Zoe’s Tale ~John Scalzi

–published 2008
–336 pages, Tor Books
–4.5/5 stars

As I embark upon reviewing this, the latest novel in John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War series, I must admit that I am feeling somewhat guilty. Over the course of the past two years John Scalzi has occupied a slot as one of my all-time favorite authors. I have devoured his books only to find myself with two conflicting emotions: satisfaction and the desire for more. So how is it that I am just now reviewing a book that came out in August of this year? I bought the book the minute it hit bookstore shelves! In fact it came out early and I was so excited that I brought it straight home and immediately started reading it. After all, it was the latest Scalzi! So what happened? Well, me–that is what happened. I was not in the mood for science fiction at the time, particularly as I was gearing up for hosting the R.I.P. III Challenge and was in a particularly gothic mood. I have never been secretive about the fact that I am a reader tossed to and fro by his reading whims and Zoe’s Tale was just not right for me at the time. Sure, I had enjoyed the first 90 to 100 pages that I read, but not the way that I wanted to. I wasn’t finding myself lost in John Scalzi’s universe the way I had been with the other three novels of this series. And so I did the unthinkable, I laid aside a favorite author with the sincere hope that it was just my timing that was off and that when I came back to Zoe and her perspective on the events covered in The Last Colony I would be able to give this author the reverence due his position in my ‘favorites’ hierarchy.

What follows will hopefully serve as an apology to Mr. John Scalzi and to all of you who would never dare to treat a cherished author the way that I have treated mine.

If this occurrence goes to show one thing, it is that timing is indeed a very important component in one’s immersion into a fictional universe. I have been strongly fighting the urge to read science fiction over the last couple of weeks, hoping to finish a few of the other books on my pile that are close to being done before diving in to the Sci Fi Experience II in January and February. The urge overcame me as I packed to go spend Christmas at my brother’s home and Zoe’s Tale was gently stowed away for the quiet moments of the Christmas holiday. I cracked into it in the wee hours of Christmas morning, ended my Christmas night with it, and finished the final 30 pages this morning before breakfast. I am happy to report that John Scalzi has done it again!

Zoe’s Tale is a story of the events of what was to be the final book in the Old Man’s War universe, The Last Colony, this time told from the perspective of a teenage girl, Zoe Boutin-Perry. In this way it mimics what author Orson Scott Card has done with the Ender universe books, a fact acknowledged by Scalzi in the afterward. Scalzi goes on to mention just how difficult it was to not only write in the voice of a teenage girl, but also to write a novel that covers previously covered ground without it being repetitive. Having given myself an additional 5 months from this book’s release to allow the events of The Last Colony to become hazy only made the experience that much more enjoyable. While I remembered some major events, reviewing the story through Zoe’s eyes was a new and exciting experience and allowed me to become lost again in the world that Scalzi has created.

I was also curious going in as to how I would feel reading a ‘teen’ book. Granted there are teen fiction books that I like very well but I was afraid of the Wesley Crusher effect marring my love for these characters and this world. There was no need to worry. John Scalzi chronicles his methods for achieving a convincing voice for the character in the afterward and he succeeds marvelously. He not only writes a convincing teenage female protagonist, but manages to do so in a way that does not feel like ‘teen speak’, is engaging, and feels genuine. Well done Mr. Scalzi. I have a great deal of love for these characters and over the course of these four novels it is readily apparent that John Scalzi does as well. It was such a joy to be back in this world, spending time with the human and the alien characters that I had developed such affection for.

Zoe’s Tale has a nice pace to it, not so quick that one feels overwhelmed by action and not so slow that one is wanting to skim read to get to ‘the good parts’. They are all ‘good parts’, particularly once the story reaches the point where Zoe, her family, and the rest of the colonists land on their new world. From that point in the story we begin to journey more deeply with Zoe and events that she is involved in add to and flesh out details of The Last Colony rather than rehash them. And the story just gets better and better until the very last word on the very last page.

Zoe’s Tale is not merely a ‘science fiction’ adventure. From the very beginning of the Old Man’s War series, John Scalzi worked as hard to develop real, tangible characters as he did to build his world. That character building has continued with each novel and does not let up with Zoe’s Tale. The importance of family and of community are such a strong focal point of Zoe’s Tale that it felt providential to be reading it at a time when we as a people are more disposed to be thinking about relationships with our loved ones and with our fellow man. I know that I am lost in what I am reading and enmeshed with the characters when I get emotional while reading and on more than one occasion I found myself caught up in events that were occuring. I am more impressed with each work of John Scalzi’s that I read and his work is a perfect example of how indebted I am to the blogging community for promoting books. It was on a book blog that I first read a review of Old Man’s War which lead to my seeking it out in the bookstore very soon thereafter. If I can inspire at least one person to give this series a try at some point then I will feel that I have at least started to repay that debt.

Zoe’s Tale is an excellent addition to the Old Man’s War series and though it appears that this series may now finally be at an end, I will continue to hope that we will hear more of John Perry, Jane Sagan, and Zoe Boutin-Perry in the future. Either way I am thrilled to know that these four novels will be good friends that will travel with me through the rest of my life.

I would be remiss to close this review without pointing out that the cover for this book is by the master illustrator, John Harris. Here is a view of the full image which you can click on to expand to desktop wallpaper size:

If you are interested, here are links to the previous three Old Man’s Universe tales:

Old Man’s War
The Ghost Brigades
The Last Colony

and the limited edition novella:

The Sagan Diary