Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.35 You Save: $21.60 (87%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of Zoe's Tale
Book Review: Excellent!
Summary: 5 Stars
An excellent addition to the Old Man's War series. After reading Zoe's Tale I'd like Scalzi to write another sequel from the point where this one ends. I'd LOVE to read it.Book Review: For Sci-Fi Fans and Teen Girls
Summary: 5 Stars
The hard core sci-fi cover might make you think otherwise, but Zoe's Tale is chiefly an empowering yet sweet coming of age story about 17 year old Zoe, both player and pawn in a complex interstellar battle between the Colonial Union (the human alliance) and the Conclave (an alliance of roughly 400 alien species). If you've read The Last Colony, I guess you probably know how it all turns out since this is apparently a novel with a parallel timeline told from a different perspective. If you haven't, no matter, as this exciting tale can stand on its own.
Zoe, her adopted parents, her two alien bodyguards and about 2000 settlers from 10 different human colonies are sent off by the Colonial Union to colonize a new planet called Roanoke (and anyone who knows American history will appreciate the irony of the name). As it turns out, the Colonial Union has plans that don't have the best interests of the colonists at heart. But fortunately, Zoe is not the type of girl who goes down without fight, especially when the lives of her parents, her new best friend Gretchen (with whom she has a great sarcastic rapport) and her new boyfriend Enzo's lives are at stake.
I like sci-fi, but I've never been big on books where alien races make up a big part of the narrative because of all the exposition you normally have to slog through. Author John Scalzi is wise to keep this to a minimum and the aliens he does introduce even manage to be entertaining (picture big spider like creatures at a hoedown and try not to laugh). Don't let the star trek like premise turn you off, because Zoe, an ordinary teenage girl asked to be extraordinary, is worth getting to know. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Although this isn't a YA novel, Publisher Tor is actively courting the teen market. And with a heroine as appealing and strong as Zoe, I think they just might succeed.
See more of my reviews at presentinglenore.blogspot.com
Book Review: From a Different Point of a View
Summary: 4 Stars
John Scalzi returns to his popular "Old Man's War" universe with a parallel novel to the last entry, told from the perspective of Zoe Boutin Perry. Covering the same time frame as the previous entry, "The Last Colony," "Zoe's Tale" examines the ins and outs of the story from Zoe's perspective as a teenage girl and the lynchpin of peace agreeement between several interstellar races.
Hearing how Zoe thinks and reacts to things is fascinating and even though we may know where things are going, Scalzi still manages to keep the story suspenseful and compelling. The big part of this is the voice of Zoe. Scalzi sets up the character's voice early and then steps back, allowing her to take over telling the story in such a way that it is fresh, compelling and a definite asset to the universe of Old Man's War. I know at the end of "The Last Colony," Scalzi said he was taking a break from the universe for a while, but after reading this, I'm glad he didn't. "Zoe's Tale" comes along just soon enough after "Last Colony" to allow readers to remember enough of the critical events and turning points from the story.
However, don't think that just because you haven't read "Last Colony" you can't or shouldn't read this one. Scalzi's strength is that you can read his novels in any order and while having some background will enhance some aspects of the novels, it's not required. Scalzi has created a series that is equally rewarding for new and old readers. If anything, the compelling nature of "Zoe's Tale" will have those who haven't read the previous installments heading to a bookstore or library to see what they've missed.
Book Review: Great "shadow" take on the "The Last Colony"
Summary: 5 Stars
Scalzi gives props to Card for this "shadow" version of "The Lost Colony" in his "Old Man's War" series. It's told from the POV of the adopted daughter of the protagonist. If you've read "The Lost Colony," you know the beats of the story, but you get a whole new perspective. For a middle-age guy, Scalzi sure writes a good teen girl.Book Review: Holes plugged by a really solid story
Summary: 5 Stars
When I finished "The Last Colony," I had a question and a snark: "Where did the werewolves go?", and "That Consu technology, how *convenient*!"
Well ladies and gentlemen, Scalzi took my complaints to heart, and wrote this book as a way of explaining it all. And a good book it is. Even though we see the same story, through the eyes of a different person it still feels fresh. I sort of wish he'd told a longer, and more complete tale originally, but that's Monday Morning Quarterbacking. The book's good. Buy it. Read it. Tell friends.
One aside: Zoe sounds a lot like Wednesday from Charles Stross's "Iron Sunrise." How do you tell two guys they write like little girls the same way? Just joking. Given the similarities in the characters, I'm sure they wrote and got feedback 'til they augered in on a similar voice.
This is a very enjoyable book.