Posted by tallman at 1:33am Sep 26 '06Well, despite the fact that it's apparently just [private] and I, I guess I should finish this off. I really don't have much else to say, and I won't deluge you with questions at this point. I just want to open the floor to anyone who's read the book...
I enjoyed the book greatly, and apparently everyone else who read it did too, so if anyone was on the fence, I'd highly recommend it. It's quite enjoyable. It's a real page turner. And it has depth if you want to think about certain things (as evidenced by my numerous discussion questions) - but you don't need to do so to enjoy the book. It's a pretty rare book in that respect.
I also wanted to mention that I read the sequel, titled The Ghost Brigades (guess what soldiers this one focuses on:P). Very good, though not quite as seamless and fun as Old Man's War. John Perry (hero of OMW) is only mentioned a few times in the book, but Jane Sagan plays a big role (since she's in the Ghost Brigades and all). You probably don't need to have read OMW to read TGB, but it would probably help too.
There are some plot holes, including a particularly glaring one, but it's got that same fun page-turning quality that makes it a little easier to forgive. If you liked OMW, you'll probably like this, though perhaps not as much. You get some more detail on the universe, the politics of the Colonial Union, and (obviously) you learn a lot more about The Ghost Brigades and brainpals.
At this point, I'm looking forward to the last book, tentatively titled "The Last Colony," which will focus on (surprise!) the colonial aspects of the universe (as opposed to the military aspects, though I assume they will still be involved)
Also, just in case you want to know more about the author, he maintains an excellent blog called The Whatever. He covers lots of topics, though he is most recently known for taping bacon to his cat (!?), so it's not all super serious or anything:P
In any case, I hope those who read it enjoyed it. Let us all know what you thought. Special thanks goes to [private] for continually attempting to spur discussion. I appreciate it, even if the book club appears to be dead or dying. I'd probably still be up for reading someone else's book, if this book club thing isn't completely dead:P
~[private]
I enjoyed the book greatly, and apparently everyone else who read it did too, so if anyone was on the fence, I'd highly recommend it. It's quite enjoyable. It's a real page turner. And it has depth if you want to think about certain things (as evidenced by my numerous discussion questions) - but you don't need to do so to enjoy the book. It's a pretty rare book in that respect.
I also wanted to mention that I read the sequel, titled The Ghost Brigades (guess what soldiers this one focuses on:P). Very good, though not quite as seamless and fun as Old Man's War. John Perry (hero of OMW) is only mentioned a few times in the book, but Jane Sagan plays a big role (since she's in the Ghost Brigades and all). You probably don't need to have read OMW to read TGB, but it would probably help too.
There are some plot holes, including a particularly glaring one, but it's got that same fun page-turning quality that makes it a little easier to forgive. If you liked OMW, you'll probably like this, though perhaps not as much. You get some more detail on the universe, the politics of the Colonial Union, and (obviously) you learn a lot more about The Ghost Brigades and brainpals.
At this point, I'm looking forward to the last book, tentatively titled "The Last Colony," which will focus on (surprise!) the colonial aspects of the universe (as opposed to the military aspects, though I assume they will still be involved)
Also, just in case you want to know more about the author, he maintains an excellent blog called The Whatever. He covers lots of topics, though he is most recently known for taping bacon to his cat (!?), so it's not all super serious or anything:P
In any case, I hope those who read it enjoyed it. Let us all know what you thought. Special thanks goes to [private] for continually attempting to spur discussion. I appreciate it, even if the book club appears to be dead or dying. I'd probably still be up for reading someone else's book, if this book club thing isn't completely dead:P
~[private]
Old Man's War (finale) - tallman