union, which is made up of the human race with the exception of Earth and the Conclave, an alliance of 412 races that's technology far exceeds earth. The CU and the Conclave have always been at war and with the unknown Equilibrium always trying to stir up trouble between the 2, peace will never happen. These last two books are about all the worries and woes, politics and battles, and unsuccessful attempts at peace.

The End of All Things by John Scalzi
The 6th and final book in the Old Man's War series

The Human Division by John Scalzi

WOW.  I was not expecting this book to be as good as it was.  This book is made up of 13 episodes plus extras. I'm hoping these episode set up the next book, The End of All Things which I'm starting as soon as I finish writing this. The last few episodes were really good and made this worth the time to read.

I'm not going to do a review, because it would be 13 different reviews, but I can only say that the novellas or short stories or whatever you call them are as good as anything comparable.

I hope after the next book that I can say that this series is worth the read.  So far it has been.

As far as the rating goes, I'll give it a 7.

The Human Division by John Scalzi (2013)

The Old Man's War series

Amazon Link

LQLarry's blog

The Observers by John Scalzi

If you look at my bookshelf at Booklikes or check out my 2019 read at Goodreads it would look like a scoreboard for John Scalzi.  The reason is that I started reading the Old Man's War series by Scalzi and the 5th book is The Human Division, which consists of 13 short stories.  I cheated a little and read the liner notes of the 6th book, The End of All Things and all these short stories from The Human Division seem to set the background for book 6.  I see some short stories or novellas after the 6th book so I don't know if there are to be any books after this.  I guess I'll find out later.

The Observers is about a group of Earthers that come aboard the ancient Clarke, a Corvette series ship over 50 years old that is also very small for a CU ship.  While observing, the death of the lead observer happens and now it is up to the 'B Team', introduced in the 1st story of the Human Division, to solve. Lieutenant Harry Wilson, a CDF technical advisor comes o the conclusion that somebody is setting the Colonial Union up for murdering the observer and saves the day.

Harry Wilson is one of the original old farts, a group of 75-year-olds that came from Earth to join the CDF and has been in 3(?) of the books so far and it looks like he will be one of the main protagonists in book 6.

The main reason for this review is if you have read my review this much, then you should know that you should not assume like I did and just think of The Human Division as just a collection of short stories. While you could probably skip this book, a lot of back stories and questions will probably be answered.  But then again, I haven't even started reading the 6th book, The End of All Things.

The Observers by John Scalzi

Book 9 in The Human Division Series

Episode 9 in book 5 of the Old Man's War

Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi

A funny thing happened while I was reading a series about a science fiction military space opera book.  A YA book magically appeared in my reader.  Now I'm not against YA books and YA series, I've read quite a few.  I've even read books and series for whatever would be a, for a lack of a better term because I don't know what to call them, but a pre-YA.  This turned out to be a pretty doggone good book.

Zoe's Tale is a retelling of The Last Colony without it being a retelling of The Last Colony.  As John Scalzi puts it:

    "Writing a parallel time novel does not, in fact, just lazily retell the story in a previous book is hard"

I guess Scalzi got a lot of heat after The Last Colony and left some unanswered questions about werewolves and what Zoe did when she was off-world and what she brought back with her when she came back to Roanoke.  To me Scalzi excellently wrote a book through a teenager's eyes about being uprooted from her home, starting a new colony, and seeing her family and friends being put through many dangers.  Since this is a YA book it also has her go through her first love and heartache.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Scalzi really did the parallel story and even changed the genre of the book. Kinda, sorta in a way.

I'll rate this 4.5 stars and a solid 8 on my grading. Great book in the middle of an average series.

Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi (2008)
Book 4 in the Old Man's War series

The Last Colony by John Scalzi

I rate this a solid 8, which means it's a very good read if you like the Old Man's War series.

I feel much better about the series now that I've finished "The Last Colony', book 3 in the Old Man's War series by John Scalzi. I really enjoyed this book and the direction it takes the series.

Finally, we get back to the major protagonist is the first book, John Perry and Jane Sagan along with their adopted daughter Zoe. John and Jane are living happily ever after on a planet called Huckleberry in a village called New Goa, but with this being a book things can't be left alone so the government steps in and stirs the pot. The CU wants John and Joan to run a settlement called Roanoke.

Here's how colonizing is described in the book.

Here’s one way to colonize: You take two hundred or three hundred people, allow them to pack what supplies they see fit, drop them off on the planet of their choice, say “see you,” and then come back a year later—after they’ve all died of malnutrition brought on by ignorance and lack of supplies, or have been wiped out by another species who wants the place for themselves—to pick up the bones.

This book is about colonizing a planet along with the politics of it.  Even if it's the wrong planet.  Anybody that knows American history you really shouldn't call a new settlement Roanoke.  When I read Roanoke I had to double check the title to make sure it wasn't "The LOST Colony."

Like I said earlier if your into this series you will enjoy the book.  I don't go too far on my reviews and I hope I've given you a reason to continue the series.  I really suggest you read the first two books in the series, Old Man's War and The Ghost Brigade.

The Last Colony by John Scalzi (2007)

Book 2 in the Old Man's War series

Amazon Link

Old Man's War Series Quotation

I'm reading the 'Old Man's War" series by John Scalzi.  Book One's protagonist is John Perry, a 75-year-old man that signs up for the CDF military. While reading book 3 of the series I found this quote one page into the book.  It best describes how one joins the CDF and what happens while enlisted.

"I spent seventy-five years on Earth, living mostly in the same small Ohio town and sharing most of that life with the same woman. She died and stayed behind. I lived and I left.

The next world is metaphorical. The Colonial Defense Forces took me off Earth and kept the parts of me they wanted: my consciousness, and some small part of my DNA. From the latter they built me a new body, which was young and quick and strong and beautiful and only partially human. They stuffed my consciousness inside of it, and gave me not nearly enough time to glory in my second youth. Then they took this beautiful body that was now me and spent the next several years actively trying to get it killed by throwing me at every hostile alien race it could."

Old Man's War was really good but The Ghost Brigade didn't quite live up to its introductory book of the series.  Book 3, 'The Last Colony seems to be back to what I like and well worth the read.  I hope it lives up to my expectations.

Larry

The Ghost Brigades, Book 2 of the Old Man's War Series by John Scalzi

I rate this 6 out of 10. I'm only raising it to a 6 is because of the last chapter. Sort of a 'and they lived happily ever after' chapter.

The Ghost Brigades is a book about a traitor, his research, and the Special Forces of the Colonial Union. Jared Dirac was created for two purposes. Number one is to be a member of the Special Forces and two, to carry around the consciousness of the traitor Charles Boutin. The story is good and sort of stalls out for me towards the end when the evil scientist goes "Bwahahahaha" and starts revealing his evil plan to take over the world. It is Jared Dirac's job to stop him. Or is it? That is the job of Jane Sagan, one of the heroes in the first book, Old Man's War., to find out.   Is Jarad really Jared or is he Charles Boutin.   With the balance of mankind life as they know it Johns Scalzi puts Generals, Majors, scientist, and other Special Forces members in Jared's team have to fight through.

The Ghost Brigades is a good book and even if in my opinion it stalls out a little it is still worth the investment of time for the entertainment you get from reading it. Only a small handful of characters return from the first book I think you need to read Old Man's War before you read this.

Finished January 1, 2019

The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi (2007)
Book 2 in the Old Man's War
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Old Man's War by John Scalzi

I rate this 7 out of 10

Old Man's War is the 1st book of a series by John Scalzi called Old Man's War. I plan to read the series through to the last book available but I'm not sure if I'll read the novellas.

Old Man's War is written around the life of John Perry starting on his 75th birthday. The day he starts his two-year commitment in the military. This military will only take people 75 years old. The thing about it is he has no idea what happens to him after he starts his new career. Nobody on earth does either.

There is no antagonist in this book, it's just his military life, his successes, and losses.

As a book, it is a good read.  Not great but well worth the read.  This book can be read as a stand-alone book as it does end with no open-ended story lines. 

This is the type of books I love! Enjoy

Finished 12/29/2018

Old Man's War by John Scalzi (2005)

Book 1 in the Old Man's War series
Goodreads Link
BookLikes Link