Synopsis: (Back cover)
After having a relatively quiet life on Earth, and on the same day they turn seventy-five, 1,022 elderly people enlist in the Colonial Defense Forces, the army fighting for humanity's survival in the universe. Life on Earth goes on without too many troubles. However, in the universe, an all-out war is being waged for the last uninhabited planets in the galaxy. The army defending humanity's cause is made up of the elderly. Elderly people are given the body of a twenty-year-old. Without losing an ounce of the knowledge and experiences of their previous life, their new bodies will make them rediscover sensations that old age had submerged in oblivion. However, the price they will pay for such a gift is high: they will travel to a remote and inhospitable place where the only important thing will be to fight and try to survive.


Personal rating:
John Scalzi is already a well-known author. In each novel, he leaves an indelible mark of his intelligence and wit. Every line of dialogue is exquisite and makes you want to read more and more, even if he's talking about repulsive aliens. The settings are full of subtle details that your imagination can depict as a movie. It is a masterpiece filled with philosophical moments about life, death, and the repercussions of our choices. No wonder it was nominated for a Hugo Award in 2006. This is John Scalzi's most famous series, where he masterfully handles space opera and humor.


About the characters:
Once again, Scalzi's characters exceed expectations. He makes each one have something you can identify with, something that makes you see yourself in a mirror or shows you an alternative to who you could be beyond the conventional. His descriptive quality remains enviable. The conversations, full of social critique and emotional weight, captivate from beginning to end. The characters are very well constructed. The peculiarities of each one make you invest in them every time they come on stage. The main character, John Perry, is particularly witty. Throughout the story, he will have to fight for his principles and build new ones to survive, something that is not particularly easy even on Earth.


About the narration:
After reading the Interdependency trilogy, I thought I couldn't be surprised anymore. However, when I discovered the Old Man's War series, which predates the aforementioned, I thought I wouldn't like it as much since they were the author's early works, and I mistakenly assumed they might not be as polished due to lack of experience. On the contrary, this six-book series has sublime literary quality. The narration is pleasant, it doesn't tire you out or make you want to skip pages. Every detail has a reason, and there are no loose ends to criticize. John Scalzi has not disappointed me at all. The strange situation in which the characters find themselves at the beginning is treated with humor and speculation, without breaking the tension or the almost palpable atmosphere of concern about the uncertainty they are experiencing. It is remarkable how he guides us through the various emotional states. Each of John Perry's experiences —his life as a soldier, what he feels when he kills, what he feels when he loses allies, when he gains time, when he sees his friends die— is imbued with emotion and eloquence. I consider it very easy to read, despite some physics details that do not interrupt the flow. For those passionate about science fiction, this literary series is a treasure.


Regarding the story:
The fact that the story begins with an old man saying goodbye to his wife's grave because he is going to enlist in a space army manages to capture attention. The plot unfolds through John's eyes, who has lived a long, quiet life and, without his partner, feels there is little left for him on Earth. So he decides to take his last chance to enlist in an army that no one knows anything about and which will not allow him to return home. Not knowing where they are taking him when he boards the shuttle, John narrates every thought and feeling with perfectly believable naturalness, simplicity, and realism. Far from the universes that John Scalzi creates for his later works, the Old Man's War saga has its own collection of very good settings. The creatures that inhabit the different planets the protagonists go to conquer or reclaim control are nothing short of interesting and strangely believable. Each place our heroes visit has its own story to tell, its own beliefs, its way of resolving conflicts; it's simply brilliant.


To conclude:
I just want to share a reflection that is important to me when I buy a book. I have many more years as a reader behind me than I like to admit, and I have encountered all sorts of books. Good books and not-so-good books with closed endings, good and not-so-good books with open endings, books that made me feel nothing, books that turned my life around... but when we buy one, it is necessary to stop and research who wrote it. Those of us who write know perfectly well that it is impossible to separate the work from its author because it is imbued with the essence of that person, their experiences, their ideology... whether they want to or not. It is valuable information that you may not think can affect your reading, but it does. Therefore, choose well the battles you are going to experience because the person may write fabulously, but the content is what will remain with you.

With this unexpected ending, I conclude by recommending John Scalzi's books to those who want a good space and literary experience, especially if they are fans of science fiction.


Rating: 8,5 / 10