5. OLD MAN’S WAR

BY JOHN SCALZI

You can’t tell in this image but the soldiers all have green skin!

I’m writing this one from a sick bed, so forgive me if I keep it brief. I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It was a refreshing little read. Funny, whimsical, and unapologetically sci-fi.

The basic premise is a great one: At the age of 75, old folks can enlist. They receive a new body, young, fit, and virile, with enhancements and all that good sci-fi stuff. Then they colonize the universe, battle alien races, bang each other, and learn all kinds of stuff their superiors should’ve already known, but humans like to shoot first and ask questions later, so that checks out.

The characters were charming, the book was well-written enough, and it was a lovely little palette cleanser between bigger books. It got off to a bit of a slow start, but once they got their new bodies and started bangin’, it really picked up.

I feel like absolute crap right now fighting off Influenza A, so let’s just suffice it to say this was a very fun read. I recommend it!

I forget if I do ratings here so let’s pretend I do and give this a 4 out of 5.