Oct 27 2007
A Brief Biography of John Scalzi
John Scalzi and Athena Scalzi, October 2009. Photo by Kyle Cassidy (http://www.kylecassidy.com)
Hi, there. I’m John Scalzi. I used to have a longer biography entry up, but I find as I go along I’m less inclined to string things along for the purposes of self-aggrandizement. So here’s the shorter, bullet-pointed version. Everything’s current and accurate as of 1/02/2010.
- Born May 10, 1969 in Fairfield, California.
- Grew up in southern California, in the eastern San Gabriel Valley. I lived in various cities there but usually call Claremont my hometown.
- Went to the Webb School of California for high school. Very positive experience.
- Went to the University of Chicago for college. Also a very positive experience.
- First job after college: Movie critic, at the Fresno Bee newspaper. Loads of fun.
- Met my wife Kristine while in Fresno; we got married in 1995. Still married. Go, us.
- Left Fresno in 1996 to take a job at America Online. Did that through 1998.
- Became freelance writer in 1998; I’m still doing that now.
- Started “Whatever,” my more-or-less daily blog, in September 1998. Still doing it, too.
- Daughter Athena born in December 1998. Go, Athena.
- First non-fiction book published in 2000; I’ve published six other non-fiction books since.
- Moved to Bradford, Ohio in 2001, where I still live.
- First novel published in 2005; I’ve published five others since, along with various stand-alone shorter works, and additionally edited an anthology.
- My work is translated into languages I don’t speak. To date, these languages are Russian, German, French, Spanish, Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Bulgarian, Czech, Portuguese, Romanian and Estonian.
- Various awards I or my books have won include the Hugo, the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer, the Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award (science fiction category) and the Geffen (Israeli science fiction award). I’ve also been commended by the Ohio State Senate for being a writer, which is kind of goofy but nice.
- In 2008, my novel The Last Colony plopped onto the New York Times bestseller list. My wife allowed me five minutes of writerly arrogance over that, after which I had to calm down and go clean out the cat box.
- In 2009, I was hired as Creative Consultant for the television show Stargate: Universe.
And that’s where things stand at the moment. For more detailed information, including a complete bibliography, visit the Wikipedia entry on me. It’s generally accurate.
I'm the Creative Consultant for this television show, appearing Fridays on Syfy. Miss a week? For US residents, 
Ack. Trying to find your music. Where did it go? I used to go through the abotu page….
I’ll re-post it soon.
John, I just read ‘The Android’s Dream’ in one day and LOVED it. Dude, you had me laughing hard at times. I have to say I seriously enjoyed the entire story from the first bit about fart machine to last bit about flowers and just have to say, “Wow, what a ride!” Thank you for a great story. I hope that we get to read more of Robin, Harry, Brian, and the Church of the Evolved Lamb soon.
John, I read your interview in Locus magazine where you said you initially put “Old Man’s War” on your website as a serial. I’ve written a fantasy novel that I’ve not had any luck with selling and since I think it’s too good to just lose in a drawer somewhere, I’m looking to follow your lead and post it on a blog. My question is, how did you chop up “Old Man’s War” for your blog? I’m assuming chapter-wise is too long for the regular blog-reader. In addition, what did you do to protect it (copyright it?). Thanks for your time and I love your books!
-Jeff
Valion24@yahoo.com
My Dear Sir,
I am a 44 year old male. I began reading Sci – Fi a long time ago and know most of “the Ancients” really well. I have a hard time getting into authors that I am not familiar with.
At the library today I saw your book “Old Man’s War” and something about it made me decide to look at it. I was intrigued by that look and ended up checking out.
I have just finished it as I found it impossible to put it down once I had started it. It is a damn good story and the ideas behind it are put forth in a very refreshing way. Thank You.
Gratefully Yours,
Kevin G. Farrell
Kayne, Kevin:
Thanks!
Jeff:
I posted OMW a chapter at a time; people didn’t seem to have problems with the length. As for protecting it, I didn’t: Everything a person writes is automatically protected by copyright law anyway, and beyond that I wasn’t too concerned with people ripping me off.
John,
I just found your blog today thanks to boingboing.net, and I loved the photos and captions from your trip to the museum. This post is really just a shout-out from a current University of Chicago student to an alum. What did you study here?
Philosophy is what I have my degree in. But I was mostly there to work on writing. I edited the Maroon and also freelanced for the Sun-Times.
John,
I started (and finished) “Old Man’s War” yesterday. I just had to drop by and say ‘thanks’. Most books I read have at least one chapter that “drags”. Yours did not. I remained interested in the story the entire time. Kudos to you my friend! I plan to buy the sequels (you’re welcome). Keep at it please, now that you have my attention…
Just finished Android’s Dream (loved it!) & I wanted to say thank you for paying attention to the DC area details & not putting giant warehouses in Falls Church, etc. Did you visit the area to do research?
Lauren:
I have a house in Sterling and lived in the area for several years.
How would you feel about being translated into Greek (modern, of course)?
I’d be delighted; all inquiries in that regard need to be run through my agent.
I bought OLD MANS WAR on a whim while browsing the sci-fi section. ThenI quickly bought GHOST BRIGADES. Thanks for a great ride!!
I just noticed that your from Fairfield, Ca. I’ve been working and living in Vacaville for the last 20 years.
Please keep up the great work!
Gordon
Well, I was born in Fairfield. I spend most of my time growing up in southern California, however.
I tried to post this in the comments section of the post on virtual book tours but I kept getting an error page…
I do agree that there are some great services out there that will organize a virtual book tour (VBT) for an author. This is perfect for authors who just aren’t computer savvy or don’t have the time. But be prepared to pay.
Personally, I made the time to organize a VBT, and I held it during August. I found it extremely rewarding and I value the relationships I’ve made with my hosts. I still see traffic from their blogs/sites.
After studying this newer trend in marketing for a couple of years, and since I am always looking for exciting new ways to promote my novels, I decided to hold a 1-month VBT and I read everything I could find on the topic first. Since August, I’ve spoken about and written articles on the subject. Some of my articles have been featured on book marketing sites and in newsletters by book marketing experts.
I’d like to share the link to my article here. This is a step-by-step plan for holding your own VBT, detailing what to do, how to do it and when to do it. I invite you to check it out.
http://www.cherylktardif.com/virtual-book-tours
Cheryl Kaye Tardif,
bestselling author of Whale Song, The River and Divine Intervention
http://www.cherylktardif.com
Have been a fan since your days in Fresno, and LOVED your piece on the creation museum!!
Thanks !
Hello John,
I’m one of those Guy’s who read your books in a language which you don’t speak, I would like to thank you – years ago I had hundreds of SF books and I loved the stuff from Harry Harrison, Robert Heinlein, Arthur C. Clarke … but since 15 years I didn’t found a real good “new” SF Story or Writer, but – two weeks ago I found one of your books in my language it is called “Krieg der Klone” and I loved it !! Great story and humour – a little like stainless steel rat … – so today I bought the second which is translated as Geisterbrigaden – I hope the it will be such a great fun as the first one – sorry about my english, but its been a couple of years ago since I learned it :-) – you don’t really need foreign language as sysadmin in the public sector – ok – reading white papers and manuals – but thats it .. I wish I could tell you in eloquent words how much fun it was reading the story of the old guy getting an new fine styled body and using it ..
Thanks and Greets from Calden, Germany .. – and thanks to you for beeing an “interactive author” – I love this guestbook stuff ..
Thanks, Lemmy! I’m very happy you enjoyed Krieg der Klone! I didn’t know Geisterbrigaden was out yet, but I hope you enjoy that one as well!
Hi John–
I just finished The Android’s Dream as well–it was a lot of fun. I too would love to hear more about Harry, Robin, et al. I’ve also really enjoyed Old Man’s War and its sequels. I’ll look forward to the new book.
Hello John-
Came to your blog to see what you have been up to lately. My husband and I love your work. We also love the fact that you are a local (well, now a local) writer since we live in Arcanum, Ohio. So glad to have you in the area! And thanks for writing such wonderful science fiction!
Hi John,
Our four-year-old science fiction bookclub (12 members) selected -Old Man’s War-. We meet monthly in the Cincinnati region. Everyone is very excited about reading your book and we would like to invite you to participate in our discussion group. We have openings for April through September. Everyone would be thrilled if you are interested. Thank you. Brenda
I just read Agent to the Stars (in one day) and loved it. I cant wait to go out and buy Old Mans War.
G’day John,
Having recently arrived at 50 years of age “Old Man’s War” was a particular pleasure to read. As a long term consumer of all sorts of SF I congradulate you on a very fine piece of work written with great skill and insight.
Thanks, Paul, Melbourne, Australia
John,
Just finished OMW and loved it. And I’ll second Jennifer in that I’m glad your a local, we’re down in Kettering. On my way out to the book store now to build my collection.
Thanks, Tim
Re: Old Man’s War
John,
How did you acquire such great insight to being old? You’re just a youngster! And military experience? Don’t see any in your bio.
Fred
Well, I’m getting older every day.
No military service, but have family who served.
hey John,
can I tell you a little story? its short and its a can did type of thing so here it goes, one day me and my brother are walking through the mall trying to spend the Christmas money burning in our pockets, but I’m no fool when it comes to wasting money on foolish things. The book store is never a foolish thing to pass up. while in the store I pass my your book “The Android’s Dream.” picking it up from the hilarious cover art, I judge it by page numbers. looks a bit long i think, while reading the back.
hoping I’m not as lazy as I think I am, i buy the book and begin to read it at home. sadly I didn’t read it in a day, but thats ok, I don’t think i could do it in a day anyway. I just finished it today about a week later, and I have to say I really enjoyed the book. great charecter development and I could really begin to relate to almost all the characters, and what a TWIST at the end!! woo!! haha! i was not expecting that at all!
-your friend, Joshua C.
ps. keep up the great work!
Glad you liked it!
Dear John:
I also worked on The Maroon and majored in philosophy at the U of C, at the same time you were there. Stumbled on your blog via the “being poor” entry, which even going back 3 years later and looking at it still brings back horribly sad memories. I’m not poor anymore — but I don’t think I’ll ever get over having started that way. The world never lets you forget, does it?
Anyway, great blog!
Hi John, just dropped by to say loved ‘Old Man’s War’.
I read it because Joe Mallozzi one of the writers of Star Gate Atlantis enthused about it so much on his blog that I went out and brought it. It’s such an easy book to read that I found it really hard to put down.
Pauline
Excellent! Really happy you enjoyed it.
Hey John,
My buddy and I are becoming sci-fi fiends lately. For Christmas, he gave me Old Man’s War and said that he just stumbled across it in the book store, read it, and said it gave Ender’s Game a run for its money as his favorite sci-fi book. I blew through Old Man’s War and The Ghost Brigades. I was finally able to get my hands on The Last Colony and am in the midst of enjoying it right now. You’re a phenomenal writer. Android’s Dream is next!
Cool!
Hey John, I just got Old Man’s War as a free ebook in an email from Tor. I have an Amazon Kindle, so popped in your book and started reading this morning.
Excellent book so far. I love your style of writing and you’ve inspired me to get off of my lazy butt and start writing as well. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do, so not sure what about your story and/or this book that made me decide to start. But it’s been decided. Maybe it’s because we’re the same age and you’ve actually done something with your life, while I spend my life admiring others. Hmmmm…
When I fail miserably, I will totally blame you. Thanks for writing this awesome book anyway. :)
John,
I got OMW from the Tor thingie, I immediately bought every book of yours that Amazon had. Been reading SF, ummm, longer than you’ve been alive. Wow, you are good. I didn’t think I would ever find another author to be enthusiastic about.
Now, for the interesting part. I’m from the southern San Joaquin Valley, now live in Central Ohio, and we seen to share many of the same views. Niven’s law notwithstanding. I say that we share a medium amount of commonality of experience. More than any other SF author I’ve ever encountered. And I found out all of this commonality AFTER falling deeply into OMW. Finishing it, in fact.
Just interesting.
Oh ya, love the cats. I have too many.
Found your Old Man War through Audible – are you going to have all your novels done on audio? (please,please,please) There are so few new Sci Fi guys, with a sense of humor to choose from.
Michelle Nimac:
The Ghost Brigades will be out on audio soon, and I expect others will be along as well.
Stumbled across The Androids Dream. Amazing. Found The Last Colony. Started it last night, just finished. So much political and military savvy, so much wit, humor and sarcasm mixed with genuine insight into the human character. All served up with the perfect delivery of a master storyteller. May actually go out right now and find OMW and TGB.
Well, it said you pay homage to Ender’s Game so I thought I better read it before OMW and TGB. Just finished. It’s not THAT bad but I found it a bit tediously didactic; too heavy handed with pointing a moral while telling a tale. Probably wonderful if you enjoy a left wing morality play. Next up comes OMW and TGB.
John,
I too read your book Old Man’s War after receiving it from TOR. Like a new drug addict having gotten his first shot for free, I am willing, yes eager, to pay for subsequent books in this universe.
However, I found reading the book on my mobile (using the MOBI format) really comfortable. Are your books sold in that format? Or any other electronic format that is convertible to MOBI?
Thanks,
Philbert
How I Came To Know John Scalzi’s Work (since that seems to be a common theme on this comment thread):
My wife complains all the time that she never knows what to buy me for holiday and birthday presents. “When you see something, you always buy it for yourself. You see a book you like, you buy it. You hear a song you like, you buy the album. You need to tell me what you like, and then don’t buy it.”
But I’m old fashioned when it comes to gifts. I mean, it’s both of our money, so if I tell her what I want, and then she goes and buys it (and then I write the check to AmEx when the bill comes in) — well, the only difference from me buying it myself is the pretty paper. And that’s nice, but it’s not all that special.
So I said, “You know I like science fiction, and you know that any authors I’ve read and like I’ve probably got everything in print, so go through the Science Fiction section at B&N, and find something by an author that you haven’t seen me reading that you think I’d like.
For Christmas, I opened up OMW. I think it took me two days to finish it, but that was because, well, the kids wanted to play with their games, and we were visiting family and all. Scalzi is now on my “buy anything you see” list. (Though I don’t think I’d spend $100/year on his work. I’m cheap. Paperbacks I buy; hardcovers get taken out of the library.)
My wife is a much more insightful woman than she gives herself credit for.
John–
I want to subscribe to your RSS, but I’m only finding your technorati RSS–am I missing something?
Thanks!
Shauna
Just finished OMW. A couple of spots jarred my sense of immersion and engagement in the novel.
Unless it is Saint Patrick’s Day in hell (happy St Paddy’s day BTW) if everybody is dead and there is green slime all over, everbody knows it’s the slime stupid; get out now. Thomas’ death hammered the point home but jarred me loose from the novel because nobody would be allowed such exposure to an obvious biological hazard.
The inch tall people hammered home the point of loosing your humanity but carried the novel over the cliff of absurdity in the process; nobody believes in inch tall people unless it’s St Patrick’s day and they are overbevaraged on green beer.
I was afraid the novel had stumbled, could not recover and was ruined. However, it caught it’s stride, gained momentum and rushed to a rousing and glorious ending (it is especially important not to have a ruined ending). I give it highest marks and relish the prospect of TGB coming up next.
Ender’s Game suffered a ruined ending, IMO. There are only a few pages left and the children are still “practicing”. I am obviously expected to suspend my disbelief to the point of lowering my IQ to 50 so I won’t see the obvious: it’s not a game, the kids are really fighting the battle. What happened was it really made me angry that the writer is expecting me not to notice something really obvious.
IMO the bad news with OMW is it got fewer awards than it deserves. The good news is I think it will still be read 50 years from now.
Jon Zink:
The inch-high people get a lot of folks, actually. My response to them is that they’re thinking of the aliens as tiny little humans instead of aliens. Inch-high humans are not possible, to be sure (they’d freeze to death), but I think it’s possible to logically model inch high aliens who don’t violate physics and who are also pretty darn smart. It’s all in how you design them.
Be that as it may, I’m glad the book bounced back for you. Hope you enjoy the rest of them as well!
Well, “they” say, that kind of like the Ur-Hamlet, that Starship Troopers and The Forever War are the Ur-Ghost Brigades. So I am reading those as a primer before reading The Ghost Brigades. Delayed gratificatiion. Unlike Ender’s Game TGB is said to end with “a brilliant narrative bait-and-switch” that no one can see coming.
Just read Old Man’s War and The Ghost Brigades in less than a week. There are very few books I read easily, letalone finding not one, but two, I could barely put down. Unfortunately The Last Colony doesn’t come out until July in the UK, so I’m chomping at the bit to read it. Funnily enough Ender’s Game is an old favourite of mine, but your books were better. If you can recommend any novels or authors of a similar vein, let me know. I have lots of books I started but never finished because they didn’t pull me in. Thanks for the change.
Hi John,
A question regarding the University of Chicago and writing (if you have a moment): did you ever take the Little Red Schoolhouse writing course? I potentially have the option to take either that or intermediate fiction writing, and I’m unsure of which to pick. By the way, I’m also enrolled in a philosophy class called Faith and Reason.
Ayn:
Never took Little Red Schoolhouse; didn’t think I needed it (others might have begged to differ). Given the choice between the two courses, I would pick LRS — internalizing the languages structure is a good thing, and you can always pick up the fiction writing course later. I took a fiction writing course at the U of C, and in retrospect it wasn’t particularly useful.
That’s pretty much the way I’m leaning. Thanks for the input!
Hi John,
I’ve been reading your site for a couple of days now, since I saw Wil Wheaton talk about your Hugo nomination. I went to the Border’s here in Milwaukee and picked up Old Man’s War (I took the larger autographed copy over the standard pocket-book size I usually get, so I hope you see something of that extra $5 I spent ;-). I enjoyed the book quite a bit, and will be picking up the other two books in the series soon enough.
I see you worked for the Bee for a few years. I’m originally from Fresno, so I was probably reading your reviews during middle school and into high school (though I don’t remember knowing the movie reviewer’s name until I kept disagreeing with Donald Munro). Glad to see you were able to move on to bigger and better things.
Hi John,
Your novels open immediately and vividly into a compelling and fascinating world; on page one Scottie has beamed you up, you are there and empathizing with a character you seem to have known forever or else are seemingly part of serious and rapid developments.
I finished Starship Troopers which comes pretty darn close. Started “The Forever War” but it seemed to be taxiing on the runway for too long before taking off, so I just now went out and bought The Ghost Brigades. Read the first 19 pages in 5 minutes. Then the red light I was sitting at in my car changed to green. I had to seriously weigh the options of continuing to read and ignore the cars honking behind me or snap the book shut and dash home.
Eeek!
I almost went to the webb school. I visited it but decided it wasn’t the right place for me when the students didn’t get my puns.
*makes eerie creepy b-movie sci fi noises*
Where did you go?
I ended up going to “The Buckley School” in sherman oaks instead. If I had gone to Webb I would have lived on campus as commuting from the San Fernando valley would have been a bit much. I also looked at Flintridge and Polytech.
Oh, and my BF used to go to Claremont High.
Small world, it is.
John, I love Old Man’s War is it very suspenseful and very realistic. Besides the part about him getting a new fit body, that was pretty cool!!!!!!!!
John, are you going to be publishing anymore books in the future , or are there any books you are working on?
Jon Bailey:
Yes, I write books full-time these days. I have three novels scheduled between now and the end of 2009.
Well, that’s it, I have read them all.
I read TGB last and I appreciate how well made the novel is. There is a quite entertaining medly of plot twists and denouements at the end of the novel, along with a liberal sowing of the seeds of future novels. Bravo. Nicely done.
I’m reading the Old Man’s War and Ghost Brigades for the second time. In the first book your Sgt. Ruiz and John Perry’s verbal exchange around Willie Wheelie had me crying, I was laughing so hard. It was worse the second time around. God that hurt so good. That has to be a classic.
I’ve been reading science fiction since high school (back in the early 60’s). Heinlein, Asimov, etc.. Then I became interested in future combat. I thought I had read just about every science fiction combat novel there was. And then…Yep, Battletech came out. So, I’m always cruising the book stores on the look out for fresh science fiction combat. And I came across your books. Believe it or not I even play HALO, and I’m pretty decent (for an old man). I hope to see more of your work in the future.
Born in Fairfield, huh? I was born in Vallejo.
Take care, and thank you for your books.
I host a once-monthly sci fi book discussion group in Fort Wayne, IN. We are discussing your book, Old Man’s War, on 5/4/08. Do you have any suggestions about where to find discussion questions? I have many of my own since there so many themes in the book, but sometimes publishers will create some questions, too.
Do you have any suggested questions that would spark good discussion?
Stephanie
I was “googling” – surviving poverty, which led me here. That particular wonderful (yet painful) thread has long been closed, yet I sat here for over 2 hours reading it in its entirety. “Hope” may be a 4 letter word, but it keeps you going. Thanks…
Hi John
I’m another one who have read your book on the foreign language for you: russian.
The Old Mans War (or “Doomed to victory” in russian ver.) was impressed me much stronger than such epic story like “Dune” by F.Herbert.
It realistic and easy to understand. I think sci-fi story must be definitly like this one.
p.s. I’ve noticed that you have a birthday today. Happy birthday! And thanks for that great story:-)
Neat!
john,
like many others here I was captivated by old mans war. I was just wondering if you have ever been propositioned to turn it into a tv series?
I get a lot of offer for TV/film rights. I’ve turned them down so far because I’m not happy with what’s been offered to this point.
I really enjoyed Old Man’s War so much. I loved the humour, the exciting space adventures, cool futuristic weapon, action packed scenes, and the close relationship experienced by characters. I’d love for you to write another book with the same formula that made me love old man’s war so much.
I think good friends going off into far off exotic space planets to fight a menacing foe trying to destroy the human race is such fun to read.
I read your last books in the series but I have to say I much preferred the romping adventure to the political intrigue in the sequels to the series.
Hi John . I just got your book the Last Colony in a book sale in Winchester, Mass at the ENKA fair. It looks like it could make a good sci fi tv series or a movie.
I am a screenwriter and wondering if I could write the screenplay for the Last Colony and then we could split royalties, etc. and try to pitch it to a movie studio. Currently I am writing screenplays for James Huston and Mitchell Graham.
Email me at
jdearman77@gmail.com and we can talk.
Sincerely,
Jeff Dearman
Winchester, MA
Jeff:
This is something that is generally better discussed in e-mail then in a comment area of a blog. I don’t generally handle this sort of business in public, nor do I know of many people who do.
That said, the answer is no. My work is already under representation and being shopped for film and TV, and generally the producers who would make offers on the work would have their own screenwriters or would have me take a run at a draft.
Thanks for your interest, however.
Claremont?! I graduated from Pitzer College in 1982. Did you know that? Maybe I already told you. A friend of mine went to Webb. I’ve been to Fresno and Clovis. The Bee is a fine newspaper. I’ve lived in Riverside since 1989. Did you ever live here? Maybe I’ll see you at LosCon. Go, go, go.
This says nothing of your killing a man for snoring too loud.
John, I was researching online about why poor people think all tax cuts are for the rich. To be honest, I was trying to find some smart ass retort as to why I should pay more taxes than those less fortunate. I accidently came across the “Whatever” Being Poor strand. Let’s just say that it was very sobering. I am going to volunteer somewhere. Thanks, I never really looked at it from that perspective. Regards.
Hi John, as a huge fan from Germany I must say that I have never read anything more fascinating and diverting than your books.
Thanks a lot for writing them and please keep going! Most important, push the German publisher to bringing out your books faster ;-)
Dennis:
My German publisher so far as rights to every book but Zoe’s Tale, so more books are indeed coming!
Robert:
Glad to be useful to you.
Thomas:
Cool! See you at LosCon!
Wow! You were born in Fairfield? Me, too! Tis where I live. Such a small world. ;)
Mr Scalzi, just started your first novel “Oldmans War” I am surprised by your relative youth, compared to myself, in as much as you have nailed being an older man like I imagine myself.Your empathy and or insight into what it is like to be older than you are is remarkable. I amenjoying this story very much! Thankyou.
Dear Mr Scalzi,
I just finished your book Old Mans war which kept me up all night to finish. I have to thank you. It has been a long time since i have been able to pick up a writer who was not Orson Scott Card and have a tremendous love for the book. I read Agent to the Stars from my local library and liked your style that I decided to pick up the first book in your series and I loved it, I have plans to go out and find the rest of the series now. Also have plans for Androids Dream. I have to thank you again for bringing me back into the folds of sci-fi reading.
John… It’s your cousin. Your sister just posted something (not here) and I read it and started researching you….WOW you’re a popular guy! Dad (Gale) always talks about you and the books he’s read from you. I would like to be in contact with you on a personal basis…but I can’t seem to find an email. I’ll see if dad has your email, but if not, plaese contact me.
I hope to talk to you soon….
Hi, Sarah!
My contact information is here.
John – stumbled upon your blog, after hearing Bill Maher talk about the Creation Museum. All I can say is, “Shit!”
“Horseshit” is such a useful word, isn’t it? Much better than “bullshit.”
Keep up the good work!
JL
Do you ever make it over to Columbus? Have you considered doing a signing appearance?
Well, I’d be there….
Mr. Scalzi-
I recently read Android’s Dream, and just dropped by to say:
You magnificent bastard! You put that f’ing Gerard Depardieu /Green Card/ “parcels” riff in there, and I f’ing got it, OK? I probably missed a bunch of other stuff, but I got that one!
Oh, and uh, the rest of the book was pretty good, too.
That is all.
James
Glad someone got the Green Card reference. I really like that movie.
Come here and leave your commentYou Are Very Creative, ymca camp wood, ymca camp wood, 846,
Hi John,
I really have enjoyed your books. I just finished Android’s Dream and I’ll be sure to tell others how much fun it was. BTW, I think there were only three bullets left in the 45.
Keep on writing!!!
Mike
Are you sure that’s who you are? That guy lives a few blocks down the road from me, and he doesn’t look anything like you.
Hi John, just read Old Man’s War (as eBook) and loved it. Went to Fictionwise where I was sure to have seen Ghost Brigades as eBook as well, but apparently not. I can’t find any other book of you as eBook anywhere… You think they’ll become available one day?
Cheers,
Erik
You actually enjoyed living in that methane pit of Dubya-lovin’ monster-truck scumfuckery known as Fresno?
I wish I had this information for the “Hate John Scalzi” contest.
Yes, I did like it, actually. There were (and are) worse places to live in California.
I lived there for almost two years and hated it. Mostly for the unbearable over-100-degree heat, the stench of cow dung, the lack of anything worthwhile to do, and rampant conservatism. I’m grateful to be back in LA.
To each their own.
Dear John,
I have read your Letzte Kolonie and I would like to tell you that it is a great book. Your style of writing is so funny and fascinating. There are not so many author who write books like that. I am looking forward for your next book which will be published in Jan. 2009 in Germany I think. Sorry for my English!
Annette, Waiblingen – Germany
John,
You were my editor when I was writing humor columns for Howdy on Yahoo sometime last century.
Over the weekend I was trying to remember your name (memory is a memory once you hit 50). Then just now I drifted onto your blog. Weird.
Glad to see you’re doing well.
It was AOL, but yes, that’s me! Glad you’re doing well too, Bob.
Annette: Danke!
John-
Just finished The Last Colony, and you did it again! OMW jumped immediately into my top 3 (w/ Dune and Starship Troopers), and you’ve kept the standard high. My wife is currently cackling her way through Android’s Dream- and she’ll be diving back into John and Jane’s universe next.
Keep up the great work!
Paul G
My son* gave me OMW and “The Ghost Brigades” in paperback for Father’s Day. I inhaled them both and waited with anticipation for “The Last Colony” to be issued in pb (I prefer pb to hard cover – takes less room on my bookshelves).
I bought “The Last Colony” on July 30th and finished it today. I’m now ready for “Zoe’s Tale.” When will it be out in pb?
Your new fan,
Terry
* My older son serves as “dealer” to this S/F “junkie.” He addicted me to Piers Anthony’s first three books of his Xanth “trilogy” (now completely out of hand, with me waiting impatiently for “Air Apparent” [# 31] to come out in pb in OctOgre). He also addicted me to the works of Harry Turtledove.
Terry:
It hasn’t even come out in hardcover yet, so it’ll be at least a year until it’s in paperback.
I read Old Man’s War and loved it and then Android’s Dream and loved it, but didn’t realize that it was the same author until I went to get more books by the same “two” authors. Your attention to detail is amazing.
Thanks for the great time!
Loved Old Man’s War! I’ll have to check out the others later. Cheers!
Oh and I saw your name on this page and wondered if it was you, then found your site from Google.
http://www.armadillocon.org/guests/index.htm
I’m right in the middle of Old Man’s War and spellbound. Probably the best written sci fi book I’ve read since the Rama series. I about pee’d my pants when John Perry named his Brain Pal “asshole”. I was eating a sandwich in my truck, parked in a parking lot on my lunch hour and blew sandwich chunks all over the windshield. Thanks John. Can’t wait to read the next one.
Just finished Lost Colony about half an hour ago. WOW. Just plain WOW. Not often I get tears in eyes after reading. I’m a 53 year old Geologist from eastern Ind., now in Colo. Started reading it on plane yesterday to Denver then had to get chores settled so I could give the rest of book total attention today. Love the humor, love the love. Keep them coming! I started reading SF when paperbacks were 40 cents and I think you are pretty dang fine when compared to a lot of great folks. Thanks
I got a free copy of “Old Man’s War” from TOR (in .PDF format) and really enjoyed it. Thank you! I’ve since purchased two of your other books (also very good). I’m finding that these promotional e-books are an effective way to market (to me, at least) because I’ve purchased several books from authors in TOR’s promotional program.
Hello John,
I’m an italian reader. I’ve just finished OMW and already ordered through the Internet hardcover copies of The Ghost Brigades and The Last Colony. I just can’t wait to go on.
SF has been my first love and I’ve been reading tons of it for a very long time. Lately my love for SF wasn’t anymore the same as in the past then I wish to thank you and your brilliant work for giving me back the old enthusiasm.
I’m pretty sure that many italian SF readers would be pleased to discover your novels. Do you already have an italian publisher? If yes, have you any anticipation about italian editions schedule? Thanks.
Mauro (Gort), Milano – Italy
I recently picked up Android’s Dream and absolutely loved it. I then followed suit and decided to look at your other books from the Old Man’s war…
I have read the three of them but haven’t gotten around to reading Zoe’s Tale or the Sagan Diaries mostly because they aren’t available here.. I may pick them up from amazon.
I’d just like to say that you are an amazing writer. I’ve been addicted to science fiction books since I first became a fan of science fiction because of Douglas Adams and I must say your style of adding humor with great dept of science is great.
I anxiously awaiting whatever you come up with next.
When I first met my husband, I provided him with a non-optional reading list of Heinlein’s masterworks as a prerequisite to our continuing relationship. To return the favor two years later, he today bought me a copy of OMW. For someone who still cries at the end of Starship Troopers (both for its lovely poignancy, and for the loss of its author), reading OMW was like catching the scent of a dead lover’s perfume on a new lover’s skin: oddly familiar, but unique and exciting in the new context. It took my breath away. Outstanding.
i’m already told it to my friends, and i’ll tell you again: justta real thing!!!
I started reading sci fi in the 50’s and 60’s, somewhere along the way I became disillusioned and turned off.
I saw a review of your “The Old Man’s War” and picked up a copy.
Read the whole series and loved it. Especially the way you married the traditional sci fi with new ideas.
Thanks for several enjoyable hours of reading.
As an aspiring Fantasy and SciFi author I read not only for the pure enjoyment but also to see what works and what entertains when it comes to style. I just finished The Ghost Brigade and I loved it; the concept was amazing (I wish it’d been more clear it was a sequel – it didn’t read like a sequel but I’m going to go find The Old Man’s War now) and the style really had me flipping pages. I absolutely love this book; it ranks up there on my SciFi favorites list beside the Ender series and Kevin J Anderson’s Saga of Seven Suns.
You have an amazing talent to make the science interesting but not overwhelming, the combat detailed but not excessive, and the characters so real I wish I could meet them face to face. So thank you, for writing and for sharing your brilliance. Writers like you inspire aspiring authors like me.
Dear John,
I have a question. Why have you choose science fiction as your medium? Why not love stories or crime like Elisabeth George for example. What was you first contact with science fiction stories? I like your style, it is like David Brin or Isak Asimov ( I hope I have written his name right). You are always so positiv in your writing. How the people from our planet will get in to the space. It is not so dark like “Aliens” it is always funny and positive and I like that because here on earth there are so many trouble and wars but I believe will make it in to the space. I am always happy when I something hear about the spacemission to the mars or the the moon and the when the sending of moduls by the NASA to our Raumfahrtmission which includes a lot of countries all ofter the world like USA, Japan, Germany, Russia and so on. I hope this bring us forward in getting in to the space like your book shows us or how the people get solutions about the polution or other things like hurricans in the book of David Brin. I hope we will have a world some day like you show this us in your books. There a conflicts but they will get a solution and deal with other specities (perhaps there are some there).
I have read on your other website that you are making music. What kind of music is this? Where could I listen to it or can buy it or get in from the internet?
I would be happy to hear from you!
Yours Annette
I life in Waiblingen near Stuttgart (Germany)
Annette:
I write science fiction mostly because it’s what I’ve enjoyed reading.
As for the music: Click on the “Scalzi Creative Sampler” link in the sidebar, and then click on the “Music for Headphones” link you find there.
John,
I am 41 pages from the end of Old Man’s War and I am already planning my excursion to Borders to get everything else. I picked your book up almost a month ago and couldn’t start it because I was plodding through something else. How quickly things change. While I couldn’t face reading that other book for more than a few minutes at a time, I have had to force myself to put yours down. My work and personal hygiene are suffering (not true really, as I am a quick reader…). But I want to tell you that are on my short list of favorite new writers. Kudos.
My partner went to Barnes & Noble, saw the signage promos for your latest, no books or book. Asked a clerk about it, clerk said that they only received one box of books and they were all sold in less than an hour. The only other authors I know of that fit into this category were Richard Sapir & Warren Murphy with their Destroyer Series. Walden books told me that they usually could not put any of those on the rack until the third box was delivered, the Call List was that long for those books that they just took them out of the box for customers to take away. Congratulations on hitting the big time! BTW, I got their last copy of Zoe’s Tale. Usually I can wait for hardcovers to go into remainder before I buy them, you have just overridden that obstacle.
Don’t know if anyone passed this along to you-one of the artists on the Trekbbs created it for a class assignment.
John,
On my way back from a tour in Iraq a few weeks ago I picked up “The Last Colony” on a whim for the plane ride–WOW! I immediately bought “Old Man’s War” and “The Ghost Brigades” and read them in a little over a day. I wanted to simply say Thank You very much (!) and you’ve definitely earned another fan. Keep up the good work and best of luck to you.
Best,
Gray, Washington, DC
P.S. Perhaps this is due to a lack of extensive Google searching, but are there any pictures of what the alien races look or is that just wishful thinking? Thanks.
How did you end up in Bradford, OH?…seems pretty far off from California. I’m from Minster, OH—about 1/2 hour north of you, so I’m just curious to what drew you to Bradford?
My wife, who wanted to be closer to her family.
Dude.
I’m in love with Old Man’s War
and pretty much all your books!
Its probably the best book I have ever gotten the chance to read and i just wanted to thank you.
=]]
John,
I enjoyed Old Man’s War quite a bit. I had to toss it rather than keep it around however due to the language so the kids wouldn’t get into it.
The Androids Dream story was wild and unexpected. I enjoyed that perhaps even more than the Old Man’s War.
Keep up the great ideas.
Kevin
I read your books, they were terrific.
By the way, how do you think of these, lets say, ‘unique’ ideas???
Hi John,
I was wondering if you have read, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K Dick, im sure you must know it was the novel that Bladerunner was based on. Bladerunner is my most fav sci-fi movie and i still enjoy viewing it and speculating about all its fine details. I just set up a blog with wordpress and saw that you are now with wordpress too. I would like to read one of your books, what might be a recommendation…with thanks, erika, salonunidad
ya librarian in honolulu over here. just finished zoe’s tale, loved it, and plan to push it something fierce to the teens (wondering if it will be harder to get girls to read sf or boys to read a book with a teenage girl as the protagonist. my guess is the latter).
btw, totally chuffed that you call claremont, ca your hometown. me too! (CHS tho.)
Thanks, mimo!
I have owned three of your books for several years now, starting with the Old Man’s War, but just discovered this website link in the back of my copy of The Ghost Brigades, which I just reread. I have been a SciFi reader since the age of 7 or 8 (now 57) and have found your style to my liking. I wll soon also reread The Last Colony.
I just want to say thank you. Your are very good at this writing craft, rare in fact, and you have explored some interesting future paths of technology. We are on the brink.
GO JOHN!!
Just want to say I disagree with any complaints about the 1 inch tall aliens in OMW. I thought it was a great image. I kind of made me wish i could hold one in my hand (even though he or she would shoot at me).
All of the imagery was so real to me, that i had some very strange dreams. Just got The Ghost Brigades today. thanks.
John,
I stumbled upon a Science Fiction bookstore in Toronto, to my delight (I live three blocks from it..delight-squared), and asked the nice man there to recommend a book. I told him three SciFi authors I like and he turned on a dime and literally marched to the a random bookshelf in the middle of many other bookshelves in the store, and then proceeded to grab a book off a shelf that was higher in height than him by hopping off the ground and swiping it in one rather graceful movement. It was so odd, and I didn’t ask questions, but I bought the book. It was OMW, and to my elation, it is a signed copy, because apparently, you just recently made an appearance in there. Long story short….I am reading it now and it is wonderful so far. Not sure how my friend from the bookstore arrived at OMW because the authors’ names I gave him all have a different flare for the genre, but he hit the nail on the head…or perhaps hopped on it.
I hope this made you smile.
I just finished reading ur “old man’s war” and “ghost brigades”, of course in Chinese version, they r gr8t,keep going & good luck!
fr.PRC
Forgot to say: Welcome to China!
Mr. Scalzi,
wow!! thanks man real good, started with last colony, then figured out it was the end “SO FAR” of a trilogy.
hey there is a lot of dead space at the end of chapters and between books ie.. “Part two”, pages where u can leave us the reader a note like “hey if you like this so far maybe you should read the other 2 first!! or check out my web site. don’t wait til the end get them while you got them and a litle more interaction during the read with the author
that’s you!! would be great. just small things like
“next chapter is really good so you better hit the head now”
well you know what i mean, your a lil different so be different people today want a lil more interaction not just at the end.
great writing along the lines of Charles Sheffield you are deffinitly not restricted to sci-fi but wow that was good.
like I said thanks and keep your head up, there will be down days, but savor the great ones dont get complacent shake it up sometimes
mike
I have just this minute finished reading ‘The Last Colony’ and would like to congratulate you on a fine piece of story telling, filled with wonderful ‘down to Earth’ characters and credible politics.
I have been riveted from beginning to end. In the field of SF your work should be considered a rare gem, keep up the good work and thank you.
Nick
Hi
I was curious if you had any input into the choice of the audio book cover background image of the city skyline for the anthology-Metatropolis?
Nope.
Virginia, Mike, Nick, fanxianghui: Thanks!
I bought “Old Man’s War” in the airport and read it on my honeymoon a year ago. I couldn’t stop. Didn’t make my wife happy.
Got home, went to the library and got “The Android’s Dream.” Went to the bookstore and bought “Ghost Brigades.” Reserved “The Last Colony and finally, two months ago, got it from the Library (although I will be buying it.)
Read “The Last Colony,” stayed up late to finish it, closed the book, turned out my bedside lamp, and had my first panic attack. The first of many. Seriously, I’m sick.
I’m not saying I blame you, John. It’s probably unrelated. I read “Zoe’s Tale” a few weeks ago and didn’t have a nervous breakdown, so I think we’re OK.
But I did finish your series and go crazy.
If I’d known that you were going to write “Zoe’s Tale,” maybe none of this would have ever happened. I’m just saying…
Thanks, and keep up the good work.
What a delight and a relief! I just finished reading Old Man’s War and am ecstatic that I have other books in the series to look forward to.
I am a huge fan of space opera and love talking strategy and tactics, so it should follow that I’d also be a huge fan of military sci fi. Unfortunately, about 5 books into the genre, I became so irate with the genre’s tendency to use sexual violence to dimensionalize its female characters (instead of actual character development), that I painted up a soap box and started using it as a bludgeoning device whenever someone would recommend a military sci fi book to me. It became the mission of several of my sci fi reading friends to find a military sci fi book that broke the pattern.
Many people thought David Weber would be a good bet, but sexual abuse lurks in Honor’s past, and one of the books in the series reveals the repeated sexual violence done to women prisoners of war being rescued.
Well, surely a woman wouldn’t do it, try Elizabeth Moon. Nope, she does it too.
Catherine Asaro? I picked up Primary Inversion. While it was a great book, I also peevishly took notes on all of the foreshadowing of sexual violence done to one of the characters; p.11, p. 37 …
Finally, a girlfriend of mine who shares my love of sci fi and who also introduced me to the awesomeness that is Scott Westerfeld, recommended Old Man’s War.
THANK YOU for breaking the pattern! I loved reading this book. It made me laugh out loud, it brought tears to my eyes, and above all, it was a great, colorful, immersive military sci fi adventure.
Recently read the complete “Old Man’s War” series, and just now finished “The Android’s Dream.” I’ve been reading sci-fi since Robert Heinlein wrote “Rocketship Galileo,” and you certainly have some of the more interesting plots I’ve encountered. “The Android’s Dream” hints at some of what Ray Kurzweil talks about in “The Singularity Is Near.” Maybe it’s not so far away!
Wow… I’ve been visiting your site for about a year and a half now, and I only just visited this page. I currently live in Vallejo Ca, but I lived in Fairfield for 3 years… until I lost my house in this darn housing slump. Well anyway keep up the great work.
I am half way through The Ghost Brigade and I cannot put these books down! Old Man’s War is one of the best books i have ever read and this whole series seems to be heading in the same direction. I am currently deployed to Baghdad, Iraq and found both books inside one of the morale free libraries and am so glad I picked them up. I just bought the third book and Sagan’s Diary and will probably read every book you have written before I finish my tour of duty. Please keep them coming!
Found your blog by random action, only to discover we have the same day, but not year, of birth. I can only assume this means you are the perfect god I have been searching for all my life… I’ll build the temple tomorrow.
Well. This is surprising. I wander around the internet, looking for places to publish a novella, happen to come here, and … err … I actually read Old Man’s War, and recommended it to several people, who then bought it. [I work at a bookstore. Woo, being poor.]
Coincidence!
… OK, that’s all I have to say. :P
Old Man`s War is a BRILIANT BOOK !!!
John,
You are one of the best writers I have read in a long time. Since Jul 08, I have read ‘Old Man’s War’, ‘Ghost Brigades’, Zoe’s Tale’, ‘Sagan’s Diary’, and have just ordered ‘Android Dreams’ and ‘Agent to the Stars. I can’t wait to get them. Fairfield? Must be an Air Force Brat. I graduated High School in Fairfield. 198 too long ago 2. From Kuwait, Rob
I forgot to add the ‘The Last Colony’, My personal favorite.
Love your books. If you are ever in Athens, let me know.
John,
I want to thank you so much for doing what you do – I have been reading sci-fi for a very long time and I am absolutely delighted to have been “helped” into discovering another wonderful author to follow!
I have been reading sci-fi since my early teens (which was well before the internet was even a thought bubble) and you have brought me right back to the incredible heady days of first discovering what it is like to journey through someone else’s mindscapes! Your books are making quite the scene down here in Australia – wish you would do a tour!
With my heartfelt thanks and most sincere encouragement to keep on writing!
I love your books on the Colonial Defense Forces! You are a Amazing author! I hope you can continue them with a 4th book!
I was just browsing the bookstore and happened to pick up Agent to the Stars. I read it in little over a day and absolutely loved every minute of it. I laughed out loud more times than I can count. Thanks for such a great book! :)
Well what can I say that has not been said in all the posts above. I reread “Old mans war” the other day and enjoyed it as much if not more than the first time. I am now half way through “The last Colony” its a pleasure to be able to say thankyou for damm good read.
Bootneck, a British reader.
I just read the “Zoe’s Tale” and i got to say, it was just amazing.. I love the way you write books, and how you get the people who read them so in tuned with the characters.
You gotta email me sometime, i have so many questions!!!!!!!
Just wanted to tell you that someone donated your book to the USO and it found itself The Last Colony in Kurdistan which is really Northern Iraq. I’m a combat medic for the Army and I’m reading it right now. It really has helped.
Oh, excellent. Very glad it has.
My dear John note:
As a teacher I have so little time to read for fun that I accrue books for the various breaks (including summer).
I just finished OMW.
I had so much fun reading Old Man’s War! God (or whomever or whatever you pray to) bless you!
Happy New Year.
I found out about you through Wil Wheaton’s blog – he mentions you every so often. But I wasn’t truly intrigued until I joined goodreads.com (to keep track of my ever-growing list of “want-to-reads”) and saw Old Man’s War had many positive reviews.
I’ve since read OMW and am nearly done with Ghost Brigades. You, sir, are a fantastic author. I’ve heard you compared to Heinlein (and notice that you throw a few winks out to the reader acknowledging this), but, though I’m a huge Heinlein fan, I think the comparison is a disservice to you. Your characters and dialog are real, whereas Heinlein couldn’t write a realistic female character to save his life. And you haven’t yet resorted to the character whose sole purpose is to ask “huh?” as RAH frequently did.
To sum it up: thanks for being awesome
Hi Johm,
I have to say thank you for such a wonderfull storyline with Old man’s War, it continues where The Forever War left of with the concept of Earth and space and how it might turn out for the Human space and also for how it effects those lives that spin within the web of truth and lies.
Thanks
Dave
I feel bad about it, but I just finished Zoe’s Tale, and… I didn’t love it.
¶ Don’t get me wrong, it was a good read – in fact, I stayed up all night to finish it. But the story never carried me away in the same manner that all the other books have. (Need proof? Normally I’m too caught up in the plot to notice continuity errors on a first read, especially a first read at 2am, but Magdy gave Zoe something for the first time on both pages 255 and 329.) I have no right to complain; five brilliant novels and the sixth is only very good? Hardly an offense worthy of being sent behind the woodshed. Send the snarky reader instead.
¶ I want to read as much from the universe of Old Man’s War as anyone, but it’s like chocolate: too much all at once (retelling the same time line) and it ceases to be special. Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game universe seriously jumped the shark with Ender’s Shadow, and I so don’t want that to happen here. Maybe I’m alone in my disinclination for recycled plot lines, but I’d rather reread a book that made me laugh and cry than have what can never be more than a simulacrum.
Katy:
I’m not sure why you think you need to feel bad about not liking one book as much as the others. No one’s going to like everything equally.
In other words, don’t worry about it.
Hey John,
thanks for inventing this great universe! I liked The Old Man’s War the best. I hope this timeline never ends ;)
Johannes
Germany, Bavaria, Munich
hello, was in the local library, found a book about zoe, checked it out, devoured it, went back the next day, n ordered everything they have from you, devoured again, lol!
ah, what a feast!!!
you have acquired a fan, and i will assuredly keep my eyes open for more delectable tidbits with your name on the cover (-; *
in fact, you are now in the VERY few** i spend my hard earned money on, as i feel you, amonst the others, to be an investment in my older, greyer, lazier days to come, and most assuredly worth a re-read.
thank you, thank your family, and all those involved in publishing for a true treasure chest of literary spendour (-;
* this is a ” left handed smiley, as i am a very militant lefty, lol.
** the old masters, and recently, several of baens stable of writers, turtledove, stirling, mccaffrey, etc. .
I found out about his site after seeing the info about Stargate:Universe – and I noted one of the earliest comment on this page talking about knowing ‘most of “the Ancients” really well’!
Irony…
…oh, and good luck on SG:U!
(I just hope that it won’t end up like Atlantis broadcast-wise, in that it’ll actually be broadcast in Canada at the same time as in the US.)
I just found your books earlier this year and I wanted to thank you for the pleasure I’ve gotten from reading them.
That said, I just started on “Agent to the Stars” (ready for chapter 4) and I’ve already been laughing my a** off %~}
Just keep’m coming …
Thanks again,
Dan B.
Hey John! I love your books; you’ve quickly jumped into my list of must-read authors. I just started a little blog of my own about casting the books I’m reading into big budget movies. I don’t have alot of material yet, so I’m going back and casting some of my favorite books. I’ve just finished Old Man’s War and thought it would be fun to get your take on it.
http://dream-casting.blogspot.com/
Oh, and feel free to offer any suggestions of your own and correct any mistakes I’ve made. Its been a few years since I’ve read OMW and I might have misremembered some characters. Keep up the good work and good luck with SGU!
Is this some strange perversion of reality? I mean, growing up in beautiful California, only to settle in um er Ohio? I mean, Ohio. Really. Come on.
John-I picked up Agent to the Stars on the recommendation of some guy sort of affiliated with my local fish wrapper. I loved it. I plan on enriching your bank account, so thank me, please. I have one question. Seeing as it was put out in 2005,
how would you have known that Heath Ledger was going to do the big sleep? Can you really tell the future? I think you may have been anally probed.Why make the change to include Heath Ledgers tragic death? I understand to make it current, but in subsequent editions, will you be making further modifications for things like deaths and births, plastic surgeries etc?John,
I have to say, your writing style and storylines are fantastic. I can’t say enough about your books.
Anyways, I wanted you to know my wife picked out OMW for me and sent it to me while I was deployed last year to the Persian Gulf. It was a big deal for her because she never gets me books – she’s afraid I would have already read it. Well, I read the entire book in one sitting. Great stuff. I just got done reading the Ghost Brigades and The Last Colony, and can’t wait to get into the other things you’ve written.
Thank you for your work, and for the comments you continue to make on your blog.
John
The first book of yours that I read was ‘Old Man’s War’, which I enjoyed a great deal. I have read all the others in the series (except ‘Zoe’s Tale’) plus ‘Androids Dream’.
Yesterday I read ‘Agent to the Stars’ – and i could not believe that it was your first book. Really funny and compelling storyline, and I liked the ethical dilemna.
Thanks for some great reading!
Marc
Philosophy Question: How much do you think reading Heinlein in your early years influenced the man you are today? Did his grokking grok you?
Hey Scalzi – was just directed to your blog for the first time – specifically, the GOP-on-drugs post. You’re intellectually fly for a white guy from Fairfield! Must be that upwind of Berkeley-Oakland thang – it lingers. Keep those cards & letters coming! – sincerely, a New East Bay/The Hague Scalzi Acolyte
I started reading Old Man’s War while sitting in the Dayton Airport about to begin my trip to South Africa. I found it amusing that John Perry and I were heading in similar directions. The Old Man’s War series were excellent. I have shared them with my friends and family. Each person I know who has read them has had nothing but great things to say. Please continue the stories about the CDF universe. I would love to read about the history of human kinds colonization efforts.
Androids dream was also excellent. I enjoyed how different it was to the Old Man’s War series. Please continue producing great works.
Just finished reading ‘Android’s Dream’.
The only thing better than reading a good book on vacation is reading an incredibly good book on vacation and discovering a new author to add to my favorites list.
Thanks for a thoroughly enjoyable read John. I’ll be buying every other John Scalzi book that I can get my hands on.
I read Alan D. Foster, Orson S. Card, and David Zindell. The only reason I picked up Ghost Brigades, last week, was because the hard back was on sale for $4.95. Front to back in 2 days. While reading Old Mans War in the living room, I started laughing out loud in front of everyone.( Chap 6. the Old Farts telling each other their BrainPal names) I stopped and immediately put the book down. I have never laughed, cried, or had any outward emotional response to anything I have ever read. My Retirement Ceremony for 20 years active duty in the Marine Corp was this morning, and I was aghast when I read your bio. Didn’t say a single thing about you being in the Military. You are either a Military Brat or a research Genius. I salute you and your god given gift. I have the Last Colony. Keep em coming, or I’ll have to hit the Sale Rack again, and that has only worked out once in 42 years.
I’m on it, Russ!
And thank you to every else who wrote recent comments. I really appreciate them.
Dear Mr. Scalzi
Hello, I’m a 21 years old university student from South Korea and I just finished reading your book, ‘Old Man’s War’ (translated in Korean) today. I bought it today but couldn’t put it down and read it all the way right away because it was so fantastic!
There is something I would like to ask you though. Are there future plans about publishing your sequels to ‘Old Man’s War’ in Korean as well? I hope there are!
Thank you for your wonderful book,
J.K Yoon
PS : Just in case you are interested, this is what Korean version of ‘Old Man’s War’ looks like. =)
https://www.isamtoh.com/UPLOAD/M3_SAMTOH_DAN/samtoh_book/46417410.jpg
John,
I am sort of new to the genre, and have enjoyed all the CDF books and just finished Androids Dream. Really like the style (although I would have picked an IBM S/390, rather than 360….!).
I read them all on my Kindle, I hope that does not reduce your take!
Thanks again.
I’m a die-hard Philip K. Dick fan and when I saw “Android’s Dream” with the sheep on the front, I knew I had to take a peek… after reading the first line, and about falling over laughing, I bought it.
LOVED IT!! I’m now going to be looking for Old Man’s War and whatever else I can find.
You have proved the Kindle is evil. I downloaded Old Man’s War and started reading. It is now 48 hours later and I have read the entire series non-stop excepting for some short breaks for nutrition, sleep, the unavoidable personal hygiene chores and waiting for the next book to download.
Really though, it was one of the best weekends I’ve had in a long time, and last weekend was a lot of fun.
There’s been a lot said about your humor on this blog, but IMHO what you do really well, other than humor, is switch to serious serious topics without a jarring change in tone. That’s not an easy task. Maggie’s death is a great example. Once you get past the fact that she’s a mutated green grandmother in a nano-suit floating in space it was really quite touching. There’s also a lot to that scene. It touches on the expendability of soldiers, spirituallity’s place in how people face death, duty or heroism or vengeance or maybe a bit of all three.
OK, I’m reading too much into that scene. I’m relatively sure it was just an excuse for you to write a haiku, but it did stick with me. Not the haiku, the scene.
I love SF and you are now near the top of my favorites list along with some of the authors you praise in your acknowledgements. That’s high praise indeed, because I almost never read the acknowledgements.
[Deleted for insult being too boring to be amusing.]
I’ve read in order: Old Mans War, The Ghost Brigades, The Last Colony, and The Androids Dream. I didnt want to put either of these books down once i started them. You have a really good talent as an author and I’m really hoping for more books in the near future. Please i’m running out of good stuff to read.
John,
An english teacher named John Saggio introduced me to sci-fi and fantasy novels back in 1978 in a forward thinking english elective class named – “Sci-Fi and Fantasy” – catchy right!
I was enchanted by the other worlds and reading, had my first dose of R. Buckminster Fuller “Operation Manual for Spaceship Earth” and the mathmatical and poetry world of Bucky’s “Synergetics”.
1990 was the last time I read for pleasure until now. My job requires high volumes of reading technical manuals and I reading became “work”.
Your book “Old Man’s War” was suggested by a friend of mine during a Stargate conversation. I bought it. Kept it on the bedside table for 6 weeks…cracked the cover…read it over the last 5 nights!!
You did it John!! Thank you so much for bring back the joy of sci-fi reading. I am off to find “The Ghost Brigades” tonight.
Dayworld is a trilogy of science fiction novels by Philip José Farmer – I can’t wait to re-read those after I finish your works!
Jeff
- “Live long and prosper”
It seems I’m a little behind the rest of the world. Just found ‘Agent to the Stars’ and found it a wonderfully delightful read on all its different layers. Funny, poignant, and thought provoking. I’ll be picking up more of your books, John.
Many thanks
Love your stuff. Old Man’s War reminded me very much of Haldeman (a personal favorite) and Heinlein. Very touching how you worked out the relationship between your main characters. Thoroughly enjoyed Android’s Dream, made me laugh my ass off. Just finished Agent to the Stars last night, not as good as your other stuff, but still very enjoyable.
Never read your stuff.. I can’t guess how your name came up when I googled “whatEVER” Your apparent jaded view of yourself has ended up where it was meant to be .. whatEVER.
It came up because this site has been around for 11 years and garnered lots of links, which is what matters to Google. It’s not that difficult to figure out, really.
The rest of your comment is kinda stupid, however.
Bradford?
When I first saw your pic through VP/via AW, I thought, I’ve seen this guy’s face before somewhere else.
Bradford explains it.
Ken from close by.
John,
A friend of mine who was stationed with me in Korea recommended one of your novels to me. I picked up “Old Man’s War” about two weeks ago and loved it. In fact, in the last two weeks I have read four of your five novels that I know of. Just wanted to send a compliment your way.
By the way, I don’t know if you have ever read any Chuck Palahniuk novels, but while reading “The Androids Dream” I for some reason couldn’t help but think of the first time I read Palahniuk’s “Lullaby” even though they don’t have anything to do with each other excluding the title.
Josh Stewart
John,
Since recently being laid-off from my day gig I’ve actually had some time to read. Picked up OMW and just couldn’t put it down. Finally, SF the way it’s supposed to be. The comparison to RAH is what actually drew me to it. I was skeptical but right from the start I realized that the critics blurbs in the liners were right. I haven’t been pulled into a story like this since Ender’s Game. Just promise me one thing? If Hollyweird puts OMW on the big screen you won’t let them “F” it up the way they did to Starship Troopers. I’m looking forward to reading more of your great writing.
G. Donnelly
John,
Wow, your books suck and you’re pretty ugly. Your description of Yherajks, perfectly fit your picture. Actually, I love your books and think your great-o. Haven’t read any of your non-fiction though, as I can just take my eyes off the page of a book for all the non-fiction I can stand. Keep up the good work and remember: You disapointment me and some Misery-style shit is coming. Peace!!!!!!!
Just discovered you – in the form of “Android’s Dream” – best sci-fi I’ve read for years – VERY funny (even though we get used to rolling our eyes at sheep jokes in NZ) and clever and INTERESTING geekwise (I work at IT for a living) – along with a ripping thriller of a plot. Great reading – caused my wife to feel neglected while I finished it….. Will now seek out some more of your work.
I was browsing the bookstore on Monday and bought Old Man’s War…finished that and today (after a return to the bookstore) on Wednesday I am halfway through The Ghost Brigades….Thanks great reads.
Hi John.
I’m a very fascinated fan of your books. I had a hard time while I was in military prison, because I didn’t want to serve. (I live in Germany where every boy of the age of 18 to 25 has to serve in the army, no matter if he wants or not)
They once allowed me to go free to buy some things for myself and I ended up in a book store. There I found two of your books (Ghost Brigades and The Last Colony). Your books really helped me to actually enjoy this time, what wasn’t that easy as you may can think. Even if it sounds sad they didn’t allow me to remain in prison to read both books, so I just finished the first of the mentioned ones. This is now one year ago and I found the time to finish the second one. I was curious if there’d be more books written by you and I found the Old Man’s War which I’m reading at the moment. Of course I also ordered Zoe’s Tale which has been delivered today to me. I know I read the first three books in the wrong order, but they didn’t have the Old Man’s War in the book store as I was there, so it happened that I read the first book as the third.
I know authors like to thank the peoples who read their books, but in this case I have to thank you for really making a part of my life a better one where it seemed impossible to have a good life. You showed me a complete new way of writing and you seem to have the same humor that I have, so I could laugh my ass off on many parts of your books.
Even that I haven’t finished the Old Man’s War yet, I read the first page of the prolog of Zoe’s Tale and have to wonder. Do you tell the story of The Last Colony from another person’s view here?
Thank you for your answer, if there will be one and thank you writing such great novels. Keep up the good work :-)
Silvio Walther
I just finished reading “Agent to the Stars”. Terrific! I laughed, I cried, I farted.
I have no attention span. I would read your novels if I could, but, as stated before . . . *wary*
I was reading through L.E.Modesitt’s website and he had read several books that he found interesting and Ghost Brigades was one of them. I got Old Man’s War and Ghost Brigades and enjoyed both very much…I will be getting more:-)
John,
I see that you check and respond to some of the comments here quite often, so I am writing to you here, no reply needed.
I discovered Old Man’s War only about 2 months ago, while in an english bookshop in my town (Bucharest, Romania). looking for a gift for a friend and some more books for myself to read. Two day later i started to read OMW and finished it the second day (work has a nasty habit of obstructing my reading time, but must make money to buy more books). After I finished it I did three things: the first was to check online for your other books and the second to bang my head on the wall (for discovering so late your books – OMW was already translated in romanian in October 2008 and I was none the wiser) and the third thing was ordering online from amazon the rest of your books.
Yesterday I finished Agent To The Stars – in about 4 hours – (ironically the last book I read was your first book), and loved as much as all your books, which I am now reccomending to all of my friends – and I have quite a lot of SF loving friends.
I love your books and your writing style, your humour is superb and I hope that you manage to influence the writes of Stargate Universe to incorporate that humour in the show.
Thank you for sharing with us a part of your imagination and hope that you will do so again in the future, I can’t wait to read more of your books.
After receiving Old Man’s War, Ghost Brigades and The Last Colony from my brother last Christmas (how cool is that) I made a point to try and find more of your work. For some reason I remembered this promise last week as I passed a book store (which doesn’t happen very often these days; I live in the boonies and there aren’t any good book stores anywhere) and sure enough they had a bunch of copies of Zoe’s Tale and even better, a single copy of The Android’s Dream. Which brings me to my two points: (1) kudos to you, sir; the comparisons to Mr. Heinlein are richly deserved and IMO that hack Steven King does not deserve to have his name even marginally associated with such great work; (2) whatever you do, in any negotiations for Movie versions, please, please, please endeavour to not ever let these fantastic stories be VerHoevened.
Happy belated 40th. As you wrote, “entropy is a bitch”. Love your work. Thank you.
Hmm… I’m fourteen, I’ve just finished all of Kurt Vonnegut Jr.’s books… am I ready for yours?
I have read science fiction all of my life, and I am pleased to be a colleague of Jim Gunn. I started with Heinlein and Asimov in the 1950s, purchasing each new volume as they appeared in print. Your recent books have given me more pleasure than 99% of the sci-fi written by authors other than these two grand masters, that I have read. Many thanks.
I just finished Zoe’s Tale, and I enjoyed it a lot. As I have, all of your other novels… but I was frustrated by one thing; You did not provide a description of the Obin! Or any other of the aliens. Since the Obin were such an important part of the book, could you please tell us what they look like? What do they eat? How about the Consu? Thanks. I look forward to your next novel. -Patrick
I just had to note that your birthdate, John,was only 5 days before the most stirring and terrifying day of my life — the police assault on People’s Park in Berkeley. A startling reminder to old hippies that time is passing and our old fights are indeed old — even if the principles we fought for are ageless.
One more thing about People’s Park — On May 15th I called the Daily Californian, UC Berkeley’s campus newspaper, to ask if the 40th anniversary of the park battle had attracted any interest.
Nope.
Well, this is probably for the good. Universities –especially Berkeley — belong to their students. It’d be false to the school’s purpose for its people to continue fighting this Old Man’s War.
John,
I am a 63 year old physician (OB-GYN) with a secret life as a sci-fi fan (shame on me). My younger sister, who lives in Chicago, knows this and recommended your books to me–so insistent was she that she actually SENT me a copy of Old Man’s War. Being a good big sister, I felt obligated to read the book so I could tell her to leave me alone, I am able to choose my own reading matter. I could not put the damn thing down!!! I fell asleep at 2 AM with the book falling into my face, waking me up, and I had to finish it–and I had to get up for office hours!! I am now in pursuit of your other books, and I thank you for the wonderful characters and the exraordinary tale! (and I even read the acknowledgement section and was impressed that you thanked my personal favorite and hero-writer, Robert A. Heinlein for certain inspirations, since I sensed the undercurrent of Starship Troopers pretty early in the game!) Keep writing, please! It’s not easy to find good new (to me) authors!
Linda Parenti, MD
Just (10 minutes ago) finished “Zoe’s Tale” and I loved it. You did a thoroughly convincing job giving voice to an adolescent young woman, and you should consider that high praise considering my (nearly 20 year old) daughter is quite convinced that I am a 15 year old girl trapped in a 51 year old man’s body!
I’m looking forward to whatever comes next!
All the best…
Richard Jasper
East Amherst, NY
Fairfield, huh? I am from Vacaville, which makes you my rival/nemesis. I think we can find some common ground in SciFi. Since I am currently reading and enjoying one of your books, we can call a truce…for now.
Hi John
Just wanted to say thanks for the hours of enjoyment – I’ve read and recommended OMW, GhBr, TLC, AndDr and the recently completed Zoe’s Tale. Your ideas are fresh and your characters compelling. I have been reading SF since 1960 (I have almost 25 years worth of F & SF mag) and have read most of the classics. You and Jack McDevitt have captured my imagination once again. Thanks and keep writing.
Bob Raphael
Love your books! I started with OMW and thought it was the best tale I’d come across in a very long time. A couple of months later I somehow ended up with a copy of Agent to the Stars. That was even better! Now I’ve all your books stacked in my to-read pile.
As others have said I presummed you had to have been IN, the whole time I was reading OMW and am still shocked that you weren’t. ‘Cause it sure read like you had to have been in one branch or the other. The dialog, concepts, and attitudes were just like mine and everyone else I’ve known who served.
I do have one observation or question though. From a weapons technology standpoint. (and, as I didn’t write the book I really should STFU and let your story(s) be. Especially considering you went to all of the trouble to write them and all.) Anyhow, the techno of the weapons and the tactics etc. seem a bit behind the times of the book’s setting to me. I spent the 1st gulf war designating targets by various means so that aircraft could wipe them out. The commo gear I carted around wasn’t a Brain Pal of course but it wasn’t bad. It also looks like something like a Brain Pal it is just over the technological horizon. The weapons I carried were largely the same as those you have your characters carry. I should know that the book was about the characters and not so much the techno, but I still have some heartburn with the tech/weapons and tactics side.
Everyone’s a critic; I know.
Thanks for the damn fine stories. Please keep writing them.
DB SMSGT USAF CCT (ret)
Hi just wanted to say i have read your three books with john, jane and zoe and thought they were a great read. Iam now about to purchase your other works knowing i have some quality reading time ahead.The best compliment i can give you is i recommended your books to friends and family and now they are all hooked.
cheers
Raymond
Scotland
John,
I just started & finished Zoe’s Tale this past weekend–BRAVO! Thanks to you sir–it was better than expected, especially how you tied all 4 books together! You truly have a gift. Keep up the good work.
T.G.
Washington, DC
Dear Mr. Scalzi:
I will being this letter with, as I am sure, so many that you receive, with my thanks for your three part “Old Man’s War” Novels. They were a great read and very insightful. Insightful not only to what I truly believe our future will be like, but to a former Special Operations soldier, insightful to what it is to be a soldier and fight for your teammates as well. Just picked up “Zoe’s Tale” and looking forward to cracking it open and seeing the world of Roanoke through her eyes as I read it during the tiresome 14 hours of flight time heading back to the CZ…yes, that’s me…war junkie (according to friends)…this will make my 10th trip over. Though I wear a different uniform now than The ACU.
Also had the opportunity to find Joe Haldeman’s “The Forever War” and read your Foreword…it really hit a nerve.
I had found myself in a Perryesque situation. After 10 years in the US Army, most of it with the Ranger Regiment, I left the active service, but stayed in the Guard. In 2004 I was called back to be an advisor to the Afghan National Army…12 month tour…6 of it attached to a Special Forces A Team based out of Camp Tillman, Lwara, Afghanistan….2 kms from the Pak / Afghan border. It was everything I had ever wanted when I had signed up with the Army….a small outpost on the frontlines…a small band of highly trained fighters…trying to win the war on terror in our battle space. A great time…even with the loss of good friends.
I tell you this, to tell you that I have read The Forever War and Starship Troopers as well as your novels…and you DID IT!! You not only captured the uncertainty and confusion and love and anger and compassion and fear and unbelievable hatred that soldiers feel, sometimes on a daily basis. I have killed with rifle, and artillery and bomb and missile and have never felt bad about it – although have yet to go knife – to – hand with a Consu! But your novels hit home…better in my opinion then both TFW and ST, with absolutely no slight to Mr. Heinlein or Mr. Haldeman. So I say thank you, from a Sci Fi fan and from a soldier. Thanks again. And as for the honks that blast you for ripping the masters…tell them to re-read your books, I mean really read them, and then sign on the dotted line and serve…F them and their lame opinions!
Very Respectfully,
Pat Ryan (pseudo)
P.S. – any chance to find out about John Perry’s career after he made CPT, but before he was named to head up Roanoke?
Dear Sir,
I have just finished Zoe’s Tale. I have now read the entire saga of John Perry and family. I thank you sir. I found the very human element of this story the most fascinating. I wish that my father had lived to read these as that is what he would have liked as well. I would hope that all humanity would, if put into such extraordinary circumstances, would behave with as much ingenuity and caring as your characters.
Thank You again. It is hard to believe that it has been a year and a half since I first found your stories as they have quickly become “old friends” that I enjoy returning to and sharing with friends.
I am Sir very respectfully yours,
Kevin G. Farrell
Dear Mr. Scalzi,
My son turned me on to your novels. I read Old Man’s War and Ghost Brigade. Loved them! I’m just starting The Last Colony and once I finish it I’ll be heading over to get anything else you’ve written.
As a romance author, it thrills me to find a book that while I’m reading it I can turn off my internal editor and just enjoy the story. I grew up reading Heinlein, Asimov, Clarke, Bradbury as well as many others, but it’s been a long time since I’ve read any straight sci-fi or fantasy. Thanks for turning me on to the genre again.
Any nibbles from the film industry? My hubby doesn’t read much, but I know he’d enjoy seeing your stories in film form, as would I.
Keep Writing!
Elysa Hendricks
PS I’m a recent transplant to Ohio from the Chicago suburbs. Bit of a culture shock here. :-)
Congratulations on being nominated for the Hugo! Mazel Tov! As a middle-aged science fiction addict, I have to admit there aren’t a whole lot of “universes” that I would like to live in, but your future is way high up on my list.
So, did Jane have a boy or a girl?
All the best to you and your family from a fellow Maroon.
Fran
ED of the wonderful foundation that Miss Fitzgerald established….damn, I love my job!
I’m currently reading Old Man’s War and really flipping every page with excitement and wonder. I love the Stargate series and nice to know that you are involve in the new series. I’ll be looking for titles from you in the bookstores, definitely, from now on. Go, go, go.
Hi, John. I just finished Old Man’s War and Ghost Brigades arrived today from online buying. I picked up The Android’s Dream somewhere( Were you at the LA Times Festival of Books this year?) and read it first (at a retirement seminar in Napa on the weekend of July 11th). I really like your stuff, especially the biological concepts with gene splicing etc. I just looked at your bio and now know why your name is so familiar. I’ve lived in Fresno for over 30 years ( it’s called The Exile in my Sonoma county family) and I enjoyed your reviews whilst you were here. I actually have Fresno to thank for raising some unhurried children and having lots of time to read. I wish you continued success and I’m looking forward to the rest of the trilogy plus one.
John,
Just finished reading Ghost Brigades after reading Old Man’s War.
I just have to say, fantastic.
I have read just about everything I can get my hands on concerning SF/Military and I will probably continue to do so as long as I can still read….
Do you have any intentions of continuing the line? I understand Last Colony is out, but I have not seen it yet and I imagine it continues on from these two.
Anyhow, your books have been quite interesting in that it not only has the action, it does treat you, (me, the reader, that is), like we have an ounce of intelligence, which many of this genre of SF books do not.
And yes, Thumper is my name. It got tagged on me back in the war, before you were born, as my call sign and it’s been with me ever since and is how most people know me anymore.
Kudos on the books and keep them coming. Just don’t, please, turn them into a “puppy mill” type thing.
Thanks
Thumper
Creative Consultant for SG:U? That’s certainly interesting. In that case SG:U could well be the first Stargate TV series which doesn’t suck donkey nuts.
And while I’m here I have to get this off my chest: Zoe’s Tale was bloody awful. Mr. Scalzi, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all your other books but ZT was a waste of time, money and dead trees. I can certainly appreciate your wish to write a nice bedtime story for your daughter, but it should have stayed between the two of you.
Looking forward to SG:U and your future books, regardless.
.: petri
Mr Scalzi,
I just finished reading the Old Man’s War Trilogy. I understand there is Zoe’s Tale but I have yet to get to it. I have to say they were awesome. I have never laughed out loud so much reading a book as I did Old Man’s War. I have also never been so emotionally moved to tears as I did reading Old Man’s War and The Ghost Brigades. I am a military man. I am in a unit I cannot name but I must say you capture the reality of the military and of war almost without flaw. In your books I felt the nervousness, fear, anger, love, hoplessness and determination that is only found in combat. You sir have a gift and I humbly thank you for sharing it with the rest of us.
Tyler
Mr Scalzi:
Five minutes ago I just finished reading Zoe’s Tale. I had spent a Scalzi summer last year reading Android’s Dream and the three Old Man’s War books and Agent to the Stars too. I haven’t been this voracious for a single author for a long time and typically don’t even read much science fiction unless you want to count Douglas Adams. The first one, Old Man’s War, is genuis. The Ghost Brigades is genuis for completely different reasons. But honestly I was a little dissatisfied with The Last Colony. I can’t quite say why now. It was a year ago. It might only be that I was so enthralled and impressed with the first two and also sad that the story was ending. All has been corrected. Zoe’s Tale was beautiful. Clever (but not in a showy way clever) and touching. Surprisingly touching. The climax was pitch perfect, more perfect, to qualify the unqualifiable, more perfect than I could have seen coming. And I was a lot more involved with the narrator, who I felt had a thoroughly authentic voice, than I felt with the Last Colony. Thoroughly satisfying. Thank you.
Saw you mentioned on Pajamas Media today . . . I used to read you when you were the movie critic for the Fresno Bee. Glad to know you have enjoyed so much success since you left us!
Wishing you much more,
Heather Malotke
Clovis
Dear Mr. Scalzi,
In June, my boyfriend David & I attended Confluence ‘09 in Pittsburgh, PA on the single purpose that you were the GoH. Although I have been a big SF/F fan most of my life, sadly, I had never read any of your books & only knew you because David is a huge fan of your ‘Old Man’s War’ series. We attended the GoH speech and I wish it had been longer than an hour. Your speech was entertaining & thought provoking and I found myself peppering my boyfriend with a dozen questions about your books afterward.
Last month, we found out an acquaintance of ours who runs a SF/F book club was planning to have ‘Zoe’s Tale’ as her book for September & so that I could have a better understanding of the book, David loaned me his copy of ‘The Ghost Brigades’ so I could understand ‘Zoe’s Tale’ better (I realize I’ve totally thrown off reading the series in order, but I’m hoping to remedy that in the next year!).
‘The Ghost Brigades’ is the first book in a long time that has made me laugh, cry & have to physically lay the book down after chapters in order to reflect on what happened in its pages. I tried military SciFi in the past & could never get through it. However, I found that I couldn’t put it down. It was THAT good. I’m currently in the middle of ‘Zoe’s Tale’ & am enjoying it just as much if not a little more…and I hope to read the rest of the series as soon as possible (and then ‘Agent To The Stars’ and whatever else of your books I can find along the way…)
Thank you so much for your contributions to the world of SF/F literature, Mr. Scalzi. I look forward to reading more of your books & also your valuable and entertaining insights here on your blog. All the best to you through out the rest of 2009 & in the years to come!
Racheal L. (aka Sw33t4Tea)
Found Zoe’s Tale in our small town library. This is terrible… now I’m going to have to scrounge up the bucks for the rest of the series as the library probably won’t be able to get the rest…
Thanks for writing SF… please keep on writing!
Hello John,
I’ve just finished reading “Old Man’s War” and I just wanted to thank you for a crackling good read! I can’t quite remember how I stumbled onto your works but I’m glad I did.
As an aspiring sc-fi author, myself (how many times have you heard that!) I find I am very picky about the books I read, or more to the point, about the books that hold my interest long enough for me to finish them. Yours was exactly the tonic I needed to inspire me and remind me that there are still good stories out there.
Some authors are so mired in the technical aspects of their novels that they forget to tell a good story. While others have a good story to tell but execute it in such a way as to induce a coma before you get through the first act.
Yours, however, had a unique slant on an old theme; some really intriguing and believable science; and just enough humour to set itself apart from the pack.
I am currently working my way through the rest of your library and look forward to any new additions you have coming down the pipe.
Continued success, John!
Sincerely,
Warren A. Shepherd
Hi john,
I work for a certain well known cargo airline based just out side of London (UK) and have not alot of time for reading so have chosen the audiobook path to get my sci-fi/fantasy fix, I have listened to alot of books (tolken,pratchett, rowling, jose-farmer) but i have to say within 2 chapters of “old mans war” im gripped this is amazing!! its made me laugh, ponder and wonder at alot of issues that your book raises. From reading your blog and wiki info I can see why you have won your awards (CONGRATS).
Corny as it may sound I cant believe the “old mans War” series has not been approached by a motion picture studio to have it made into several films (beacuse 1 would not be enough).
Many regards
Paul
Hi Johzn
greetings from germany.
I have read my first novel from you and i verry enthused.
It was very good.
It was Zoe`s Tale in the german version.
Write more from zoe plase.
It was fantastic!
Many regards
Dominik (Dom)
Just a note to tell you how much I enjoyed “Old Man’s War”. I finished last night at about 11pm and enjoyed every moment.
I’ll be ordering the sequels today.
Keep ‘em coming.
I just finished “The Last Colony.” What happened with the werewolves? They were so intriguing, then they just disappeared. You mentioned that your editor helpfully ripped entire chapters out of the book before sending it to print; I wonder if that was really such a good idea…
That cavil aside, I did enjoy TLC very much, and will certainly read the earlier books.
Great blog. Very creative.
John,
Greetings from the San Joaqiun Valley. I HAD to look you up and read your biography. It was enough that you used Fresno as a home city for one of your characters, but what gave me the real kick was naming a ship the “Modesto”. For someone who lives in an even smaller town thirty minutes south of there, I do a double-take every time I see it. Thanks a ton! Your book is amazing!
Sincerely,
Stephen
John,
I’ve been biting my tongue for months now, hoping the information will show up somewhere else (and I have all 5 novels, so I’ve paid my dues) but why was Jane Sagen never promoted beyond Lieutenant? Eight years, constant combat, outstanding potential — she should have made full colonel, at least. Considering that John made Major and he was in the regulars for fewer years… it’s a mystery.
Thanks,
Jim
When you were being born, I was watching the B52 bombers ceaselessly crawling up and down the runway at Travis AFB when I worked as a medical intern there.
Glad we both made it into the future. Love your books.
Who’s your agent?
Hi jonh,
I just came by to write that OMW,GB,LC,ZT and the androids dream were simply epic. Though the last conlony was a bit confusing everything else was great. And for a 14 year old boy who read’s for lesiure not just for English or reading class is a formable comment. Also I have some ideas for a sequal for the the last conloly/zoe tale so fill free to email me if your intrested.
OMW= old mans war
GB= the ghost biragdes
LC= the last conoly
ZT= zoe tale
drmichaeljc@gmail.com
Dear Mister Scalzi,
I just finish your book “Old Mans War” in French and I look forward to reading your next book ! I hope that all your books will be translate :)
A French fan!!!
Julie :)
Dear Mr. Scalzi, (I would say dear John, but it makes me feel a little weird). I’m an instant fan, I plowed through the first three books in about two weeks(i’m a slow reader, so that’s actually kind of impressive for me).
keep up the good work man, I look forward to reading more of your work
John,
The last sci-fi I read was “Dune” when I was on the carrier Nimitz in 1986. A friend recently gave me your book “Old Man’s War”, and after letting it sit around for about a month, I decided to read it. It has totally renewed my interest in sci-fi, and I am currently on your second one in the series “Ghost Brigades”. You probably answered this somewhere, but any plans to turn these into a movie/series? Seems like it would work. Thanks for renewing my interest in this fun genre.
Tom
Dear John
So when will OMW be on the big screen?
It played well in my mind as I read it and am
waiting for the movie.
I loved it!
Regards,
Marsha T.
Covington Oh
John,
I’m reading ‘Agent’ right now, and its got me rolling on the floor! The premise is great and I love your sense of humor.
I am so glad I found your books as my favorite authors are much less prolific now than they used to be. I prefer SF w/ stories from the Earth human point of view rather than all alien races. Stories of exploration and colonization of the stars/new worlds from authors like Ben Bova and imaginative action authors like Timothy Zahn. Anne McCafferty had a SF trilogy that was great, but I don’t read you fantasy stuff.
There is so much SF pap out there about alien races conquering one another, nothing too original about them at all.
You became one of my favorite authors when I first read OMW, and since have read TGB, TLC, and Zoe’s tale. Was a little dissatisfied with ZT cuz I was hoping for an entirely new story, but you pulled it off retelling from Zoe’s pov.
You combine all the aspects of SF I love and mentioned above, and throw in that wonderful humor. Please keep it up.
If you are ever in the San Antonio/Austin region of Texas, would love to be able to shake your hand.
correct that sentence about Anne to say I don’t read HER fantasy stuff.
Dear Mr. Scalzi:
I read my first science fiction 60 years ago when I was 12. Over the years I know that people have though it was odd for a girl and then a woman to like it. I have really enjoyed many S.F. books but especially the ones I read in the 1950’s and early ’60’s.
I read Old man’s war several weeks ago and shortly after that Ghost Brigades. I’m now reading The Last Colony and have Zoe’s Tale up next. I just wanted to tell you that I think your writing is equal to the classics that I have enjoyed over the years.
John,
For the first time, I read TGB last night and OMW the night before. Yes it’s the Knievel approach, but it’s been so long since I’ve read good SF, much less this great stuff! You are the lord of dominance! I tried to take a breather tonight to be functional tomorrow. I avoided the bookstore. But found myself here at your blog after midnight. Sigh. Looking forward to the rest of your work. Maybe now I won’t have to lower myself into that endless fantasy series. One question. Other than the SF classics, do you have favorite fiction to recommend? Thanks for the ride!
from John Perantoni (age 64)
Read Androids dream in October this year. Great!
Bought Old Man’s War and The Ghost’s Brigade to read during my flight to China last month. Both just as Great!
I will read all your novels. I used to read a fair amount of science fiction, but not much in the last decade. Got into world history a lot.
If you visit any of the Columbus libraries again please let me know. By the way, how did you end up in Bradford, Ohio?
Man, I’ve just finished Old Man’s War. Best book I’ve read since The Road. Just bought The Ghost Brigades and Zoe’s Tale. Tomorrow I’m going to look for The Last Colony in other places because they ran out of copies.Can’t stop reading! I’m addicted!
My dad recommended ‘Old Man’s War’ a couple years ago, and I follow his advice almost always. He certainly didn’t fail me here!
Your books have made the rounds in our large family, and I keep passing my copies on to friends. I’ve re-bought ‘Old Man’s War’ 3 times because I keep loaning it out and it keeps getting passed farther and farther afield.
On Christmas Eve, I again purchased ‘Old Man’s War’ and ‘The Ghost Brigades’, this time for my own high school- and university-aged kids (who finally believe that I have decent taste in books) from Kinokuniya, the first decent bookstore in Dubai.
I commandeered them Christmas morning. Again, I can’t put them down. The kids are grumbly about it, but I’m trying to reinforce the principle of delayed gratification.
Well done, you.
Hi John ; I just finished reading old mans war which I tripped over in the used bookstore I frequent and had to look you up. I was convinced that 1) you were at least my own age (62) and 2) you were a former Marine like myself, or at least in the armed forces.
You hit the nail on the head both in the way older folks think and feel and theattitude of jarheads the world over. Congratulations on your amazing insight. Now Im gonna have to go to barnes and noble and spend full price to read the rest of your stuff. Keep up the good work.
Red
1. Many thanks for the Old Man’s War trilogy. They are very good books, and different.
2. In the acknowledgments at the end of _The Last Colony_, you thank your copy editor for making it look as though you actually know grammar and spelling.
There is a grammatical error on page 292; I do not know if it is your error or your character’s error.
“Beata keeping time with Jane and I.”
John,
Thanks for the great trilogy! I’ve been reading SF for 40 years, and have been a bit jaded lately. But I sorta picked up Old Man’s War on a whim, and was promptly hooked. Got the other two for Christmas, and have just completed them. FWIW here’s what I most appreciate:
- Lack of fluff. Some authors would have easily turned each book into 700 page monstrosities– most being needless “explanations”. Bless you for not trying to “explain” every single nuance, technology, etc.,and taking a leap of faith that the reader just MIGHT not be a moron!
- That wonderful dry sense of humor!
- You absolutely pegged the behavior and interactions of bureacracies, all levels of the military (I’ve spent considerable time in both), and human nature in general (I’m also generally human).
Thanks again!
I’ve been an avid reader of sci-fi for(ever)
and have been so blessed to discover you
thru old mans war et al; finally got to read
AttStars.Wonderful..such a rare gift for
humor combined with hard hitting analysis
of human nature. You go Scalzis!!!!!
I thought I recognized your name. Used to read your articles in the Fresno Bee and then you up and disappeared. Enjoyed reading through your blog.
Long time reader, first time commenter. On the recommendation of multiple friends, I picked up a copy of “Old Man’s War.” Fantastic read. It’s sitting in my work bag right now, and were it not for the fact that employers tend to frown on such behavior, I would pick it up and read it in the relative privacy of my cubicle.
I now wish I’d picked up one of your books sooner. On the bright side, though, I now have a number of novels to add to my reading list.
I hope the issues between your publisher and Amazon are resolved quickly.
Hi from a newcomer — first visit to the blog, and only discovered your books recently (via Amazon, probably recommendations based on “I own it” tick-boxes). Finished OMW a short while ago, loved it, and naturally got them to ship GB and LC immediately. I was a little put off by the reviews there of ZT, since a great deal of it apparently retells LC, but based on comments here I should definitely give it a try after all.
Like many others here, I grew up on the “old masters” (I’m in my mid-60’s now) … Heinlein and Asimov and Clarke, and later Niven and his various collaborators (best co-written ones were those teamed with Pournelle) … and there seems to be widespread agreement, both here and elsewhere, that OMW (and its sequels) and Starship Troopers (my personal Heinlein favorite) are must-have companions for any collection. I also love Harry Turtledove’s alternate-history stuff, especially the World War/Colonization sets, and just about anything from Spider Robinson especially the Callahan (and related) books.
I’m totally disabled (in the context of employability, anyway), due to brain injury from a bad fall nearly 15 years ago. So these days the internet, books, and DVDs are pretty much my life. I’ve been told that, to an expert, rambling and having trouble staying on topic are dead-giveaways to my specific injury (right-frontal), so my apologies if I’ve too much of either or both.
Best, and keep up the great work,
Mike B.
Oops, forgot (what else is new?) about finding this blog … that was thanks to Amazon also. Based on my purchases, a new recommendation was for “Decade of Whatever”, which I got and am now going through with interest (about 1/4 of the way by now). So naturally I had to come see for myself.
If anyone happens not to have heard of that one, it’s a reprint of the first 10 years of the blog, very interesting reading. Too bad it doesn’t include, with the occasional exception of a reference to them, the comments from others which are obviously the bulk of the blog, essentially just a number of John’s articles … if comments and responses were included, it’d probably be bigger than the Britannica.
John
Nice blog
Great that you reply to comments
that is the only reason I wanted to comment
comment
your desk is messier then mine
thank you
question
what are the furry faced things to the right of your monitor and what do they mean to you
question two
there is a silver pole of a sort just to the right the the fuzzy faced things that has what looks like a hat – what is the hat – the pole
comment two
your write wonderfully
thank you and your welcome
Old Man’s War arrived in the mail yesterday morning. Luckily, I had a 45min train commute – one way, and I actually went to and from work twice, yesterday. So, I read the book for 180mins my first day before getting home…and then another 2 hours before going to bed. I bought it because I am a fan of Heinlein’s work. Now I’m halfway through (almost), and I’ll likely finish it this weekend.
I just can’t help thinking that many of the ideas for the movie AVATAR came from the pages of this book…all except for the tail.
So far, so good…keep it up!