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  • Old Man's War

  • Written by: John Scalzi
  • Narrated by: William Dufris
  • Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (556 ratings)

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Old Man's War cover art

Old Man's War

Written by: John Scalzi
Narrated by: William Dufris
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Publisher's Summary

Perfect for an entry-level sci-fi listener and the ideal addition to a veteran fan’s collection, John Scalzi's Old Man’s War will take audiences on a heart-stopping adventure into the far corners of the universe.

John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army.

The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce—and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So: we fight. To defend Earth, and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding.

Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity's resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defense Force. Everybody knows that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don't want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You'll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return. You'll serve two years at the front. And if you survive, you'll be given a generous homestead stake of your own, on one of our hard-won colony planets.

John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine—and what he will become is far stranger.

John Scalzi's Old Man's War is a stunning novel of the long war for human survival—in a universe replete with hostility

©2005 John Scalzi (P)2007 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC

What the critics say

  • Hugo Award nominee, Best Novel, 2006

"Scalzi's imagined interstellar arena is coherently and compellingly delineated." (The Washington Post)

“Though a lot of SF writers are more or less efficiently continuing the tradition of Robert A. Heinlein, Scalzi's astonishingly proficient first novel reads like an original work by the late grand master...This virtuoso debut pays tribute to SF's past while showing that well-worn tropes still can have real zip when they're approached with ingenuity.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Solid…[Scalzi] sidesteps most of the cliches of military science fiction, delivers fast-paced scenes of combat and pays attention to the science underpinning his premise.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“Gripping and surpassingly original. It's Starship Troopers without the lectures. It's The Forever War with better sex. It's funny, it's sad, and it's true.” —Cory Doctorow

What listeners say about Old Man's War

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent book, great performance

This book suffers a small amount from the standard military scifi problem where the protagonist is never allowed to be wrong about anything or make any mistakes, unless those mistakes make them even more awesome.

That said, this is an excellent read and the author seems to have mainly avoided the above problem. The characters are likeable and human, the plot is well paced and exciting, and the performer has done an excellent job differentiating the characters.

one issue I had with the performer (and this is more of an issue with the writing than anything) is that he will be speaking in a character's voice and then drop down to read a "he said", only to immediately go into another character's voice. This happens pretty frequently and can be jarring. I would suggest just leaving these out some of the time, especially when the characters are obvious.

All in all, I'm excited to listen to the next one!

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One of the best books I've read in years

This book is great, my father even loved it and he's not a scifi fan. I'm listening for a 2nd time, would recommend to anyone. #Audible1

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

heartfelt. funny. sad. oh ya, sci fi too.

it's got it all, loss, love, rebirth, humor and of couse; cool battles. i loved it for it's honesty.

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Scalzi has style

Loved the concept, development and execution.

Scalzi’s writing and story telling have such compelling style.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

in general I thought that it was a great story. however, the narration was terrible. it just sounded forced.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Another great story by Scalzi

This author continues to make great sci-fi. He invents a great premise then uses it to tell a fascinating tale. The characters and story keep you listening.
The narrator is superb. I’ll choose a book because he’s reading it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not mind bending but a solid sci fi

I won’t be thinking about this for weeks like great philosophical sci fi can make me. BUT it’s still a good book and I’m going to go through the whole series. Maybe there will be debt in he story as a whole. I hope so

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One of my comfort books.

I’ve listened to this one 5 times now. I keep coming back to it. It likely won’t be my last either

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Everything was 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this. It was always recommended,but I only believe until I see. In this case,hear.

I was hooked early on and now I have to listen to the rest of the series.

Hopefully the same voice talent stays on. He’s excellent.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

An Excellent Blend of Pacing and World building

Just what I was looking for, witty dialogue and interesting sci-fi aspects with an engaging story that pulls you through it. Burned through it in a couple days, haven't been this excited for a sequel since the Expanse series.

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