Comments on: The Last Colony http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/sci-fi/the-last-colony/ reading material to get excited about Fri, 10 Feb 2012 20:08:36 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Ryun http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/sci-fi/the-last-colony/comment-page-1/#comment-8774 Ryun Thu, 10 May 2007 18:57:15 +0000 http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/sci-fi/the-last-colony/#comment-8774 I'll add it to my reading list! I’ll add it to my reading list!

]]> By: Gal Josefsberg http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/sci-fi/the-last-colony/comment-page-1/#comment-8771 Gal Josefsberg Thu, 10 May 2007 16:32:36 +0000 http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/sci-fi/the-last-colony/#comment-8771 Heck yah! Armor is a little different from Vampire$ in that it's basically two stories in one book. That makes it a bit harder to read because you keep switching back and forth between very different settings and plots. The two stories are very different but I loved them both. There's that same humor that you had in Vampire$ but it's a little more subdued. It's not as political though as FOREVER WAR or STARSHIP TROOPERS, nor does it care as much about a message. It's more of a personal story about the characters and how they cope in their respective situations. By the way, the two main characters are called Felix and Jack Crow but they are in no way connected to the similarly named characters in Vampire$. I guess the author just liked the name. Also, you'll finally know why Felix's bar was named The Antwar Saloon in Vampire$ if you read ARMOR. GJ http://www.60in3.com Heck yah! Armor is a little different from Vampire$ in that it’s basically two stories in one book. That makes it a bit harder to read because you keep switching back and forth between very different settings and plots.

The two stories are very different but I loved them both. There’s that same humor that you had in Vampire$ but it’s a little more subdued. It’s not as political though as FOREVER WAR or STARSHIP TROOPERS, nor does it care as much about a message. It’s more of a personal story about the characters and how they cope in their respective situations.

By the way, the two main characters are called Felix and Jack Crow but they are in no way connected to the similarly named characters in Vampire$. I guess the author just liked the name. Also, you’ll finally know why Felix’s bar was named The Antwar Saloon in Vampire$ if you read ARMOR.

GJ
http://www.60in3.com

]]> By: Ryun http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/sci-fi/the-last-colony/comment-page-1/#comment-8762 Ryun Thu, 10 May 2007 13:21:44 +0000 http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/sci-fi/the-last-colony/#comment-8762 Gal, compared to most of the discourse on the Internets these days, I wouldn't even say we're arguing--I think we're really just discussing something we care about. I have never read ARMOR, though I have to say I've considered it hundreds of times because Vampire$ is one of my favorite books. Should I finally pick it up? Gal, compared to most of the discourse on the Internets these days, I wouldn’t even say we’re arguing–I think we’re really just discussing something we care about.
I have never read ARMOR, though I have to say I’ve considered it hundreds of times because Vampire$ is one of my favorite books. Should I finally pick it up?

]]> By: Gal Josefsberg http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/sci-fi/the-last-colony/comment-page-1/#comment-8749 Gal Josefsberg Wed, 09 May 2007 16:51:47 +0000 http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/sci-fi/the-last-colony/#comment-8749 I haven't read THE ANDROID'S DREAM yet so I can't comment on it. However, I remember reading Starship Troopers when I was about 8 years old (my dad and older brother were big sci fi fans so I started early). Most of it sailed over my head but I loved his style. It was like reading a grand adventure. Years later I picked up the books again and saw the political and social commentary. To me Scalzi is like that. You can read it for fun but you can also read it for more serious commentary. Where as FOREVER WAR wasn't fun for me when I was young. It couldn't get through it. As an adult, I can appreciate it and it has its place in my library, but as a kid, it was too depressing I guess. Oh well, we're arguing about trivia here. These are all great authors and good books :) Have you read Armour by John Steakley? GJ http://www.60in3.com I haven’t read THE ANDROID’S DREAM yet so I can’t comment on it. However, I remember reading Starship Troopers when I was about 8 years old (my dad and older brother were big sci fi fans so I started early). Most of it sailed over my head but I loved his style. It was like reading a grand adventure. Years later I picked up the books again and saw the political and social commentary.

To me Scalzi is like that. You can read it for fun but you can also read it for more serious commentary. Where as FOREVER WAR wasn’t fun for me when I was young. It couldn’t get through it. As an adult, I can appreciate it and it has its place in my library, but as a kid, it was too depressing I guess.

Oh well, we’re arguing about trivia here. These are all great authors and good books :)

Have you read Armour by John Steakley?

GJ
http://www.60in3.com

]]> By: Ryun http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/sci-fi/the-last-colony/comment-page-1/#comment-8740 Ryun Wed, 09 May 2007 05:46:22 +0000 http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/sci-fi/the-last-colony/#comment-8740 What you say about the "fun" of Scalzi's prose is very true. I just couldn't shake the comparison with Haldeman from my head, and I've been thinking about it on and off since I wrote the review. In my head, books like the OLD MAN'S WAR trilogy get held up against Heinlen, Haldeman, and Alfred Bester, and I really think Scalzi's stuff is just as "serious" as Haldeman's, it's just not presented with Haldeman's gravitas (THE ANDROID'S DREAM, however, is totally Heinlen-esque to me, with the best aspects of Robert Ludlum thrown in to boot). There's also some thematic resonance between John Perry's life and William Mandela's that's easy to spot, and I think the demobilization of the troops who do society's dirty work will always create problems for humanity. Thanks for the insight! What you say about the “fun” of Scalzi’s prose is very true. I just couldn’t shake the comparison with Haldeman from my head, and I’ve been thinking about it on and off since I wrote the review.

In my head, books like the OLD MAN’S WAR trilogy get held up against Heinlen, Haldeman, and Alfred Bester, and I really think Scalzi’s stuff is just as “serious” as Haldeman’s, it’s just not presented with Haldeman’s gravitas (THE ANDROID’S DREAM, however, is totally Heinlen-esque to me, with the best aspects of Robert Ludlum thrown in to boot).

There’s also some thematic resonance between John Perry’s life and William Mandela’s that’s easy to spot, and I think the demobilization of the troops who do society’s dirty work will always create problems for humanity. Thanks for the insight!

]]> By: Gal Josefsberg http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/sci-fi/the-last-colony/comment-page-1/#comment-8730 Gal Josefsberg Tue, 08 May 2007 17:43:10 +0000 http://www.bookgasm.com/reviews/sci-fi/the-last-colony/#comment-8730 Your comparison to Haldeman is interesting. I find Scalzi a lot more similar to Heinlein than Haldeman. It's just an easy going novel, great characters you can really get attached to plus just enough focus on world building to make sense but not enough to seem outdated in two years. Haldeman was just not as much... "fun". Not sure if that's the right word but I never found Forever War to be as easy to read as some of Heinlein's books, while Scalzi is always fun. GJ http://www.60in3.com Your comparison to Haldeman is interesting. I find Scalzi a lot more similar to Heinlein than Haldeman. It’s just an easy going novel, great characters you can really get attached to plus just enough focus on world building to make sense but not enough to seem outdated in two years. Haldeman was just not as much… “fun”. Not sure if that’s the right word but I never found Forever War to be as easy to read as some of Heinlein’s books, while Scalzi is always fun.

GJ
http://www.60in3.com

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