Old Man's War was the first novel by author John Scalzi1, a work of science fiction which was a finalist for 2005's Hugo Award for Best Novel. Old Man's War postulates a galaxy populated by many different intelligent races, in direct and violent competition for the resources of the relatively scarce habitable planets. Humans are part of this competition, having established a number of colonies but by no means owning a secure empire or sole claim to a specific region of space. As such humanity relies on the Colonial Defense Force (CDF), a space going navy which our protagonist joins and becomes a space going marine.
The story arc follows the protagonist, retired writer John Perry, from his recruitment and training through his deployment in his first battle to his key role in a climactic major engagement. If this sounds like a retelling of Heinlein's Starship Troopers2, it is—which Scalzi himself acknowledges. It's a brilliant retelling, very much an update for the beginning of the 21st century. Gone are the mechanized battlesuits of the novel, replaced by nanotechnology and genetic modification. Gone too are the polemics of ST, with "serve in the military to earn citizenship" replaced by a compelling idea. The CDF recruits only 75-year-olds from Earth into its service. Reaching the end of their natural life span on Earth, with only death to look forward to, the CDF leverages the decades of wisdom and experience in Earth's seniors. It cures the physical woes of its aged recruits and sends them into battle with the promise of eventually mustering out into a second life in the human colonies.
Of course, in a universe filled with intelligent, hostile life forms who want those same colonies, surviving your tour is no small feat. After a stint in basic training (which is again at once an homage to and an update of ST, complete with seamless exposition) Perry meets a variety of interesting aliens. And, of course, kills them. As he moves from one conflict to another and rises in the ranks, we learn more about the deeper motivations of some alien races and the hidden complexities of the CDF's mission.
The story uses the time honoured mechanism of a character thrust into a new situation about which he knows nothing, learning as he goes so that the moments of exposition don't seem forced. Trained as most SF readers are, we can also accept certain premises such as the interstellar travel (the 'skip drive') without qualm. The key plot elements such as the nanotech seem like reasonable extrapolations from today's technology. As readers, we can readily imagine ourselves as John Perry, setting off at 75 to begin a second life.
Old Man's War falls into the loose sub genre of 'military SF' without glorying overmuch in the mayhem of combat itself. The story is well balanced between plot and character, moving forward at a good pace without neglecting dialog and character relationships. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, blasting through most of its 311 pages in a long day waiting about at the doctor's office, even getting a laugh-out-loud moment at the wrong time and place (in the recovery area, where unexpected hilarity is looked upon somewhat askance).
Old Man's War was followed by the The Ghost Brigades (2006) and The Last Colony (2007).
- An established Internet presence, whose popular blog at http://www.scalzi.com/whatever/ betrays a certain e2 sensibility. Not least because he apparently tapes bacon to his cat.
- Not the movie version of Starship Troopers, which omitted key elements of the novel in order to splatter space marines and alien bugs messily about the screen. As an aside, the animated Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles is more true to the book.