Have I mentioned I’m in two book clubs? I haven’t. Well, let me correct that now.

I’m in two book clubs, because one just wasn’t enough. This newer one I’m in is geared more towards sci-fi/fantasy books, so naturally, I’m in love.

In November Old Man’s War by John Scalzi was selected as our read. And holy cow, what a ride.

The book follows John Perry, who decides to join the Colonial Defense Forces after turning 75 and the death of his wife.

It’s a riveting tale of life at the edge of space when everything out in space wants to kill you. And, quite frankly, you are a soldier whose job is to defend those that live out on said edge.

John Perry is just an average guy who signs up for service, and like everyone else, has no idea what exactly it is he is signing up for. He moves along through the world like your average guy. Nothing overly special about him. Which of course, makes him special.

He does make some good friends along the way. I liked Maggie, Alan, Thomas, Harry, and Jesse, aka the Old Farts. They all added something to the story and didn’t feel like filler characters the way some friends can do.

The tone changed a couple of times. The first half of the book was more light hearted and fun with more comedic moments that genuinely had me laughing out loud. The second half was darker, with higher stakes on Perry’s actions and relationships. Pacing was also divided, with the first half of the book taking its time to get you where you need to go, and the second half just moving you along quite quickly.

None of that detracted from the book at all. It feels like you have viewed two distinct parts of Perry’s time with the CDF and seemed like a natural progression of the story.

I really liked this book. I definitely liked it enough to want to read the rest of the books in the series. The next one may or may not be in my Amazon cart right now. 4 out of 5 stars.