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Old Man's War #5
La humanidad dividida
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Readers' Favorite Science Fiction (2013)El teniente Harry Wilson tiene una misión imposible: ayudar a proteger la unión de las colonias humanas ante una terrible revelación.
Durante años, la Unión Colonial ha protegido a sus ciudadanos del peligroso universo que los rodea. Pero la población de la Tierra por fi n conoce la horrible verdad. La Unión ha usado la Tierra como una fuente de reclutas para su guerra contra las fuerzas hostiles alienígenas y ha mantenido engañados a sus habitantes. Ahora, otras razas alienígenas han formado una nueva alianza contra la Unión y han invitado a los indignados habitantes de la Tierra a unirse a ellos.
Conseguir la supervivencia de la Unión Colonial requerirá toda la astucia política y sutileza que sus diplomáticos sean capaces de reunir. En paralelo, Harry formará parte de un «Equipo B» encargado de enfrentarse a lo inesperado.
Durante años, la Unión Colonial ha protegido a sus ciudadanos del peligroso universo que los rodea. Pero la población de la Tierra por fi n conoce la horrible verdad. La Unión ha usado la Tierra como una fuente de reclutas para su guerra contra las fuerzas hostiles alienígenas y ha mantenido engañados a sus habitantes. Ahora, otras razas alienígenas han formado una nueva alianza contra la Unión y han invitado a los indignados habitantes de la Tierra a unirse a ellos.
Conseguir la supervivencia de la Unión Colonial requerirá toda la astucia política y sutileza que sus diplomáticos sean capaces de reunir. En paralelo, Harry formará parte de un «Equipo B» encargado de enfrentarse a lo inesperado.
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
2296 people are currently reading
15643 people want to read
About the author
John Scalzi
187 books28.8k followersJohn Scalzi, having declared his absolute boredom with biographies, disappeared in a puff of glitter and lilac scent.
(If you want to contact John, using the mail function here is a really bad way to do it. Go to his site and use the contact information you find there.)
(If you want to contact John, using the mail function here is a really bad way to do it. Go to his site and use the contact information you find there.)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,067 reviews
September 9, 2017
I admit I stopped reading the series for years after I realized that this installment was a serialized novel. I just stopped. I wanted full novels and I got pissy.
Well, fortunately, I got over it. Mostly because I have friends in buddy reads who made me feel guilty as hell. But even more, I have a lot of fond memories for the series as a whole and I think I may have been plain WRONG.
Yeah. So. Eating crow now.
These are a bunch of great short stories here that don't feel all the connected at first but wind up being very connected, indeed. All the events take place after the Colonies and Earth part company, and while not all characters follow along within these thirteen stories, a few do. Wilson, for one, was someone I was always very happy to see. Even if he does like to electrocute dogs. :) That one was very funny.
And while a lot of these had the light Scalzi humor I've grown to love, not all were light. Some were very sad. All of them were very interesting.
Not all novelists can write short stories, but Scalzi is pretty fantastic at it... He's able to make tight tales that are perfectly standalone that also tie in perfectly to make a complete work that, read together, feels like a complete novel with thirteen chapters. Color me impressed.
I'm fully back on track to read the rest of this series and I'm hitting myself for taking so long.
This universe is fascinating.
Well, fortunately, I got over it. Mostly because I have friends in buddy reads who made me feel guilty as hell. But even more, I have a lot of fond memories for the series as a whole and I think I may have been plain WRONG.
Yeah. So. Eating crow now.
These are a bunch of great short stories here that don't feel all the connected at first but wind up being very connected, indeed. All the events take place after the Colonies and Earth part company, and while not all characters follow along within these thirteen stories, a few do. Wilson, for one, was someone I was always very happy to see. Even if he does like to electrocute dogs. :) That one was very funny.
And while a lot of these had the light Scalzi humor I've grown to love, not all were light. Some were very sad. All of them were very interesting.
Not all novelists can write short stories, but Scalzi is pretty fantastic at it... He's able to make tight tales that are perfectly standalone that also tie in perfectly to make a complete work that, read together, feels like a complete novel with thirteen chapters. Color me impressed.
I'm fully back on track to read the rest of this series and I'm hitting myself for taking so long.
This universe is fascinating.
July 15, 2018
“This is now. We’ve lost Earth. Now we have to learn to deal with it.”
After the atrocious Zoe’s Tale, I have fully expected to hate the Human Division. It turned out to be OK, just a kind of a cash grab. It still disgusts me, but I am an honest enough reader to admit that Mr Scalzi is a skilled writer and can get away with it.
Why a cash grab? Two primary reasons: Firstly, the fact that Human Division is branded as the fifth instalment in the Old Man’s War series is misleading. This is not a continuation, it is a spin off milking the series’ immense success; calling it a companion novel would be more appropriate if it could be called a novel. I don’t know if thirteen novellas loosely connected with each other either by the tiniest thread of the overarching theme and the fact that they sport a similar cast of characters merit that name.
Our primary protagonists are lower echelons of the Colonial Union diplomatic corps, and technical staffincluding Lieutenant Harry Wilson (one of the original Old Farts,) Ambassador Ode Abumwe (my absolute favourite), Hart Schmidt an aide/assistant, Captain Sophie Coloma plus few other names that appear on the story roster. If you got as far in the story, you will not be surprise by this vibe change: since there is a fallout between Earth and the Colonial Union, and the Conclave drums up an intergalactic government, humans cannot solve all their problems by sending Colonial Defence Forces everywhere. The era of the diplomats has begun; hence the setup.
But here comes the second proof that the Human Division is just a profit making scheme. When reading I had a feeling I am in fact looking through a kaleidoscope. You know what it is, right? An optical tube with cunningly placed mirrors that allow forming various patterns out of coloured pieces of glass in an ever changing landscape of precisely the same elements. Some of the novellas were funny, some were sad. Some were rather boring. All of them had precisely the same elements in slightly different configurations. But essentially, these novellas never had to end. Ever. And in fact, there are no answers to the main intrigue sketched throughout the episodes, because why would you kill the cash cow just like that?
In essence, Human Division is to the original Old Man’s War series what the Pottermore fan fiction is to the Harry Potter books. If you like this kind of writing, you should be satisfied. If, like myself, you have higher expectations regarding your novels, just leave it be.
In fact, I am leaving the series altogether. And I do not expect to return to Mr Scalzi in near future.
---
Also in the series:
1. Old Man's War ★★★★★
2. The Ghost Brigades ★★★★☆
3. The Last Colony ★★☆☆☆
4. Zoe's Tale ★☆☆☆☆
After the atrocious Zoe’s Tale, I have fully expected to hate the Human Division. It turned out to be OK, just a kind of a cash grab. It still disgusts me, but I am an honest enough reader to admit that Mr Scalzi is a skilled writer and can get away with it.
Why a cash grab? Two primary reasons: Firstly, the fact that Human Division is branded as the fifth instalment in the Old Man’s War series is misleading. This is not a continuation, it is a spin off milking the series’ immense success; calling it a companion novel would be more appropriate if it could be called a novel. I don’t know if thirteen novellas loosely connected with each other either by the tiniest thread of the overarching theme and the fact that they sport a similar cast of characters merit that name.
Our primary protagonists are lower echelons of the Colonial Union diplomatic corps, and technical staffincluding Lieutenant Harry Wilson (one of the original Old Farts,) Ambassador Ode Abumwe (my absolute favourite), Hart Schmidt an aide/assistant, Captain Sophie Coloma plus few other names that appear on the story roster. If you got as far in the story, you will not be surprise by this vibe change: since there is a fallout between Earth and the Colonial Union, and the Conclave drums up an intergalactic government, humans cannot solve all their problems by sending Colonial Defence Forces everywhere. The era of the diplomats has begun; hence the setup.
But here comes the second proof that the Human Division is just a profit making scheme. When reading I had a feeling I am in fact looking through a kaleidoscope. You know what it is, right? An optical tube with cunningly placed mirrors that allow forming various patterns out of coloured pieces of glass in an ever changing landscape of precisely the same elements. Some of the novellas were funny, some were sad. Some were rather boring. All of them had precisely the same elements in slightly different configurations. But essentially, these novellas never had to end. Ever. And in fact, there are no answers to the main intrigue sketched throughout the episodes, because why would you kill the cash cow just like that?
In essence, Human Division is to the original Old Man’s War series what the Pottermore fan fiction is to the Harry Potter books. If you like this kind of writing, you should be satisfied. If, like myself, you have higher expectations regarding your novels, just leave it be.
In fact, I am leaving the series altogether. And I do not expect to return to Mr Scalzi in near future.
---
Also in the series:
1. Old Man's War ★★★★★
2. The Ghost Brigades ★★★★☆
3. The Last Colony ★★☆☆☆
4. Zoe's Tale ★☆☆☆☆
April 6, 2020
I'm behind on my reviews because I've been so damn busy busy busy. this book is also busy busy busy with its multiple perspectives looking at conflict and duty and political maneuvering and secret enemies from different sides, different angles, different stories. I thought this stay-at-home self-quarantining would mean I'd get to relax and focus on the things I love like books and movies but ha ha ha. the Earth finds itself suddenly un-quarantined now that the Colonial Union has been exposed and yet all it does is continue to be a pawn and fight with itself instead of joining galactic society, that's so Earth of it, typical humans and their divisions, ha ha ha. the best part of staying at home for me though is actually what's taking up most of my hours: interviewing and training people who want to help out during the health crisis, who want to deliver meals and do chores for seniors who truly can't leave their homes because quarantine. the best part of this book is that it illustrates the potential for humans to be good, to be their best selves, in times of stress and fear; Scalzi knows the potential for humanity is always there despite how they always get in their own way. there's a human division right now, in this country and everywhere, it's always existed, the people who want to look forward and naively think they can do right by everyone versus the people who want to protect what's important to them, they seem to think they're trying to do right by everyone but it feels like they are just trying to do right for the people who look like them and think like them. The Human Division has such a division and of course I'm rooting for the one side, but in this case the good guys are embedded with that other side who created the whole division in the first place and who are trying to get in the way of all things getting along. it's funny but not funny how a crisis like a coronavirus will make bedfellows of us all, no matter where on the divide a person lands, the virus is a threat that doesn't discriminate. there's a terrible threat in this book too, it doesn't care who it kills, it wants what it wants and so both sides get got; who knows, maybe this threat will bridge the divide and the humans will come together eventually. I mean, a boy can dream, right?
December 22, 2017
Hace poco comentaba Xan (del grupo de CF en Español) sobre la nueva saga de Space Opera de Scalzi que leerlo era como “comer palomitas”, algo siempre agradable, asociado a ratos de diversión -si queréis un poco descerebradas- en torno a una peli con la que sabes que vas a pasar un buen rato.
Pues eso mismo se aplica a esta novela.
Volvemos al universo de Space Opera de la Tierra, la Unión Colonial y el Cónclave. De los soldados de piel verde con CerebroAmigo y las intrigas a nivel galáctico, de las situaciones y diálogos con humor e ironía. ¡Y cómo me divierto con esa vuelta!
A las críticas habituales a Scalzi cobre superficialidad, personajes estereotipados, alienígenas con psique humana (y por tanto no creíbles) y demás asociaciones a “escritor de serie B” no les quito razón ni se la doy. Sencillamente yo disfruto leyéndole. Y, si tengo a mano, como palomitas.
Pues eso mismo se aplica a esta novela.
Volvemos al universo de Space Opera de la Tierra, la Unión Colonial y el Cónclave. De los soldados de piel verde con CerebroAmigo y las intrigas a nivel galáctico, de las situaciones y diálogos con humor e ironía. ¡Y cómo me divierto con esa vuelta!
A las críticas habituales a Scalzi cobre superficialidad, personajes estereotipados, alienígenas con psique humana (y por tanto no creíbles) y demás asociaciones a “escritor de serie B” no les quito razón ni se la doy. Sencillamente yo disfruto leyéndole. Y, si tengo a mano, como palomitas.
July 23, 2018
What a useless, puerile, asinine sequel. Ditching the series because it became completely unengaging, formulaic and not funny. I am tired. I don't think I will read any Scalzi in the next few years. I will just think of every character in OMW and Lock In series to live snarkily ever after. The end.
September 13, 2017
When I heard that this volume consisted of short stories, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it, especially after the strong narrations of the previous books. I expected vignettes set in the same universe but otherwise quite separate. What Scalzi offers is episodic but tightly connected - to the point that I forgot its nature, although if I had had to wait for each instalment, that wouldn't have been so much the case...
The cast is wide but features recurring characters, especially the B-team, which I loved. All these disparate personalities, often at odds with each other, that end up working amazingly well together in the face of impossible situations! Wilson and Hart have the strongest voices, their friendship shining, followed closely by Abumwe and the rest of the crew of the Clarke, but also Hafte Sorvalh and Lowen.
What about the plot? After the explosive events at the end of the previous book, Earth discovered that the Colonial Union had kept them in the dark in order to use their human resources. Hence the division of the title - humans on Earth feel betrayed while the Union would desintegrate without its supply of soldiers, which would mean that humans in general, and especially the colonists all over space, wouldn't have any defense. Add to this that the Conclave have invited Earth, and this becomes a diplomatic nightmare. However, and this is a big However, another party, unknown to all, is trying to raise pandemonium by laying crazy and yes, evil, traps, with the goal of setting these three sides against each other. Luckily, our charming characters face all of these with fervour, and humour.
Note of caution: although the narrative doesn't end in a cliffhanger per se, the story is not finished and you'll need to get the next novel.
The cast is wide but features recurring characters, especially the B-team, which I loved. All these disparate personalities, often at odds with each other, that end up working amazingly well together in the face of impossible situations! Wilson and Hart have the strongest voices, their friendship shining, followed closely by Abumwe and the rest of the crew of the Clarke, but also Hafte Sorvalh and Lowen.
What about the plot? After the explosive events at the end of the previous book, Earth discovered that the Colonial Union had kept them in the dark in order to use their human resources. Hence the division of the title - humans on Earth feel betrayed while the Union would desintegrate without its supply of soldiers, which would mean that humans in general, and especially the colonists all over space, wouldn't have any defense. Add to this that the Conclave have invited Earth, and this becomes a diplomatic nightmare. However, and this is a big However, another party, unknown to all, is trying to raise pandemonium by laying crazy and yes, evil, traps, with the goal of setting these three sides against each other. Luckily, our charming characters face all of these with fervour, and humour.
Note of caution: although the narrative doesn't end in a cliffhanger per se, the story is not finished and you'll need to get the next novel.
July 17, 2018
After an interesting beginning, this story drifts like a ship without much power in space. Once Scalzi starts writing about dogs, whiny mothers and takeovers the novel wanes and interest is lost. 3 of 10 stars
December 30, 2022
This is the 5th book in the series and with a new set of characters, it does not quite feel like the same series anymore. The context continues, but that by itself does little to sustain interest. The first 3 books were excellent, and disappointment I felt with “Zoe’s Tale” continues with this one.
This book apparently first came out in a serialized form. The stories though are fairly well connected to an overall theme. The Colonial Defence Forces have burnt their bridges with Earth, and are now not getting fresh recruits. The conflict among species continues as each try to occupy new habitable planets. Wary of the dangers involved, diplomacy is given a chance. The plot meanders through various complications involving a completely new set of characters.
It is almost as if Scalzi felt pressured to find a way to continue the series, and settled on this half-baked option. I somehow struggled to stay engaged with this book. I might go to the next one in the series having reached thus far, but probably after a few weeks.
My rating: 2.5 / 5.
This book apparently first came out in a serialized form. The stories though are fairly well connected to an overall theme. The Colonial Defence Forces have burnt their bridges with Earth, and are now not getting fresh recruits. The conflict among species continues as each try to occupy new habitable planets. Wary of the dangers involved, diplomacy is given a chance. The plot meanders through various complications involving a completely new set of characters.
It is almost as if Scalzi felt pressured to find a way to continue the series, and settled on this half-baked option. I somehow struggled to stay engaged with this book. I might go to the next one in the series having reached thus far, but probably after a few weeks.
My rating: 2.5 / 5.
May 2, 2013
PART ONE - March 16
Dun Dun DUNNNNNNNNN...
Is how each part of John Scalzi's experiment in Dickensian Science Fiction would end if the author had stuck to Chucky D's well-established method of chopping what we now know as classics into weekly or monthly episodes - "please sir - can I have some more?" Next week, child, next week - assuming you can pony up another 99c for Audible.
But no – Scalzi wants to have his cake, eat it and still have the abs of a Men's Health cover model. The Human Division consists of 13 weekly parts (the week now officially runs, Monday, Scalziday, Wednesday, etc) which the author is hoping will work both as an overall narrative arc when read in sequence, but also on their own as standalone shorts.
We can't accuse the man of thinking small...
Oh, just one small detail. Fair's fair John - if you get to deliver the story in multiple parts, then we get to slice up our take on your novel. Go with throttle up people - here's part one of my review.
Episode 1, The B-Team, cold opens in space with a Colonial Union diplomatic ship arriving early for an inter-galactic meet 'n' greet which plays out as a far less pleasant rendevous than expected and thus our titular B-Team are dispatched to find out more.
Chronologically, The Human Division sits after the Old-Man's-War-trilogy-plus-spin-offs, starting with a double-length opener as Scalzi's got some serious backstory heavy lifting to do.
In line with the "standalone" ethos, those who haven't read Old Man's War et al get the basics explained to them - a BrainPal definitely isn't the back-office system for an online payment empire. And, while Earth and the Colonial Union aren't quite in couples counselling, Earth is considering a couple of lessons with that handsome Conclave tennis coach, whilst the Colonial Union sort-of realises his life will be over if he lets Earth slip away, but still can't stop being emotionally manipulative and secretive. This all works just fine - it feels more like the repeat listen of a greatest hits CD than a full-on, cold-cocked InfoDump.
As the story unfolds we get a tense race against the clock to figure out who wants who dead - if not the why, then certainly the how is key here and The B-Team delivers a quality B-Movie sci-fi matinee experience as well as kicking-off the longer plotlines.
From this opener, the episodes go far and wide - from a very non-space Earth-based radio show, through the fear and pain of a pointless death on a wildcat colony, to a nice, played partly for laughs "she's a wreck but we can get her going" episode.
We get a lot of Scalzi's trademark one-liners and arched eyebrows delivered by a couple of old-hands from the past, as well as the expected set of new cast members. This reviewer didn't quite stick with the rules though, saving up six episodes from Audible before going straight through them netflix-gluttony style.
So, almost half-way through, are there any parts where Scalzi's structural integrity is failing?
Well, not really - I only got to call BS once - a delegation from Earth voyages out into space to accept what is probably the most important technology transfer in human history, and guess what - they're all from the United States or Canada. I get why we need to accidentally lose France's invite in the post, but are those galaxies far, far away really NAFTA-only in ScalziLand? Minor fail John, minor fail.
However, this is a relatively minor quibble and neither am I going to judge if The Human Division succeeds on its "all things to all men" mission statement until the end of episode 13. So far this is a well put together piece of modern scifi which, though laced with Scalzi humour, can handle the straight-faced stuff as well with a surprising degree of emotional power, particularly in the second piece, Walk the Plank.
I'll stick to the rules from now and find out if one episode a week delivers the same satisfaction as the "all-at-once" approach. So that's part one of the review, what can I say except:
Dun Dun DUNNNNNNNNN...
PART TWO - 2 May
Finished!
As I made it through the final couple of parts of The Human Division, it slowly became clear where we were, or more importantly weren't heading and all John Scalzi's great work with tone, character, world-building and humour steadily began to unravel.
I ended this one somewhere between disappointed and annoyed. The Human Division opens with a great set-up - an interstellar mystery on many levels – and develops a nicely complex cast of interrelated protagonists. 13 episodes later it closes with the same mystery at almost EXACTLY the same point. Nothing gets resolved - The Who, The Why and a whole lotta The How are all still chillin off-stage left, awaiting directorial command.
Scalzi DOES NOT have Form on this one - the core of the Old Man's War series is a trilogy, and each part is an entirely satisfying standalone read - a great example of how to pace a SciFi novel series and satisfy readers. So why do it now?
Also, there's zero doubt that the FORM of The Human Division contributed hugely to this reader's frustrations - had I barrelled through the whole set of stories over a wet winter weekend then this might have been more a "meh" moment. But nope, I was in this one for A QUARTER OF A YEAR - I started listening to it so long ago that Lance Armstrong still had 7 Tour De France titles...
Scalzi's star is clearly still on the rise in popular sci-fi, but this experience has certainly nudged him off my "instant one-click buy" list. Sorry, John.
Dun Dun DUNNNNNNNNN...
Is how each part of John Scalzi's experiment in Dickensian Science Fiction would end if the author had stuck to Chucky D's well-established method of chopping what we now know as classics into weekly or monthly episodes - "please sir - can I have some more?" Next week, child, next week - assuming you can pony up another 99c for Audible.
But no – Scalzi wants to have his cake, eat it and still have the abs of a Men's Health cover model. The Human Division consists of 13 weekly parts (the week now officially runs, Monday, Scalziday, Wednesday, etc) which the author is hoping will work both as an overall narrative arc when read in sequence, but also on their own as standalone shorts.
We can't accuse the man of thinking small...
Oh, just one small detail. Fair's fair John - if you get to deliver the story in multiple parts, then we get to slice up our take on your novel. Go with throttle up people - here's part one of my review.
Episode 1, The B-Team, cold opens in space with a Colonial Union diplomatic ship arriving early for an inter-galactic meet 'n' greet which plays out as a far less pleasant rendevous than expected and thus our titular B-Team are dispatched to find out more.
Chronologically, The Human Division sits after the Old-Man's-War-trilogy-plus-spin-offs, starting with a double-length opener as Scalzi's got some serious backstory heavy lifting to do.
In line with the "standalone" ethos, those who haven't read Old Man's War et al get the basics explained to them - a BrainPal definitely isn't the back-office system for an online payment empire. And, while Earth and the Colonial Union aren't quite in couples counselling, Earth is considering a couple of lessons with that handsome Conclave tennis coach, whilst the Colonial Union sort-of realises his life will be over if he lets Earth slip away, but still can't stop being emotionally manipulative and secretive. This all works just fine - it feels more like the repeat listen of a greatest hits CD than a full-on, cold-cocked InfoDump.
As the story unfolds we get a tense race against the clock to figure out who wants who dead - if not the why, then certainly the how is key here and The B-Team delivers a quality B-Movie sci-fi matinee experience as well as kicking-off the longer plotlines.
From this opener, the episodes go far and wide - from a very non-space Earth-based radio show, through the fear and pain of a pointless death on a wildcat colony, to a nice, played partly for laughs "she's a wreck but we can get her going" episode.
We get a lot of Scalzi's trademark one-liners and arched eyebrows delivered by a couple of old-hands from the past, as well as the expected set of new cast members. This reviewer didn't quite stick with the rules though, saving up six episodes from Audible before going straight through them netflix-gluttony style.
So, almost half-way through, are there any parts where Scalzi's structural integrity is failing?
Well, not really - I only got to call BS once - a delegation from Earth voyages out into space to accept what is probably the most important technology transfer in human history, and guess what - they're all from the United States or Canada. I get why we need to accidentally lose France's invite in the post, but are those galaxies far, far away really NAFTA-only in ScalziLand? Minor fail John, minor fail.
However, this is a relatively minor quibble and neither am I going to judge if The Human Division succeeds on its "all things to all men" mission statement until the end of episode 13. So far this is a well put together piece of modern scifi which, though laced with Scalzi humour, can handle the straight-faced stuff as well with a surprising degree of emotional power, particularly in the second piece, Walk the Plank.
I'll stick to the rules from now and find out if one episode a week delivers the same satisfaction as the "all-at-once" approach. So that's part one of the review, what can I say except:
Dun Dun DUNNNNNNNNN...
PART TWO - 2 May
Finished!
As I made it through the final couple of parts of The Human Division, it slowly became clear where we were, or more importantly weren't heading and all John Scalzi's great work with tone, character, world-building and humour steadily began to unravel.
I ended this one somewhere between disappointed and annoyed. The Human Division opens with a great set-up - an interstellar mystery on many levels – and develops a nicely complex cast of interrelated protagonists. 13 episodes later it closes with the same mystery at almost EXACTLY the same point. Nothing gets resolved - The Who, The Why and a whole lotta The How are all still chillin off-stage left, awaiting directorial command.
Scalzi DOES NOT have Form on this one - the core of the Old Man's War series is a trilogy, and each part is an entirely satisfying standalone read - a great example of how to pace a SciFi novel series and satisfy readers. So why do it now?
Also, there's zero doubt that the FORM of The Human Division contributed hugely to this reader's frustrations - had I barrelled through the whole set of stories over a wet winter weekend then this might have been more a "meh" moment. But nope, I was in this one for A QUARTER OF A YEAR - I started listening to it so long ago that Lance Armstrong still had 7 Tour De France titles...
Scalzi's star is clearly still on the rise in popular sci-fi, but this experience has certainly nudged him off my "instant one-click buy" list. Sorry, John.
April 10, 2013
I'm an unhappy customer after reading The Human Division in its serialized run. It was clear by around episode 8 that Scalzi would not be able to wrap up all the threads of the story, but (no spoilers) the book ends with an epic battle and no resolution of the main plot, and with smoking guns littering the stage. The day of the final episode's release, Scalzi announced that there was going to be a sequel (or perhaps sequels, given how he's likening The Human Division to a TV series), which he'd just been signed to write, and which therefore may be more than a year away.
I'm a big fan of Scalzi's work; I just gifted a friend with paperbacks of Old Man's War (OMW) and Redshirts. But this time around, the work, and the process of getting the work to his readers, disappoints.
The Human Division is the latest novel in the OMW universe, and for the most part it is enjoyable. I felt that Scalzi has turned up his trademarked Banter-O-Meter a bit too high this time, to the point where many of the characters tended to talk too much alike. For example, if you take lines of dialog from two characters, say Harry Wilson and Hart Schmidt, and place them on a page by themselves, it would often be difficult to know which character was speaking, because they use the same snappy banter style. I like the banter, but banter isn't quite the same as characterization.
In terms of plot, there's plenty of it, and clearly there was too much for one book to contain. The book slams to a halt after a huge, masterfully written battle, then ends with a brief coda, with all the major plot threads hanging. Since I didn't know in advance it was going to be a multi-parter, I felt as though I only got half a book for my $13.
The Human Division was first available as a buck-a-week serial, and the book suffers from it. Scalzi says its his longest book by word count, yet it felt much shorter; some of the individual episodes could be read in 10 minutes. I think being chopped into so many pieces hurt the overall feel of the book. The book felt smaller than OMW.
I’ve crystallized the big issue I have with the serialization format. I’m fine reading series, either serializations a la Analog magazine in the 70s, where I read a lot of great novels split up into three or four chunks, or current book series, like James S.A. Corey's The Expanse. I was happy to read Leviathan Wakes knowing that it was the first in a series, and the book kicks so much ass it is effectively stand-alone.
The difference between the serializations of the 70s and today is that now we have Internet reviews, which would have alerted me that The Human Division was not a complete novel. Had I known that, I would not have bought it now; I would have waited until the second volume was released. I just did that with the Benford/Niven book from last year. Because of the nature of this experiment in serialization, Tor/Scalzi (I’m not saying maliciously) withheld reader information that I for one have come to rely on. As a result, I ended up as an annoyed customer, rather than a happy one. I look forward to reading the next installment of The Human Division, but I won't buy it serialized, and I won't buy it if reviewers say it doesn't wrap up the plot lines. I signed up to read a novel, not watch Lost (I did watch that, and you see where that got me).
I'm a big fan of Scalzi's work; I just gifted a friend with paperbacks of Old Man's War (OMW) and Redshirts. But this time around, the work, and the process of getting the work to his readers, disappoints.
The Human Division is the latest novel in the OMW universe, and for the most part it is enjoyable. I felt that Scalzi has turned up his trademarked Banter-O-Meter a bit too high this time, to the point where many of the characters tended to talk too much alike. For example, if you take lines of dialog from two characters, say Harry Wilson and Hart Schmidt, and place them on a page by themselves, it would often be difficult to know which character was speaking, because they use the same snappy banter style. I like the banter, but banter isn't quite the same as characterization.
In terms of plot, there's plenty of it, and clearly there was too much for one book to contain. The book slams to a halt after a huge, masterfully written battle, then ends with a brief coda, with all the major plot threads hanging. Since I didn't know in advance it was going to be a multi-parter, I felt as though I only got half a book for my $13.
The Human Division was first available as a buck-a-week serial, and the book suffers from it. Scalzi says its his longest book by word count, yet it felt much shorter; some of the individual episodes could be read in 10 minutes. I think being chopped into so many pieces hurt the overall feel of the book. The book felt smaller than OMW.
I’ve crystallized the big issue I have with the serialization format. I’m fine reading series, either serializations a la Analog magazine in the 70s, where I read a lot of great novels split up into three or four chunks, or current book series, like James S.A. Corey's The Expanse. I was happy to read Leviathan Wakes knowing that it was the first in a series, and the book kicks so much ass it is effectively stand-alone.
The difference between the serializations of the 70s and today is that now we have Internet reviews, which would have alerted me that The Human Division was not a complete novel. Had I known that, I would not have bought it now; I would have waited until the second volume was released. I just did that with the Benford/Niven book from last year. Because of the nature of this experiment in serialization, Tor/Scalzi (I’m not saying maliciously) withheld reader information that I for one have come to rely on. As a result, I ended up as an annoyed customer, rather than a happy one. I look forward to reading the next installment of The Human Division, but I won't buy it serialized, and I won't buy it if reviewers say it doesn't wrap up the plot lines. I signed up to read a novel, not watch Lost (I did watch that, and you see where that got me).
May 18, 2018
Siempre me gusta leer a Scalzi. Es una ciencia ficción fácil si se me permite la expresión. No plantea problemas complejos, tiene humor, hace muchos guiños a la cultura actual... Para cualquier no iniciado a esta secta de la ciencia ficción es un buen comienzo. Y de vez en cuando viene bien para aligerar lecturas densas (sí, me estoy refiriendo a ti, Kim Stanley Robinson).
En esta quinta entrega del universo de La vieja guardia se retoma la acción en el momento en que se quedó el tercer libro (La colonia perdida), pero esta vez con otros protagonistas y otro formato narrativo. La novela es la suma de 13 novelas cortas autoconclusivas pero que juntas tienen sentido. Esta idea me ha gustado porque no te aburres en ningún momento. Cada capítulo plantea una historia y la resuelve.
Pero el problema que le veo analizando el libro de forma general viene precisamente por tener ese formato. Scalzi opta por historias breves y ligeras para ir avanzando en la trama general pero me ha dado la sensación de ir viendo imágenes sueltas de la historia y no me ha permitido entrar dentro de ella y sentirme involucrado. Tampoco ayuda que los personajes sean copias de otros ya aparecidos pero con otro nombre (salvaría solamente a la embajadora y a la capitana de la nave).
Y a esto se le suma que la edición de Minotauro tiene al menos una decena de erratas bastante evidentes. Ya podrían cuidar un poco más ese aspecto.
En general, los seguidores de la saga lo van a disfrutar, pero no es lo mejor de Scalzi.
En esta quinta entrega del universo de La vieja guardia se retoma la acción en el momento en que se quedó el tercer libro (La colonia perdida), pero esta vez con otros protagonistas y otro formato narrativo. La novela es la suma de 13 novelas cortas autoconclusivas pero que juntas tienen sentido. Esta idea me ha gustado porque no te aburres en ningún momento. Cada capítulo plantea una historia y la resuelve.
Pero el problema que le veo analizando el libro de forma general viene precisamente por tener ese formato. Scalzi opta por historias breves y ligeras para ir avanzando en la trama general pero me ha dado la sensación de ir viendo imágenes sueltas de la historia y no me ha permitido entrar dentro de ella y sentirme involucrado. Tampoco ayuda que los personajes sean copias de otros ya aparecidos pero con otro nombre (salvaría solamente a la embajadora y a la capitana de la nave).
Y a esto se le suma que la edición de Minotauro tiene al menos una decena de erratas bastante evidentes. Ya podrían cuidar un poco más ese aspecto.
En general, los seguidores de la saga lo van a disfrutar, pero no es lo mejor de Scalzi.
September 6, 2019
میتونم بگم ضعیف ترین کتاب مجموعه تا به اینجا . داستان سر و ته نداره انگار مقدمه ایی هست برای جلد بعدی. یک خیلی شخصیت جدید که با هم قاطیشون میکنه ادم و یک سری اتفاق هایی که قراره باعث کنجکاوی بشه ولی بیشتر باعث گیج شدن میشه . جان پری در داستان حضور نداره ولی روح جان پری در شخصیت اصلی دمیده شده به عبارتی شخصیت همون شخصیته ولی کاملا شکست خورده در طنزی که تو تیکه کلام های جان پری بود . در کل خیلی عوض شده با اون شاهکار های جلد های نخست خیلی فاصله داره ، انگار نویسنده عوض شده (اخر کتاب هم خبری از تشکر های فان نویسنده نبود!!!!)
یک گله هم از انتشارات بکنم بابت کاغذ کتاب ، کاغذ کتاب انقدر نازک هست که میشه حروف چاپ شده در صفحه ی بعدی رو یا به عبارتی پشت کاغذ رو دید کمی کیفیت تو این زمینه راه دوری نمیره و اینکه واقعا برنامه ایی برای چاپ جلد بعدی ندارید ؟ یا همه رو گزاشتید سر کار ؟ قشنگ دارم یاد نشر اذرباد میوفتم سر این مجومعه و نکنه باورتون شده همونطور که رو کاور زدید تفرقه ی انسان واقعا جلد ششم و اخر مجموعس ؟
March 3, 2015
My favorite in the series so far! Loved all of the diplomacy and the B-team!
December 31, 2021
Termino el año con Scalzi, igual que el año pasado, y como siempre, me lo he pasado genial. No sabía que este volumen era en realidad un libro de relatos (con personajes y trama común en algunos casos) pero yo he disfrutado tanto como siempre, puede que hasta un poquito más por la novedad del formato.
September 17, 2015
Originalno ova knjiga je zbirka priča (13) objavljenih u e-obliku tijekom nekoliko mjeseci. Tu su i dvije dodatne.
No nema nikakve brige oko toga, čak je i zanimljivo kako je svako poglavlje (priča) lijepo zaokružena.
Većinom su to različiti slučajevi pa je osigurana visoka dinamika radnje - pred kraj se počinje provlačiti i jedna zajednička tema koja ostaje neriješena. (hoće li ju nastaviti i u najnovijem nastavku ostaje vidjeti no dobra je pa bi bilo OK)
Wilson je zanimljiv lik, a humor je dosta prisutan.
Neka se Perry samo odmara, nije nedostajao.
Dosta mi se dopalo - četvorka.
aha, vidim sad ovdje kako je šesti dio direktan nastavak, fino - nek se još malo kiseli, odoh odmoriti od ingliša
No nema nikakve brige oko toga, čak je i zanimljivo kako je svako poglavlje (priča) lijepo zaokružena.
Većinom su to različiti slučajevi pa je osigurana visoka dinamika radnje - pred kraj se počinje provlačiti i jedna zajednička tema koja ostaje neriješena. (hoće li ju nastaviti i u najnovijem nastavku ostaje vidjeti no dobra je pa bi bilo OK)
Wilson je zanimljiv lik, a humor je dosta prisutan.
Neka se Perry samo odmara, nije nedostajao.
Dosta mi se dopalo - četvorka.
aha, vidim sad ovdje kako je šesti dio direktan nastavak, fino - nek se još malo kiseli, odoh odmoriti od ingliša
June 11, 2022
Un libro atipico, sia per la struttura che per i personaggi.
La struttura è episodica, al punto che inizialmente i tredici capitoli sono stati rilasciati uno dopo l'altro, come un romanzo a puntate.
I personaggi invece sono quasi tutti nuovi, con solo Wilson, tra i protagonisti, che abbiamo già incontrato (era uno degli Old Farts della prima parte del primo libro...). Perry compare di striscio, solo come "contatto di Wilson" e come "colui che ha aperto gli occhi alla Terra e l'ha liberata dall'oppressione dei coloniali".
Gli altri protagonisti sono membri del corpo diplomatico coloniale e gli ufficiali della Clarke, la nave (anzi le navi) assegnata al corpo diplomatico dell'ambasciatrice Abumwe.
Seguiamo, bene o male, questo gruppo diplomatico (più Wilson, che è dell'esercito ma come tecnico, ed è assegnato loro come supporto) mentre affronta una missione dopo l'altra in questo nuovo universo successivo alle azioni di Perry.
Solo che la prima missione che vediamo li porta a scoprire un complotto e a dimostrare dosi enormi di intelligenza ed eroismo, il che gli procura un riconoscimento segreto e non molto piacevole: ai piani alti decidono di usarli come "pompieri", spedendoli in situazioni ad alto rischio e dubbie sperando che le loro qualità gli facciano risolvere questi casini. Tutto ovviamente a loro insaputa, tenendoli come diplomatici di secondo piano che ricevono incarichi poco importanti.
Non sono male né la struttura episodica né i nuovi personaggi, il ritmo è buono e stuzzica molte domande.
Ci sono due problemi però.
Il primo è che tante cose sembrano succedere alla Clarke, come fosse bersagliata.
Il secondo, che potrebbe essere collegato al primo, è che alla fine non abbiamo alcuna risposta.
Non solo, non abbiamo neanche collegato qualche filo, o capito il senso di certe digressioni (la vacanza a casa di Schmidt, l'episodio dedicato alla star radiofonica che ha fatto venire i brividi per quanto paia attuale).
In pratica, più che un volume sembra la prima parte del volume finale della serie
Un finale che si prospetta enormemente intrigante, visto che abbiamo navi rubate agli imperi galattici e rese armi loro malgrado kamikaze, meccanismi di controllo remoto di persone inconsapevoli, un nemico misterioso intento a distruggere i coloniali e che potrebbe essere coloniale o del conclave o altro ancora, e soprattutto un clima mai così di sfiducia e di precarietà.
A questo punto la domanda è, l'umanità si riuscirà a salvare?
La struttura è episodica, al punto che inizialmente i tredici capitoli sono stati rilasciati uno dopo l'altro, come un romanzo a puntate.
I personaggi invece sono quasi tutti nuovi, con solo Wilson, tra i protagonisti, che abbiamo già incontrato (era uno degli Old Farts della prima parte del primo libro...). Perry compare di striscio, solo come "contatto di Wilson" e come "colui che ha aperto gli occhi alla Terra e l'ha liberata dall'oppressione dei coloniali".
Gli altri protagonisti sono membri del corpo diplomatico coloniale e gli ufficiali della Clarke, la nave (anzi le navi) assegnata al corpo diplomatico dell'ambasciatrice Abumwe.
Seguiamo, bene o male, questo gruppo diplomatico (più Wilson, che è dell'esercito ma come tecnico, ed è assegnato loro come supporto) mentre affronta una missione dopo l'altra in questo nuovo universo successivo alle azioni di Perry.
Solo che la prima missione che vediamo li porta a scoprire un complotto e a dimostrare dosi enormi di intelligenza ed eroismo, il che gli procura un riconoscimento segreto e non molto piacevole: ai piani alti decidono di usarli come "pompieri", spedendoli in situazioni ad alto rischio e dubbie sperando che le loro qualità gli facciano risolvere questi casini. Tutto ovviamente a loro insaputa, tenendoli come diplomatici di secondo piano che ricevono incarichi poco importanti.
Non sono male né la struttura episodica né i nuovi personaggi, il ritmo è buono e stuzzica molte domande.
Ci sono due problemi però.
Il primo è che tante cose sembrano succedere alla Clarke, come fosse bersagliata.
Il secondo, che potrebbe essere collegato al primo, è che alla fine non abbiamo alcuna risposta.
Non solo, non abbiamo neanche collegato qualche filo, o capito il senso di certe digressioni (la vacanza a casa di Schmidt, l'episodio dedicato alla star radiofonica che ha fatto venire i brividi per quanto paia attuale).
In pratica, più che un volume sembra la prima parte del volume finale della serie
Un finale che si prospetta enormemente intrigante, visto che abbiamo navi rubate agli imperi galattici e rese armi loro malgrado kamikaze, meccanismi di controllo remoto di persone inconsapevoli, un nemico misterioso intento a distruggere i coloniali e che potrebbe essere coloniale o del conclave o altro ancora, e soprattutto un clima mai così di sfiducia e di precarietà.
A questo punto la domanda è, l'umanità si riuscirà a salvare?
April 10, 2013
And now the serial's over, I will sum up my impressions here. I quickly skimmed through all the episodes again, trying to decide how I felt about how well it all tied in. And I really don't know. Some of it still feels incredibly bitty, sort of gratuitous -- The Dog King, for example, is funny, but I'm not sure how much it contributes.
The overall plot is pretty good, but by the time the next "season" comes out, my surmises and hopes will be so much less present and powerful. I wish there'd been a few more clues in the last episode to keep me wondering.
The characters, looking over the whole serial, are pretty engaging. Mostly Wilson and Schmidt: my heart was in my mouth for them during the final episode. Also the captain, for whom I felt sad. Most people further up the chain of command just needed a kick in the ass, though.
I think it was an interesting experiment, definitely. Parts of it were a lot of fun, and some of the more experimental episodes (like episode two) worked quite well.
But argh, the next season now, please.
The overall plot is pretty good, but by the time the next "season" comes out, my surmises and hopes will be so much less present and powerful. I wish there'd been a few more clues in the last episode to keep me wondering.
The characters, looking over the whole serial, are pretty engaging. Mostly Wilson and Schmidt: my heart was in my mouth for them during the final episode. Also the captain, for whom I felt sad. Most people further up the chain of command just needed a kick in the ass, though.
I think it was an interesting experiment, definitely. Parts of it were a lot of fun, and some of the more experimental episodes (like episode two) worked quite well.
But argh, the next season now, please.
March 13, 2016
Yep, this series is still totally awesome. It's definitely a different kind of formatting, but I really enjoyed the change. I had a couple of areas where I wished I'd gotten a little bit more information, but overall, I loved this. I skipped Zoe's Tale because I'd heard it's just The Last Colony rewritten in Zoe's perspective, but I'll go back and read it eventually.
February 4, 2020
چقدر خوب و قوق العاده بود.
اولین نکتهی جذابش، این شیوهی پاره پاره نویسی بود. فکر نمی کنم هیچ راه دیگهای وجود داشت که اسکالزی بخواد داستانی رو روایت کنه که جغرافیای وقوعش در پهنهای به اندازهی چندین کهکشان پهن شده. مرتب زوایای دید جدید و هرکدوم واقعا مهم که به سرعت میرفت سر اصل داستان. اون پارهای که داستان یک مجری برنامهی زنده بود و چگونگی جذبش برای انجام کار دیگه فراتر از عالی بود. دندونام ریخت.
دومین نکتهی جذاب، ساختن واحد ضربت توی ناو کلارک که مرتب از این ور دنیا به اون ور سفر میکرد و شد مثل نخ تسبیح که تقریبا یک فصل در میان( یک پاره در میان) ظاهر میشد و پارهها رو بهم وصل/نخ میکرد.
آقای اسکالزی واقعا هنرنمایی کرد توی این داستان.
اینکه دلم برای جان پری تنگ شده هم به جای خود!
اولین نکتهی جذابش، این شیوهی پاره پاره نویسی بود. فکر نمی کنم هیچ راه دیگهای وجود داشت که اسکالزی بخواد داستانی رو روایت کنه که جغرافیای وقوعش در پهنهای به اندازهی چندین کهکشان پهن شده. مرتب زوایای دید جدید و هرکدوم واقعا مهم که به سرعت میرفت سر اصل داستان. اون پارهای که داستان یک مجری برنامهی زنده بود و چگونگی جذبش برای انجام کار دیگه فراتر از عالی بود. دندونام ریخت.
دومین نکتهی جذاب، ساختن واحد ضربت توی ناو کلارک که مرتب از این ور دنیا به اون ور سفر میکرد و شد مثل نخ تسبیح که تقریبا یک فصل در میان( یک پاره در میان) ظاهر میشد و پارهها رو بهم وصل/نخ میکرد.
آقای اسکالزی واقعا هنرنمایی کرد توی این داستان.
اینکه دلم برای جان پری تنگ شده هم به جای خود!
November 25, 2018
La humanidad dividida es la quinta entrega de La vieja guardia de John Scalzi. En esta, a través de las diferentes historias que se van desarrolando con personajes que ya conocíamos de los libros anteriores, vamos deslizándonos por el libro con esa rapidez con la que se caracteriza Scalzi. Hay momentos en los que su vena cómica sale a reducir de tal manera que no podemos evitar reír de la escena tan absurda que se desarrolla (vease la escena con el perrito), para luego pasar de nuevo a la seriedad en determinados momentos y su gotita de moralidad. En un principio parecen historias diferentes e inconexas, que al final se unen. No es como los anteriores libros de esta saga. Aquí Scalzi deja a un lado su aspecto serio, para dar rienda suelta a situaciones cómicas que rozan el absurdo.
No es un libro perfecto, no es una maravilla, pero cumple su función, que es la de hacernos pasar un buen rato. No es una obra de ciencia ficción sesuda, pero no toda la ciencia ficción lo tiene que ser. Como no toda la literatura tiene que hacernos pensar ni todas las películas tienen que ser obras de arte. Prefiero leer este libro que se lee sin darse cuenta que acabar abandonando un libro que, de tan sesudo, termina aburriéndome.
Para disfrutar y soltar alguna risa con las situaciones que nos presenta Scalzi.
No es un libro perfecto, no es una maravilla, pero cumple su función, que es la de hacernos pasar un buen rato. No es una obra de ciencia ficción sesuda, pero no toda la ciencia ficción lo tiene que ser. Como no toda la literatura tiene que hacernos pensar ni todas las películas tienen que ser obras de arte. Prefiero leer este libro que se lee sin darse cuenta que acabar abandonando un libro que, de tan sesudo, termina aburriéndome.
Para disfrutar y soltar alguna risa con las situaciones que nos presenta Scalzi.
February 11, 2018
-¿Pero no dijo Scalzi que la historia no seguía?.-
Género. Ciencia ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. En el libro La humanidad dividida (publicación original: The Human Division, 2013), un encuentro diplomático entre la FDC y los utche sale catastróficamente mal. Y es que nada parece salir bien últimamente para la Unión Colonial que, además de sufrir la presión de razas no alineadas y del Cónclave, ve como la Tierra también se aleja de su esfera de influencia y con ella su fuente tanto de colonos como de soldados. Pero entre los líderes de la Unión Colonial se sospecha que nada es casual y que están siendo atacados, de manera figurada pero también literal, con mucho subterfugio por parte de su enemigo. Quinto libro de la saga La vieja guardia.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
Género. Ciencia ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. En el libro La humanidad dividida (publicación original: The Human Division, 2013), un encuentro diplomático entre la FDC y los utche sale catastróficamente mal. Y es que nada parece salir bien últimamente para la Unión Colonial que, además de sufrir la presión de razas no alineadas y del Cónclave, ve como la Tierra también se aleja de su esfera de influencia y con ella su fuente tanto de colonos como de soldados. Pero entre los líderes de la Unión Colonial se sospecha que nada es casual y que están siendo atacados, de manera figurada pero también literal, con mucho subterfugio por parte de su enemigo. Quinto libro de la saga La vieja guardia.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
September 6, 2020
I realise that the OMW universe has a ton of fans out there, but I just don't love it the way some people do. Up to this point in the series, I thought the books were OK, not great, but at least entertaining enough to hold my attention while I was reading them. Not so for Book 5, The Human Division.
I really struggled through this but it was just not very engaging, and honestly, quite boring in more than a few parts. I think perhaps the serialized format might have worked better for me if I had read each part spread out, but all together they did not hold my attention. After giving it the best try I could, I officially declared the book DNF at 68%. I don't always rate books I haven't completed, but in this case I felt like I had read enough to give it a fair rating from my perspective.
I really struggled through this but it was just not very engaging, and honestly, quite boring in more than a few parts. I think perhaps the serialized format might have worked better for me if I had read each part spread out, but all together they did not hold my attention. After giving it the best try I could, I officially declared the book DNF at 68%. I don't always rate books I haven't completed, but in this case I felt like I had read enough to give it a fair rating from my perspective.
August 19, 2021
Aquí está de nuevo el tito Scalzi haciendo lo que le convierte en un autor que hace las cosas de una manera distinta y original. Tienes una serie de libros cuya base es la ciencia ficción militar y de pronto va y.... ZAS! Lo convierte en un libro de diplomacia que además es divertido y tiene una trama bien hilada!
En fin, una delicia de lectura y poco más que añadir. Por poner una peguita es que termina más o menos abierto a la espera de la conclusión en el sexto y último. Aunque por supuesto si has leído todos los anteriores de la saga y has llegado a "La humanidad dividida" no sólo no te va a costar leer "El final de todas las cosas" sino que desearás que hubiera más.
En fin, una delicia de lectura y poco más que añadir. Por poner una peguita es que termina más o menos abierto a la espera de la conclusión en el sexto y último. Aunque por supuesto si has leído todos los anteriores de la saga y has llegado a "La humanidad dividida" no sólo no te va a costar leer "El final de todas las cosas" sino que desearás que hubiera más.
June 10, 2021
First reread, 2021. I found the episodic serial structure distracting at times, and set it aside for a day -- but Scalzi is too good of a writer to not get away with it. Good characters, wonderful action-sequences, plenty of Scalzi Snark™. Even minor characters like Danielle Lowen shine in their moments in the sun. Scalzi writes a lot about fundamental decency in his characters -- though of course there are Bad Guys too. Nice setup for The End of All Things, the series closer, which I plan to reread next.
February 6, 2022
This book was originally released as a series of short stories and novellas, which is why it reads like a series of episodes. Some feature recurring characters, and some feature a unique set of characters. It’s part of the Old Man’s War universe, though it’s not essential to have any prior knowledge of the series.
Most of the “episodes” involve diplomatic missions with aliens going awry, usually thanks to sabotage. This results in strange situations, funny dialogue, and clever escapes. Our main character, inasmuch as there is one, is Harry Wilson, CDF soldier. (He is not to be confused with Harry Creek, the main dude in the other Scalzi book I just read.)
The lack of an overall story arc prevented this from being a great book. Some of the stories were more interesting than others. I think the funniest story involved the dog that got swallowed by a plant.
Language: Periodic strong language
Sexual Content: Occasional lewd comments
Violence: Some space battles, hand-to-hand combats; rarely graphic
Harm to Animals:
Harm to Children:
Other (Triggers):
Most of the “episodes” involve diplomatic missions with aliens going awry, usually thanks to sabotage. This results in strange situations, funny dialogue, and clever escapes. Our main character, inasmuch as there is one, is Harry Wilson, CDF soldier. (He is not to be confused with Harry Creek, the main dude in the other Scalzi book I just read.)
The lack of an overall story arc prevented this from being a great book. Some of the stories were more interesting than others. I think the funniest story involved the dog that got swallowed by a plant.
Language: Periodic strong language
Sexual Content: Occasional lewd comments
Violence: Some space battles, hand-to-hand combats; rarely graphic
Harm to Animals:
Harm to Children:
Other (Triggers):
August 14, 2015
4.5 stars. Back when I first started getting into reading more sci-fi, John Scalzi's Old Man's War series was a great starting point. The books had just the right mix of space travel, aliens and futuristic technology, but were still light enough not to intimidate a relative newcomer to the genre. Now they still rank among some of my favorite books of all time.
So when I found out about Scalzi's new serialized novel based on the Old Man's War universe, I became all excited and got set to pick up the new episodes every week from January to April 2013. Unfortunately, I discovered that I am very impatient when it comes to having to wait to find out what happens next, and I'm as bad with books as I am with TV shows when it comes to keeping up with weekly installments. For the latter, I'd much rather buy the complete DVD/Blu-ray box set with all the extras at the end of the season and do a marathon all at once, so I essentially decided to do the literary equivalent with The Human Division.
It will help to have read the previous books in the series, especially The Last Colony, since what happens in The Human Division is the direct result of the drastic events that occur the end of that novel. As such, this review may contain minor spoilers for the books that came before.
For a couple hundred years, the Colonial Union has happily taken advantage of Earth, keeping the planet's population in the dark while farming it aggressively for colonists and soldiers in the name of human expansion across a hostile universe. Last we saw, John Perry has basically blown the cover off that whole operation. Thanks to him, the people of Earth now know the truth.
Angry and betrayed, Earth considers an invitation from a political alliance made up of 400 alien races -- also known as the Conclave, bitter rivals of the Colonial Union. The CU, currently aware of their precarious position, begins to play things more carefully, making every possible effort in politics and diplomacy. An unknown entity, however, may be sabotaging all their efforts.
Being a serialized novel, this was a great mix of thirteen narratives which all come together to tell an overarching story. Some served to push the plot forward while focusing on the main characters, while others acted more as filler but were still invaluable in providing the necessary background information required to follow the story. Like any anthology-type book, there were some episodes I liked more than others, but on the whole they were all very entertaining and enjoyable.
Some highlights for me include Episode 1: The B-Team, the story which serves as an introduction to our main characters, Ambassador Abumwe, Captain Coloma, Hart Schmidt, and Harry Wilson. Wilson, of course, I was glad to see because he's someone we first met in Old Man's War, one of John Perry's friends in the group they'd dubbed the "Old Farts", so it was nice to be able to catch up with him. This story was also one hell of a start.
Also Episode 2: Walk the Plank, which a one-off short told in transcript form and was a punch in the gut. This just goes to show while John Scalzi's a funny guy and a delight to read, his stuff's not all fun and games; he's also very capable of writing poignant scenes that can fill you with dread. Walk The Plank also reaffirmed my decision to read this novel only after it was complete, as it was a drastic shift from the first episode and I would have been left very confused that week.
Then there were the episodes like #7, The Dog King which were lighter, more humorous and closer to what I expect when I think of Scalzi's works. There were also pleasant surprises like Episode 10: This Must be the Place which I found heartwarming and quite meaningful. And of course, the final episode Earth Below, Sky Above which was all action all craziness, and had me on the edge of my seat. John Scalzi gets to flex all his writing talents with this diverse collection of stories.
Basically, if you've followed the Old Man's War series up to this point, you really can't afford to miss this. It continues the story, but the serialization format also made this an incredible experience. Admittedly, I had initial doubts about it, fearing that the novel being presented as individual episodes would make it feel too disjointed, but that was not the case at all. In fact, I actually really liked it. Either I'm just not as bad as I thought at handling serial novels, or John Scalzi is simply really good at pulling this off. It's probably both.
Like I said, you can get the full-length novel now which includes all the episodes as well as a couple extras, and personally, I so much prefer reading it this way. It appears Scalzi's been signed on for a second season too, so I'm ecstatic that the adventures in the universe of Old Man's War will continue.
More reviews at The BiblioSanctum
So when I found out about Scalzi's new serialized novel based on the Old Man's War universe, I became all excited and got set to pick up the new episodes every week from January to April 2013. Unfortunately, I discovered that I am very impatient when it comes to having to wait to find out what happens next, and I'm as bad with books as I am with TV shows when it comes to keeping up with weekly installments. For the latter, I'd much rather buy the complete DVD/Blu-ray box set with all the extras at the end of the season and do a marathon all at once, so I essentially decided to do the literary equivalent with The Human Division.
It will help to have read the previous books in the series, especially The Last Colony, since what happens in The Human Division is the direct result of the drastic events that occur the end of that novel. As such, this review may contain minor spoilers for the books that came before.
For a couple hundred years, the Colonial Union has happily taken advantage of Earth, keeping the planet's population in the dark while farming it aggressively for colonists and soldiers in the name of human expansion across a hostile universe. Last we saw, John Perry has basically blown the cover off that whole operation. Thanks to him, the people of Earth now know the truth.
Angry and betrayed, Earth considers an invitation from a political alliance made up of 400 alien races -- also known as the Conclave, bitter rivals of the Colonial Union. The CU, currently aware of their precarious position, begins to play things more carefully, making every possible effort in politics and diplomacy. An unknown entity, however, may be sabotaging all their efforts.
Being a serialized novel, this was a great mix of thirteen narratives which all come together to tell an overarching story. Some served to push the plot forward while focusing on the main characters, while others acted more as filler but were still invaluable in providing the necessary background information required to follow the story. Like any anthology-type book, there were some episodes I liked more than others, but on the whole they were all very entertaining and enjoyable.
Some highlights for me include Episode 1: The B-Team, the story which serves as an introduction to our main characters, Ambassador Abumwe, Captain Coloma, Hart Schmidt, and Harry Wilson. Wilson, of course, I was glad to see because he's someone we first met in Old Man's War, one of John Perry's friends in the group they'd dubbed the "Old Farts", so it was nice to be able to catch up with him. This story was also one hell of a start.
Also Episode 2: Walk the Plank, which a one-off short told in transcript form and was a punch in the gut. This just goes to show while John Scalzi's a funny guy and a delight to read, his stuff's not all fun and games; he's also very capable of writing poignant scenes that can fill you with dread. Walk The Plank also reaffirmed my decision to read this novel only after it was complete, as it was a drastic shift from the first episode and I would have been left very confused that week.
Then there were the episodes like #7, The Dog King which were lighter, more humorous and closer to what I expect when I think of Scalzi's works. There were also pleasant surprises like Episode 10: This Must be the Place which I found heartwarming and quite meaningful. And of course, the final episode Earth Below, Sky Above which was all action all craziness, and had me on the edge of my seat. John Scalzi gets to flex all his writing talents with this diverse collection of stories.
Basically, if you've followed the Old Man's War series up to this point, you really can't afford to miss this. It continues the story, but the serialization format also made this an incredible experience. Admittedly, I had initial doubts about it, fearing that the novel being presented as individual episodes would make it feel too disjointed, but that was not the case at all. In fact, I actually really liked it. Either I'm just not as bad as I thought at handling serial novels, or John Scalzi is simply really good at pulling this off. It's probably both.
Like I said, you can get the full-length novel now which includes all the episodes as well as a couple extras, and personally, I so much prefer reading it this way. It appears Scalzi's been signed on for a second season too, so I'm ecstatic that the adventures in the universe of Old Man's War will continue.
More reviews at The BiblioSanctum
February 21, 2015
Executive Summary: This might be my favorite book in the Old Man's War universe yet. Though it's not really a book, so much as a collection of short stories. Either way, I can't wait for the next one!
Audio book:William Dufris is a great fit for this series. I really like Wil Wheaton for Scalzi books, but I was really missing Mr. Dufris for Zoe's Tale (though I totally understand why they didn't use him). He does a great job delivering the snark and really just the dialogue in general that I'll continue to listen to this series despite all the "saids".
Full Review
Not really a novel, but a collection of short stories. Though not exactly that. Mr. Scalzi liked it to episodes in a season, and that seems a good fit. This book collects 13 "main" stories along with 2 bonus stories.
Some of these stories are far better than others. The lengths vary quite a bit. I'm not sure if I would have been happy about buying each story individually. It's not really a price thing either, they seemed to have been reasonably priced. But much like TV and Netflix, I think I prefer binging on a season rather than doing one/week.
This story has far less action than many of its predecessors, but it's far form devoid of it. It instead focuses more on the politics and aftermath as a result of events in The Last Colony.
One of the main character is a familiar face from Old Man's War, in Harry Wilson (one of the "Old Farts") whose on special assignment to the Colonial Union diplomatic core. The stories focused on Harry and company are the better ones, and I found most of the ones covering other locations/characters not nearly as enjoyable.
Since this is a Szalzi book there is of course a high amount of snarky humor and far too many occurrences of the word "said". It's fast paced and fun and really breathes life into a series I felt was losing some of it's steam with The Last Colony and especially Zoe's Tale.
I think the first story "The B Team" is the best of them, but "The Observers" is a very close second, and none of the stories are bad by any means.
I'm eagerly awaiting The End of All Things, and need to decide if I can put up with doing the weekly episodes, or if I'll wait for the final collection.
Main Story Ratings
The B Team- 4.5 stars
Walk the Plank - 3 stars
We Only Need the Heads - 4 Stars
A Voice In The Wilderness - 3.5 stars
Tales From the Clarke - 4 Stars
The Back Channel - 3.5 Stars
The Dog King - 3 stars
The Sounds of Rebellion - 4 Stars
The Observers - 4.5 Stars
This Must Be the Place - 3.5 stars.
The Problem of Proportion - 4 stars
The Gentle Art of Cracking Heads - 4 stars
Earth Below, Sky Above - 4 stars
Extra Story Ratings
After the Coup - 3.5 stars
Hafte Sorvalh Eats a Churro and Speaks to the Youth of Today - 3 stars
Audio book:William Dufris is a great fit for this series. I really like Wil Wheaton for Scalzi books, but I was really missing Mr. Dufris for Zoe's Tale (though I totally understand why they didn't use him). He does a great job delivering the snark and really just the dialogue in general that I'll continue to listen to this series despite all the "saids".
Full Review
Not really a novel, but a collection of short stories. Though not exactly that. Mr. Scalzi liked it to episodes in a season, and that seems a good fit. This book collects 13 "main" stories along with 2 bonus stories.
Some of these stories are far better than others. The lengths vary quite a bit. I'm not sure if I would have been happy about buying each story individually. It's not really a price thing either, they seemed to have been reasonably priced. But much like TV and Netflix, I think I prefer binging on a season rather than doing one/week.
This story has far less action than many of its predecessors, but it's far form devoid of it. It instead focuses more on the politics and aftermath as a result of events in The Last Colony.
One of the main character is a familiar face from Old Man's War, in Harry Wilson (one of the "Old Farts") whose on special assignment to the Colonial Union diplomatic core. The stories focused on Harry and company are the better ones, and I found most of the ones covering other locations/characters not nearly as enjoyable.
Since this is a Szalzi book there is of course a high amount of snarky humor and far too many occurrences of the word "said". It's fast paced and fun and really breathes life into a series I felt was losing some of it's steam with The Last Colony and especially Zoe's Tale.
I think the first story "The B Team" is the best of them, but "The Observers" is a very close second, and none of the stories are bad by any means.
I'm eagerly awaiting The End of All Things, and need to decide if I can put up with doing the weekly episodes, or if I'll wait for the final collection.
Main Story Ratings
The B Team- 4.5 stars
Walk the Plank - 3 stars
We Only Need the Heads - 4 Stars
A Voice In The Wilderness - 3.5 stars
Tales From the Clarke - 4 Stars
The Back Channel - 3.5 Stars
The Dog King - 3 stars
The Sounds of Rebellion - 4 Stars
The Observers - 4.5 Stars
This Must Be the Place - 3.5 stars.
The Problem of Proportion - 4 stars
The Gentle Art of Cracking Heads - 4 stars
Earth Below, Sky Above - 4 stars
Extra Story Ratings
After the Coup - 3.5 stars
Hafte Sorvalh Eats a Churro and Speaks to the Youth of Today - 3 stars
July 14, 2019
"¿Qué clase de gobierno toma la decisión de que lo más inteligente, lo más prudente, lo más sensato es mantener a un planeta entero en un estado de retraso para utilizarlo como criadero de colonos y soldados?"
Es, una vez más, un placer regresar al universo de La Vieja Guardia. Creo que se perdió un poco el epicness al cambiar a relatos sueltos conectados, a diferencia de tener una sola novela mejor estructurada como las cuatro anteriores. De todas formas me la pasé genial.
La historia continúa después del "Incidente Perry", cuando la Tierra se entera de que ha sido usada por 200 años como un criadero de soldados y colonos. Suficiente para estar cabreados con los hijos de puta de la Unión Colonial y querer unirse al Cónclave, ¿no? A pesar de eso, estoy seguro de que era "por su propio bien". Me hubiera gustado volver a saber algo de Perry aunque era de esperar luego de After the coup, era claro que se venía algo totalmente nuevo con Harry Wilson. Me queda una maldita intriga por saber quién demonios está tratando de joder todo. ¡A terminar con la saga!
Es, una vez más, un placer regresar al universo de La Vieja Guardia. Creo que se perdió un poco el epicness al cambiar a relatos sueltos conectados, a diferencia de tener una sola novela mejor estructurada como las cuatro anteriores. De todas formas me la pasé genial.
La historia continúa después del "Incidente Perry", cuando la Tierra se entera de que ha sido usada por 200 años como un criadero de soldados y colonos. Suficiente para estar cabreados con los hijos de puta de la Unión Colonial y querer unirse al Cónclave, ¿no? A pesar de eso, estoy seguro de que era "por su propio bien". Me hubiera gustado volver a saber algo de Perry aunque era de esperar luego de After the coup, era claro que se venía algo totalmente nuevo con Harry Wilson. Me queda una maldita intriga por saber quién demonios está tratando de joder todo. ¡A terminar con la saga!
August 22, 2022
فاجعهی پیش اومده رسما با فصلهای آخر کتاب ابرتندر برابری میکنه.
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