Old Man’s War
by John Scalzi · first published 2005
51% recommend36% neutral13% critical
Why HN recommends it
Fast, funny military sci-fi about elderly recruits given new young bodies, with engaging characters and an emotional thread. Suits readers wanting an easy-entry, pulpy read like Starship Troopers.
Common criticism: Some find it a derivative Heinlein tribute with little originality
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
John Scalzi channels Robert Heinlein (including a wry sense of humor) in a novel about a future Earth engaged in an interstellar war against more advanced species. Citizens volunteer for the Colonial Defense Forces after retirement, in exchange for which they have their consciousness transferred into a young body, cloned from their DNA but enhanced. If, against the odds, they survive two years of combat (or 10 years if things aren't going well, which they're not), they get another body and enjoy a fresh start on a colony. This is Scalzi's first novel, and it creates a future he will revisit
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Old Man's War - John Scalzi
on “Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?” ↗…of Locke Lamora (and sequels, 3 books total so far) The Name of the Wind (and sequels, 3 books total so far) Ancillary Justice (and sequel, 2 books total so far) All of Iain M. Banks Culture series Old Man's War (and sequels)
on “What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?” ↗…fun and/or lighthearted, I enjoyed: Stanislaw Lem: Cyberiad, The Futurological Congress, Tales of Pirx the Pilot; Steven Paul Leiva: Traveling in Space; Ted Chiang: Stories of your Life; John Scalzi: Old Man's War (and sequels)
on “Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?” ↗…are some of my favorites that involve augmented intelligence and the possible AI struggles in the future: True names, the Peace War books, as well as the short story "Bookworm, Run!" by Vernor Vinge. Old man's war by John Scalzi. The Heechee Saga by Frederick Pohl. The Fall Revolution series by Ken MacLeod. The Virga series by Karl Schroeder. Musk is playing an active role in the Sci-Non-Fi that we'll all be…
on “Elon Musk's Neuralink looks to begin outfitting human brains with faster I/O” ↗…https://annleckie.com/novel/ancillary-justice/ series and Corey's The Expanse stuff (I read the books after watching the series). For transhuman stuff, Brin's Kiln People, Morgan's Altered Carbon, and Scalzi's Old Man's War were fun. Along the lines of epics like Asimov's Foundation and Banks' Culture, nothing springs to mind. Sadness. That's probably my favorite genre.
on “The Culture War: Iain M. Banks’s Billionaire Fans” ↗"Old Man's War" by John Scalzi "Hyperion" by Dan Simmons
on “Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?” ↗I'd highly recommend any Scalzi book. The Old Man's War trilogy is great, but if you're after something more light-hearted then The Android's Dream or Agent to the Stars are also great.
on “Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?” ↗Old Man's War – Joe Scalzi Very Bad Poetry – Ross Petras, Kathryn Petras Genghis: Birth of an Empire – Conn Iggulden The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat: and other Clinical Tales – Oliver Sacks
on “Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012” ↗Everything from John Scalzi, start with Old Man's War and then read through everything else.
on “What are your favourite sci-fi books?” ↗Old Man's War, by Scalzi. It would translate well to the screen: Good visuals, dialogue and plot could be preserved, interesting ideas but nothing too tough to translate media, etc. If successful, they could make…
on “Ask HN: Which SciFi novel(s) would you want made into a TV series?” ↗It's a slog, but in the end, it delivers. I rather like how John Scalzi handles it in Old Man's War and sequels. I also like the old people in perpetually young bodies that Vernor Vinge, Greg Egan, Charles Stross, etc go on about. It's too bad that I'll be dead before any of that is possible. So it…
on “What Old Age Is Really Like” ↗"The Magicians", "The Magician King", "The Magician's Land" - Lev Grossman. 4/5 "Inside Job" - Connie Willis. 4/5 "Norwegian Wood (Tokio Blues)" - Haruki Murakami. 4/5 "Old Man's War" - John Scalzi. 5/5 "Persepolis" - Marjane Satrapi. 5/5 Non fiction: "The 10,000 year explosion" about recent evolution. 3/5 ton of evidence for their thesis, but lacks predictions. "What if" well…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?” ↗Freedom - Daniel Suarez - Follow up to "Daemon". https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7132363-freedom Old Man's War - John Scalzi - My first Scalzi book and won't be the last. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51964.Old_Man_s_War Red Rising / Golden Son - Pierce Brown - I'm a sucker for these YA SF series. Lots…
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?” ↗The Martian is a great gateway for casual readers into sci-fi. One person I gave The Martian to loved it so much the next week they asked me for another recommendation. I recommended John Scalzi's Old Man's War. He's now reading the Foundation series.
on “Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?” ↗…Collapse of the Habsburg Empire by Geoffrey Wawro[3]. History of Austro-Hungary in the years leading up to the outbreak of the Great War and the disastrous first year of the war on the Austrian fronts. Old Man's War by John Scalzi[4]. Military Sci-fi. Elderly earthers are recruited, have their consciousness implanted in young, superhuman, and extra-human, clones, and are sent out to the stars to wage questionable…
on “Ask HN: What are the best books you've read this year?” ↗