The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Ghost Brigades
Book Review: Don't try to second guess an author.
Summary: 4 Stars
This is going to be my rule from now on with John Scalzi: Don't try to second guess an author. After all, it is his book, he is writing it, he decides where it should go and how it should get there. My job will be to read what he writes.
When I finished reading "Old Man's War" I figured that I would just slide right into "The Ghost Brigades" by taking up with Jane Sagan and John Perry as they set up housekeeping on a colony far, far away. Was I ever wrong. Wrong in a very good sense. John does not make an appearance in this novel, although he is spoken of. Jane made a short appearance in the beginning of this story but is very involved in the second part of the book. I learned so many interesting things about the actual creating of a soldier who will serve in the Ghost Brigades. Science fiction is rather new for me so at this point in my reading of this genre the story and the situations have to be explained to me in such a way as to make me understand and accept this alternative type of universe. John Scalzi is an author who does that for me in spades.
I became familiar with the Special Forces soldiers in the Colonial Defenses Forces in the previous book. This one introduces me to Jared Diac as a soldier I watch being created, mostly from the DNA of scientist Charles Boutin, to serve a specific purpose in the waring between the CDF and three of their alien race enemies. But Jared is different. Jared has been given a consciousness, memory transplanted into his brain in an effort to understand Charles Boutin who has turned traitor. If the transplant is successful the CDF might understand exactly how much danger they are facing and why that brilliant scientist became their worst nightmare.
I enjoyed this so much that now I am a true-blue John Scalzi fan. I'm going to get the remaining books which continue this series and probably anything else written by this man. I even laughed out loud while reading the acknowledgments in the back of the book. Scalzi sounds like the kind of person I would feel comfortable walking up to and starting a conversation with. But then, his novels sound just as imaginative and warm and witty and approachable too. I hope you choose to read this series of stories. I'm looking forward to my next adventure in this universe.
Book Review: Excellent - a thoroughly enjoyable read
Summary: 5 Stars
This is John Scalzi's second book, and a nominal sequel to his excellent "Old Man's War." It's not a sequel in the true sense - only a couple of characters from Old Man's War make it into this book, and they're only peripheral characters which could easily have been substituted for completely different characters without any effect on the storyline. However, it is recommended that one read Old Man's War first to get a sense of the universe Scalzi has created and some of the events within that universe which happened in Old Man's War, just prior to The Ghost Brigades. Just like Old Man's War, this is a fast-paced, highly entertaining read which should please any SF fan and would delight even most non-SF fans who simply enjoy a good read.
The Ghost Brigades is the story of the Colonial Defense Forces elite units - officially known as Special Forces, but informally known as the "Ghost Brigades." The nickname stems from the fact that all Special Forces soldiers are grown from the DNA of dead human beings. These soldiers are "born" as fully grown adults, but without any consciousness, sense of self, or life experience. Through a marvelous invention called a BrainPal, which is a supercomputer embedded in their brains, the infant soldiers of the SF are able to learn (and thus train for combat) at an astounding, exponential rate. Regular born humans naturally fear them as Frankenstein's monsters, but their extraordinary abilities give them, and they alone, the reflexes, coordination, teamwork, physical strength, and utter lack of fear which make possible the CDF's most difficult missions.
A new SF soldier, named Jared Dirac, is cloned from the DNA of a scientist who turned traitor, in the hope of quickly tracking down the traitor. However, the new soldier turns out to be apparently just another SF grunt, with his own personality and motivations. However, a series of memory-jolting experiences allow Jared to delve deeper and deeper into a conspiracy aimed at the destruction of mankind. Along the way, Jared fights aliens, knows love and loss, hate and fear, and ultimately finds redemption for himself and his clone parent.
This is an incredible read, and if his third book is as good as his first two, then Scalzi will have found himself another fan.
Book Review: Excellent addition to "Old Man's War"
Summary: 5 Stars
After reading his first book, I couldn't wait until he wrote another. "Ghost Brigades" does not disappoint. I love his characters sense of humor which is often lacking in science fiction. Most writers have characters that take themselves too seriously, which means the writers themselves do as well. John Scalzi is a breath of fresh air in what can be a very tedious genre.Book Review: Excellent follow-up to Old Man's War
Summary: 5 Stars
The Ghost Brigades returns to the universe of Scalzi's novel Old Man's War. In the first book, Scalzi introduced readers to John Perry and Earth's rejuvenated soldiers, the Colonial Defense Forces. This time around, he takes us into the world of The Ghost Brigades, the special forces of the CDF. Jane Sagan must track down a traitor, and what better way to find a traitor than to copy his consciousness into a freshly-baked Ghost Brigade soldier? But the transfer doesn't work ... at least, not right away.
I enjoyed the first book, but I thought this one was even stronger. As with the first book, we follow a new recruit (Jared Dirac, the altered clone of traitor Charles Boutin) through his indoctrination in the Ghost Brigades. Once again, there plenty of shiny "Wow!" moments as we learn about these supersoldiers. The pace never flagged, and the conflicts kept me engaged throughout. The external battles meshed quite well with Jared's internal struggle to discover and maintain his own identity.
Scalzi explores the universe he's created in a bit more depth this time around. We see the next phase of CDF modifications, and we actually meet a member from one of the hostile races -- the captured alien scientist was one of my favorite characters. Scalzi also touches on some of the diplomatic issues, hinting at larger conflicts which will hopefully be explored in book three.
I'll definitely be picking up The Last Colony the next time I place an order.
Book Review: Excellent follow-up to Old Man's War
Summary: 4 Stars
Starts with a tricky bit of misdirection, and remains very entertaining the whole way through. Like Old man's War, it balances intense, vivid action with more thoughful parts that add depth to the story.
This time there is less action though and it did bog down the proceeedings just a tiny bit. There was one really awkwardly written part about 2/3 of the way through, like maybe that section had never been revised or something. However, that was corrected quickly and the book went on to a very exciting and interesting climax.
After 2 great books Scalzi is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. His writing style is so smooth, and I am looking forward to picking up The Last Colony as soon as the paperback is released, as well as checking out his other stuff.