The Back Channel

March 11, 2013
Scalzi’s hectically paced and philosophical continuation of the Old Man’s War series is an invigorating and morally complex interstellar thriller with heart. The human Colonial Union has lost the trust of neighboring worlds due to allegations that it’s been delaying Earth’s technological development so it can “farm” Earth for colonists and soldiers. When the Polk, a Union ambassadorial starship, is obliterated while on a secret diplomatic mission with the alien Utche, the Union sends in a “B-team”—rebellious and unorthodox Lt. Harry Wilson, meek diplomatic assistant Hart Schmidt, and aggressive ambassador Abumwe—to seal negotiations and discover who (or what) destroyed the Polk. Scalzi injects the thrilling wonder of escapist science fiction with the painful despair of human betrayal and selfishness, focusing as much on conflicts of the heart as on warring alien civilizations. First released as digital serial installments, the book’s chapters reverberate with cliffhanger suspense, building and resolving a central conflict while building on more complex story arcs. Deeply realized characters and stinging webs of political and social deceit lend mystery and emotionally harsh realism to a thrilling setting of deep space and distant worlds. Agent: Ethan Ellenberg, Ethan Ellenberg Literary Agency.

April 1, 2013
Scalzi (Redshirts, 2012, etc.) offers his fifth in the Old Man's War series. The Colonial Union keeps peace among the universe's humans, albeit one fractured after Earth's withdrawal. Blame John Perry and Jane Sagan, Roanoke Colony leaders. Earth's billions had provided Colonial Defense Forces troopers and outpost settlers, which allowed the Colonial Union to cope with the machinations of the Conclave, an alliance of alien (nonhuman) species. Scalzi rockets characters through assorted space adventures, with repeated appearances by Lt. Harry Wilson, CDF technician and Earth native, who finds himself wherever the action is, whether that's in space disarming a missile trap set for the Utche, an alien species with whom the Colonial Union is negotiating, or caring for an ambassador's dog whose survival figures into an alien civil war. Other players pop up repeatedly, including two CDF colonels, a hard-line ambassador and a female starship captain. Starships use "skip drive" to outwit Einsteinian physics and "skip drones" to communicate across light years. Human characters communicate in dialogue laced with 21st-century humor and irony, even among the CDF troopers (repurposed 75-year-old earthlings) equipped with "BrainPals," neural-computer implants. The aliens too function with socioethical and political mores replicating Machiavelli, authoritarians or third-rate dictators. Laced with oddball humor, the plot is not so esoteric that a newbie to sci-fi's outlier world cannot follow, and the science buy in isn't so great as to cause those who mastered introductory physics to stumble. The story simply launches human quandaries and foibles into the universe--greed, aggression, duplicity, arrogance, chauvinism and other distinctly human negatives--where they are imposed on alien circumstances, creatures and environments. Females share power and failure equally, but sex and romance take a back seat to wildcat settlements, derring-do heroes, missiles fired and messages misunderstood, all of which are offset by stunning technology, imagined landscapes and the covert destruction of Earth Station by spaceships piloted by brains-in-boxes. That makes for a gateway to the next episode. A Heinlein-like adventure for a serious sci-fi fan.

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June 1, 2013

In this collection of linked stories, army technician Harry Wilson and diplomatic corp officer Hart Schmidt are just two of the memorable characters trying to improve the reputation of humanity in a galaxy where everyone seems against them--even the population of their home planet, Earth. With a knack for crafting entertaining interstellar politics and diplomacy, Scalzi tells 13 discrete stories (originally sold serially online), each with its own perspective and tone. All told, these add up to one satisfying and very fun whole. VERDICT Featuring the author's trademark humor, clever dialog, and a hefty dose of action, this is a wonderful addition to Scalzi's "Old Man's War" universe.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2013
Sort of a mixed bag here from the author of Redshirts (2012) and other fine sf novels. Scalzi's writing is as readable as ever, but the storyset in the universe of his Old Man's War (2004)is a bit unfocused. But that's probably unavoidable, given that the novel began life as a 13-part online serial. Here's the premise: the Colonial Union is on the outs from planet Earth, the union's big secretthat it has used humanity as a sort of factory for its soldiershaving recently been revealed. An allied group of alien races, the Conclave, is courting humanity, offering safety in their vast numbers, but this could spell disaster for the CU. Each of the book's 13 interconnected stories adds a piece to the picture, using multiple points of view to move the narrative forward. Readers expecting a straightforward sequel to Old Man's War and its follow-ups may be disappointed, but any new novel from the extremely talented Scalzi is always good news, and this one, despite its experimental feel and shifting narrative, is one more proof that he's an unqualified A-lister in the genre.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)