The Last Colony Review at The Agony Column
Posted on April 26, 2007 Posted by John Scalzi 17 Comments
And it’s a nice one, playing off the fact that The Last Colony is a Sci-Fi Channel Essential book for May:
I deem this book essential not just because every other star in the science fiction universe says it’s great (it is), but rather because I think essential is a good description of the reason Scalzi is so much fun to read. His prose it and his story are stripped clean, smoothed down to the essentials. He packs more action into a 300 something page novel than some writers manage to get in a 3,000 page trilogy. Everything is crystal clear. The universe may be complicated and the aliens jockeying for the limited resources in that universe may be complicated, heck, even the politics of the human race are complicated, but in Scalzi’s precise vision, all you get are the essentials you need as a reader to plug yourself into the story and set yourself loose at light speed. Scalzi is an essential writer to read because he offers readers only the essentials they need to get out there in his universe and have one hell of a good time.
Well, shucks. I do try.
Coincidentally, or perhaps not, I had an interview with Rick Kleffel (who writes at The Agony Column) today, over at KQED, and what I’m really proud of was that I think it’s the first interview I’ve done where I may not have muttered a single “uuuuuuuh.” We’ll have to wait until it’s released, of course, to see if I’m correct.
I just got the email telling me my award copy of the book went out FedEx today. Now, I’m even more excited.
Essential? Hot Damn!
Me too! Woohoo!
So, does this station do podcasts? You know, so we can count the “uh”s, “mm”s and “er”s.
Me too! Woohoo!
So, does this station do podcasts? You know, so we can count the “uh”s, “mm”s and “er”s.
Do they do podcasts? Check out this archive…
Essential. Yes. I literally wore the cover off of OMW – snarky Alan had me in tears. (If you’re like Harry, as you claim, I might like you, too.) If TLC (my copy is currently in transit – that Super Saver option at Amazon is the bane of the impatient) is as good, I think essential is apt.
I want the podcast, too. You said in an earlier blog that we may (if we asked politely) get what we ask for. May I have a podcast?
I didn’t ask for a pony.
I just got an email from Amazon saying my copy was being shipped today.
Excited. Me. Never.
Just because I let out a loud whoop, and danced around like a crazy person. It means nothing I tell you, nothing.
Just finished TLC — it was superb! A fitting end to the series…
Jeff Hentosz, I bow before thy mighty google-fu. I looked at KQED (they have a great selection of podcasts, but I would need to know the name of the show). I did a search for Rick Kleffel and got somethings on trashotron.com, but that list is excellent. Mucho gracias (or something like that).
ESSENTIAL
Yeah, that fricking nails it. I sometimes wish you did more chracter description (especially of the aliens because I love aliens!) but then I realize it’s in my head anyway and I remake it in my mind. And then that dude Stowe draws awesome pictures of it.
Yeah. Essential. I ‘ll try to write like that sometime.
And damn your essential writing, because my wife won’t read my one chapter submission for VP because of your damn essential writing in TGB.
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Finished up TLC about 3 hours ago, just before a thesis defense started. Very nice. On the promotional front, I’ve managed to get my dad hooked, and my husband passed on OMW and TGB to a co-worker, who is now hooked.
Hopefully we’re building up that college fund.
TLC finally arrived today! I’m one chapter into it now (reading between calls, you see) and I’m already thrilled with it.
Oh, yeah! That’s the Good Stuff!
TLC finally arrived today! I’m one chapter into it now (reading between calls, you see) and I’m already thrilled with it.
Oh, yeah! That’s the Good Stuff!
Off-topic, but on the sheep and crime front:
http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=145&ContentID=27159
Japanese fooled in sheep-poodle scam
27th April 2007, 6:45 WST
Thousands of Japanese have been swindled in a scam in which they were sold Australian and British sheep and told they were poodles.
Wow, great review. If people keep praising you like that, your head may not fit on the plane as carry on…
Great job. I can’t wait to get my copy.
Silly Shawn! My head’s not a carryon! It gets stored in cargo!
I finished TLC last night, and loved it. I’d have to agree that there’s a lot of story packed into the book, though part of me feels 3,000 pages would have been nice. I was sad to have it end so soon.
I wish I could make it down to Berkeley tonight!