Zoe's Tale

Disappointing

I picked this ebook up thinking it would tell a new story set sometime after The Last Colony. Unfortunately, this is a complete retelling of The Last Colony, only from Zoe's viewpoint. And it was boring.

There are significant plot points to The Last Colony, and having presented that story once, Scalzi obviously can't relate it in such detail again. So instead Scalzi gives a synopsis of each critical plot point when the book gets there, essentially skimming over all the action and drama. This makes the book very weak. In fact, there is only two completely new scenes: the first to address some criticism he received about introducing and then dropping the "werewolves"; and the second the story of what happens when Zoe enters Conclave territory to deliver John's message to General Gau. By themselves, not worth buying this book for.

To be fair, the voice Scalzi creates for Zoe is believable, and the dialogue mostly entertaining. Scalzi does have a way with sarcastic dialogue. But this is the only redeeming feature of the book.

Overall, the constant narration of the same story weakens Zoe's character quite a bit. She would have been stronger in an original story. Or, if Scalzi could have woven Zoe's Tale into The Last Colony, it would have made that book even better than it is now. But simply retelling the one book from a different character's viewpoint just didn't work.

I won't say not to buy this book. But if you do so, be aware of what you are paying for.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

It's The Last Colony...... I mean, It is! "The Last Colony"

I wish I read some reviews before I bought this book! John Scalzi must be under a contract to write X amount of books because this "Zoe's Tale" proves that he is suffering from writers block. I feel dupped & quite honestly I don't think I will continue with this series because I don't trust him now.
The same story but from another characters perspective, I mean come on! That's pathetic!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

New Book, same story

This was such a disappointment. Don't get me wrong. I love the Old Man's War series, and John Scalzi is a pretty good story teller with a rich SF universe. I bought this simply because Scalzi had written it, figuring that even a "bad" book by him would be good. Nope.

I grabbed Zoe's Tale without bothering to read any reviews. Stupid, I know. I have paid the price. This is Last Colony told from Zoe's point of view. Sadly it adds little to even understanding the Last Colony.

Also I have teenage daughters. I know entirely too much about teenage girl behavior. I don't need to grab a book expecting Sci-Fi swashbuckling and get the FaceBook version of my daughters' last sleep over.

That being said, I am still heading back to the bookstore to find another Scalzi book because I need my fix.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Should have been 2 short stories

Agree with DrewGuy's review. While the book reflects Scalzi's writing skill, it does not have enough new plot-material to be satisfying for those of us who've read the other books in the "Old Man's War" series.

Avoid disappointment (and make time for the rest of your reading stack) by just reading Chapters 16-17 and 22-25.

Never seen so many bogus reviews

Funny how lengthy and well written the good reviews are here. The bad reviews tell the story here. No point revisiting the same story. This must have been a horendously boring book to be forced to write. Loved the series though. Couldn't put those first three down and read all three in about a week.

Nicely done compliment to TLC

I was worried he was just phoning in a re-telling of The Last Colony but was happily surprised.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Couldn't get enough

I am so happy that the author chose to revisit the series, you will be too as a new wrinkle or two (or more) and shifted perspectives open up new and wonderful insights into the colonial frontier!

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Amazing Story Transcends "Sci-Fi"

John Scalzi is an amazing writer. I can't remember reading an author who so consistently fuses humor, adventure and great storytelling with wonderfully warm and deep characters. "Zoe's Tale" is a sequel to a sequel set in a world Scalzi launched with "Old Man's War". It retells Scalzi's "The Last Colony" from the perspective of Zoe, the teenage daughter of the couple who lead a new human colony based on an unsettled planet in the far reaches of space.

This book stands alone and stands out. "The Last Colony" was terrific. "Zoe's Tale" is even better.

Scalzi's dialogue throughout his books seems to be the drivers of his stories. The banter between Zoe and her friends is quick, witty, warm and natural. Likewise, her inner monologue reads smoothly and very genuine. Scalzi references the difficulty in writing a book like this, specifically capturing the appropriate tone of a teenage girl. Well, he seems to have nailed it pretty well.

While the story contains adventure, action, aliens and some cool space "stuff", what really makes this "Zoe" successful is Zoe herself. This wonderful science fiction novel wins because Zoe is such an engaging character and Scalzi is so incredibly deft at developing her character and her relationships. I'm a 39-year old man, and I'm willing to admit that I teared up at a key plot point towards the end of the book (I won't give away the details).

I'm asking my 13-year-old daughter to read this book. She isn't particularly interested in science fiction, but this book transcends that categorization. It's that good.

I couldn't recommend this book more highly.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Classic, hard science fiction for young readers

John Scalzi's third novel in the universe of Old Man's War is aimed at young readers.

Scalzi re-acquaints readers with Zoe, the bright, sassy adopted daughter of John Perry and Jane Sagan he introduced as a small child in Ghost Brigades. The Perrys have left the Colonial Defense Forces and settled on one of the colony worlds, Huckleberry, to raise their adopted daughter, who has become an object of reverence and near worship by one of the alien races earthlings have met in their forays into interstellar space.

To all appearances, Zoe is nothing other than an ordinary teenage girl who adores her parents, likes pop music and has all the ordinary perquisites a teenage girl should have, socially and otherwise. The CDF comes calling with an offer for the Perrys that will change their lives and Zoe's.

In this story John Scalzi takes the characters he already developed in Old Man's War and Ghost Brigades and continues their development, and adds Zoe to the mix. The relationships of Zoe with her friends and parents and Zoe's internal dialogue fill her out as an astonishingly rich and real character. The forces that shaped her childhood and the lessons she received from her CDF veteran parents will all be needed for the challenges that face Zoe when her parents accept a new, non-military assignment from the CDF, one which will put them at the intersection of interstellar intrigues between the Colonial Union and the races with which the CDF have battled since Earthlings began traveling to other star systems using the Skip Drive. And Zoe will find that she has all the ordinary pressures of teen age life plus several more, as she finds herself in the middle of a galactic conflict.

There is no shortage of action and political intrigue in this story, but Scalzi's gift for realistic characters really shines in this story. Scalzi has crafted this story for young readers. Zoe is high-school aged in this story, but it is suitable for youths aged approximately 12 and older.

A plus of this book is that it provides a way of introducing science fiction to girls - Zoe's character and her social life will win them over, and Scalzi's gift for writing character-based action will be a compelling entry into the science fiction genre. Boys, too, will enjoy Zoe's tale despite Scalzi's artful inclusion of some innocent kissing appropriate for this age of readership.

This product of Scalzi's pen is a gift to young readers and to the genre which will at once be satisfying to the reader and leave her wanting more. Kudos for a masterfully crafted tale.

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