Old Man's War by John Scalzi

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👴🪖 Book Review: Old Man’s War by John Scalzi

Where going to war at 75 comes with a six-pack, a BrainPal, and way too many alien species

⭐️⭐️✨✰✰ (2.5 out of 5 stars)

I didn’t hate it. I didn’t love it. It’s more of a “meh, but cool concept” situation.
The twists were fun, the final act was strong, but I got a little lost in the space battle rinse-and-repeat.

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⚠️ Trigger Warnings

This novel contains:

• Graphic violence

• Death (lots of it)

• War trauma

• Sexual content

• Racism, anti-gay bias, and religious discrimination (in dialogue or backstory)

• Discussions of colonization and species extinction

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🚀 Overview

Published in 2005, Old Man’s War is the first book in John Scalzi’s military sci-fi series. It introduces us to John Perry, a 75-year-old widower who joins the Colonial Defense Force (CDF), trading his old, fragile body for a genetically enhanced green one—and a front-row seat to the galaxy’s most brutal wars.

The story tackles themes like:

• The Ethics of War

• Colonization and Morality

• Technology vs. Humanity

This review is based on the 2007 Tor Science Fiction paperback edition.

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📕 Spoiler Warning!

The rest of this review includes MAJOR PLOT SPOILERS from start to finish. You’ve been warned: we’re going full BrainPal here.

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🧬 Full Plot Summary: From Grandpa to Galactic Killing Machine

John Perry is 75, grieving his wife Katherine, and ready for a second life. He joins the Colonial Defense Force (CDF)—a mysterious organization recruiting elderly Earth citizens to fight alien wars in exchange for a younger body. The kicker? You can never go back to Earth.

He boards a “beanstalk” elevator to space with other seniors and undergoes a consciousness transfer into a younger, stronger, green-skinned super soldier body. Welcome to your mid-life crisis, intergalactic edition!

John gets a new BrainPal (basically Wi-Fi in your brain), enhanced strength, and a six-pack. He celebrates with some intense... personal exploration (as do all the other recruits—it’s a horny awakening, okay).

Then comes basic training, alien history 101, and immediate deployment into endless planetary wars. His unit fights aliens like the Consu (ritualistic murder monks), the Covandu (one-inch-tall mimic creatures), and the Rraey (lizard guys who cook and eat humans 😬).

🪦 Everyone Dies. Constantly.

John’s squadmates die one by one. His friends Alan, Susan, Harry, Jesse, Maggie—most gone within chapters. The repetitive cycle of “new characters, cool banter, then boom, dead” starts to wear thin.

He starts questioning:

• Why are we fighting?

• Are we the bad guys?

• What is the CDF really doing?

But he keeps going. Because orders. Because war.

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💔 The Turning Point: Coral and the Ghost Brigade

John’s mission to planet Coral goes sideways fast—his ship is shot down, his best friend Alan dies, and he’s badly wounded. He’s rescued by the Ghost Brigade, elite soldiers made from the DNA of people who died before enlistment.

One of them? Jane Sagan—a soldier created from Katherine’s DNA.
She looks like John’s wife but has no memory of being her.

Cue complicated emotions and philosophical heartbreak.

John and Jane form a bond. She visits him nightly to learn about the life she never had. John decides he wants to live a quiet life with her someday. She jokes about it, but you can tell she’s tempted.

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🧠 Final Missions & Meaning

John’s last mission? Parley with the Consu, the mysterious enemy who gave skip-tracking technology to the Rraey. He wins Q&A rounds via brutal combat and learns:

• Yes, the Consu made the tech.

• They gave it to no one else.

• They "help" civilizations to elevate them spiritually. 🙄

In the final battle on Coral, Jane is badly injured. John saves her by using a stasis chamber and recovers the tracking tech plans. Hero moment secured. 🏆

Afterward, he does PR tours and becomes a recruiter. But months pass—no word from Jane.

Finally, she sends him a letter. She wants to retire with him, and includes a photo of a house and a sunrise.

It ends on that hopeful note: A future that’s earned, not given.

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🤔 My Final Thoughts: Great Concept, Mid Execution

Here’s the thing:

🟢 Pros:

• Interesting world-building

• A unique spin on the “soldier’s journey”

• Loved the full-circle moment with Jane

• Thoughtful takes on mortality, aging, and war

🔴 Cons:

• Repetitive space battles

• Constant character rotation—couldn’t connect deeply

• So many alien species, so little time

• Emotionally distant tone at times

I can see why sci-fi lovers adore this. But as someone who dips into sci-fi only occasionally? This didn’t fully land. The ending redeemed it a bit, but I just didn’t connect like I wanted to.

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✨ My Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Stars

Cool idea, decent execution, too much war and not enough heart for me.
Sci-fi fans will likely enjoy it more—this casual reader? Not fully sold.

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🛒 Want to read it yourself?

👉 Buy Old Man’s War by John Scalzi on Amazon (affiliate link – funds my “let’s try another genre” habit) 😉

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📚 If You Like Military Sci-Fi (but want a little more character depth):

• The Forever War by Joe Haldeman – A classic with emotional complexity

• Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey – Less body-swapping, more epic space politics

• All Systems Red by Martha Wells – Short, snarky, and surprisingly tender

• Redshirts by John Scalzi – Scalzi’s own satirical twist on Star Trek tropes