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Zoe's Tale
Posted by
samzenpus
on Mon Dec 22, 2008 02:26 PM
from the read-all-about-it dept.
from the read-all-about-it dept.
stoolpigeon writes "John Scalzi, the author of Hugo Award-nominated science fiction novel Old Man's War, has built what started as a story serialized in his blog into a series of full novels and short stories. The latest installment in the OMW universe, Zoe's Tale, is quite a departure from the previous three books. It is the first of Scalzi's sci-fi novels written intentionally as young adult fiction. In a move that I am sure will continue to fuel Scalzi/Heinlein comparisons, Zoe is a precocious young woman thrust into a world of adventure and danger. In just three years Scalzi has built an impressive resume as an author of fiction, and Zoe's Tale will be no small part of what looks to be an influential and outstanding career." Keep reading for the rest of JR's review.
Scalzi himself rightly credited the influence of Heinlein when Old Man's War was published. Unfortunately I think that some have taken the comparisons too far and tend to view everything that Scalzi writes in terms of how it contrasts or parallels something by Heinlein. I think this is a mistake, not because Scalzi isn't a great writer like Heinlein but because Scalzi has his own voice. His work has a considerably different tone and viewpoint from much of what Heinlein published. It would not be correct to view Scalzi in a vacuum but it seems to me that it is just as much an error to define Scalzi in terms of RAH. For what it is worth, Scalzi has said on his blog that he welcomes the Heinlein comparisons as it helps him to sell books.
I mention this because Heinlein is very well known for his juveniles. Podkayne of Mars is a very well known and in some ways controversial novel that centers around a young woman and her adventures. Zoe's Tale shares a few surface characteristics with Podkayne but is in many ways almost the opposite story. I think this is important to mention because I think some people may dismiss this book as a retread of something else, but this couldn't be further from the truth. This is a fresh tale, and I believe may be one of those stories that years from now will be a fondly remembered first read for many science fiction fans.
Each of the previous Old Man's War universe novels stands well on it's own. There is very little overlap of characters in the first two and while the third brings back major characters from the first two, knowledge of them is not required to follow the story. Zoe's Tale stands on it's own as well but this is because it is a retelling of the third book, The Last Colony from a completely different perspective. Whereas The Last Colony focuses primarily on John Perry and Jane Sagan from Old Man's War, Zoe's Tale as the title informs is told from the perspective of their adopted daughter, Zoe.
Zoe is very much a typical teenager, though she lives in very atypical circumstances; even for a teenager in her time of interplanetary travel and colonization. Humanity lives in a universe shared with a myriad of other intelligent species. Many of them are competing for very rare and valuable real estate, inhabitable planets. The human government has decided to start their first new colony populated by people coming from existing colonies. To this point every new colony has been started by people leaving earth. Zoe's parents John and Jane are asked to lead this endeavor.
I would imagine that a middle aged man writing a teenage character of the opposite sex would be quite a stretch. Scalzi says that he had quite a bit of help from women in his life. However he did it, he pulled it off extremely well. Zoe is smart, sometimes a bit too smart for her own good. She is sarcastic and moody but a much fuller person than some whiney caricature. The reader gets to experience her ups and downs and watch her grow. She's a great kid right from the start but even stronger, more confident and wiser by the end. This is a book for young adults that does not treat the reader or the subject matter in a childish way.
In fact there aren't a ton of differences between this and any other Scalzi book. There is a good bet that this will work just as well for adults as kids. The language is tamer, there is no graphic sexual content (though I can't think of any in the other books). and the violence is toned down. There is still action and there is violence, but the descriptions are not quite as graphic as in the other novels. The emotions and the consequences of actions and words are just as strong and this is important. While this is less graphic, that does not mean content or meaning is filtered out. It truly is a young adult novel with emphasis on young.
Many of the greatest science fiction stories for youth out there were written in the 50's. Scalzi has created a modern tale that incorporates current technology, mores and norms in this story. This is an excellent introduction for any young man or woman who may not already be an avid science fiction fan. Important themes include those of being truthful, transparency in government, the sanctity of life and loyalty. These and more are touched on at various times but the book never feels preachy or heavy handed in its approach.
There is only one real negative with this book and it is only a drawback for those who have already read The Last Colony. The story is told from a completely new perspective, but it is still the same story. There are many new scenes and information brought in that were not revealed in Zoe's predecessor, but the outcomes are the same. This is not a weakness through a failing on the part of the author but rather a natural outcome of writing two books taking place in the same time frame. I still really enjoyed the book and was eager to see how certain events took place but it didn't hold quite the same impact at times as events had when I read The Last Colony. This wont be an issue for anyone who hasn't read that book or any young people who haven't read any of the novels. For me it was the difference between a 9 and a 10.
That is such a small thing though. This is a strong entry in a great series that I believe is destined to be considered a classic. Scalzi's entry into the field is a welcome treatment of classic themes with a fresh new viewpoint that is smart and entertaining.
You can purchase Zoe's Tale from amazon.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews — to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
I mention this because Heinlein is very well known for his juveniles. Podkayne of Mars is a very well known and in some ways controversial novel that centers around a young woman and her adventures. Zoe's Tale shares a few surface characteristics with Podkayne but is in many ways almost the opposite story. I think this is important to mention because I think some people may dismiss this book as a retread of something else, but this couldn't be further from the truth. This is a fresh tale, and I believe may be one of those stories that years from now will be a fondly remembered first read for many science fiction fans.
Each of the previous Old Man's War universe novels stands well on it's own. There is very little overlap of characters in the first two and while the third brings back major characters from the first two, knowledge of them is not required to follow the story. Zoe's Tale stands on it's own as well but this is because it is a retelling of the third book, The Last Colony from a completely different perspective. Whereas The Last Colony focuses primarily on John Perry and Jane Sagan from Old Man's War, Zoe's Tale as the title informs is told from the perspective of their adopted daughter, Zoe.
Zoe is very much a typical teenager, though she lives in very atypical circumstances; even for a teenager in her time of interplanetary travel and colonization. Humanity lives in a universe shared with a myriad of other intelligent species. Many of them are competing for very rare and valuable real estate, inhabitable planets. The human government has decided to start their first new colony populated by people coming from existing colonies. To this point every new colony has been started by people leaving earth. Zoe's parents John and Jane are asked to lead this endeavor.
I would imagine that a middle aged man writing a teenage character of the opposite sex would be quite a stretch. Scalzi says that he had quite a bit of help from women in his life. However he did it, he pulled it off extremely well. Zoe is smart, sometimes a bit too smart for her own good. She is sarcastic and moody but a much fuller person than some whiney caricature. The reader gets to experience her ups and downs and watch her grow. She's a great kid right from the start but even stronger, more confident and wiser by the end. This is a book for young adults that does not treat the reader or the subject matter in a childish way.
In fact there aren't a ton of differences between this and any other Scalzi book. There is a good bet that this will work just as well for adults as kids. The language is tamer, there is no graphic sexual content (though I can't think of any in the other books). and the violence is toned down. There is still action and there is violence, but the descriptions are not quite as graphic as in the other novels. The emotions and the consequences of actions and words are just as strong and this is important. While this is less graphic, that does not mean content or meaning is filtered out. It truly is a young adult novel with emphasis on young.
Many of the greatest science fiction stories for youth out there were written in the 50's. Scalzi has created a modern tale that incorporates current technology, mores and norms in this story. This is an excellent introduction for any young man or woman who may not already be an avid science fiction fan. Important themes include those of being truthful, transparency in government, the sanctity of life and loyalty. These and more are touched on at various times but the book never feels preachy or heavy handed in its approach.
There is only one real negative with this book and it is only a drawback for those who have already read The Last Colony. The story is told from a completely new perspective, but it is still the same story. There are many new scenes and information brought in that were not revealed in Zoe's predecessor, but the outcomes are the same. This is not a weakness through a failing on the part of the author but rather a natural outcome of writing two books taking place in the same time frame. I still really enjoyed the book and was eager to see how certain events took place but it didn't hold quite the same impact at times as events had when I read The Last Colony. This wont be an issue for anyone who hasn't read that book or any young people who haven't read any of the novels. For me it was the difference between a 9 and a 10.
That is such a small thing though. This is a strong entry in a great series that I believe is destined to be considered a classic. Scalzi's entry into the field is a welcome treatment of classic themes with a fresh new viewpoint that is smart and entertaining.
You can purchase Zoe's Tale from amazon.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews — to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
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Hmm (Score:2, Interesting)
I feel as though I'm the only geek that doesn't read science fiction.
Evil amazon.co.uk (Score:2)
Re:Hmm (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Re:Hmm (Score:5, Insightful)
Where the hell do you all get time to read... FICTION?! With all of these meetings, TPS reports, slashdot, who has time for crap like that?
The Bathroom.. A universal private reading room.
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
> The Bathroom.. A universal private reading room.
Reading on the throne leads to hemmoroids.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
> The Bathroom.. A universal private reading room.
Reading on the throne leads to hemmoroids.
You're doing it wrong.
Re: (Score:2)
> what about "stand up for your rights"?
Actually thats a good idea: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squat_toilet [wikipedia.org]
Re:Hmm (Score:4, Insightful)
Wait a minute... Are you trying to say that Slashdot isn't fiction?
Parent
###SPOLIERS### (Score:3, Interesting)
I went through a few years where I didn't. I got on a fantasy kick, then alternate history, then a short flirtation with erotic vampire stories (yeah, yeah, I know, sue me), several straight historical novels, a few classics I missed in school, and then back to SF via Scalzi's trilogy.
###SPOLIERS###
I like the first two a lot, but he ends #2 with the hint that the Colonial Union might be planning something really clever to counter the Conclave, and book 3 starts with all that dead and done already, and the C
Decent but I wouldn't have nominated it for a Hugo (Score:2)
I got the trilogy, one of the random books sent by the sci fi bookclub. It was decent and it reminded me of the old sci fi. You know the early Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein. They were small books, a quick read. A good concept, fun action. Having recently re-read the early Asimov empire novels it reminded me quite a bit of that.
With that said, how it got a Hugo nomination I have no idea. It must have been a bad year for Sci Fi. Then again overall most of the Hugo nominations for 08 weren't as good as novels in p
Re: (Score:2)
How do you manage that? I've never known a techie who didn't like science fiction.
The AC who responded to you doesn't count; he's AC and therefore most likely just a troll.
Re: (Score:2)
My techie credentials: professional software developer; been playing with computers since about age 8 (1980); etc.
I grew up reading science fiction, and I'm a huge fan of The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. I'm also a Star Wars nerd, and I love Blade Runner (I've read the Phillip K. Dick novel as well). However, other than Vonnegut, I just don't read sci-fi anymore, nor do I have any interest in sci-fi movies (other than the aforementioned classics).
The Matrix bored me. All of the Star Trek-ish shows on T
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
The funniest sci-fi I've read in years was The Android's Dream [geekbook.org] - also by Scalzi. It's not just humour - there is a lot more going on but the humour that is there is the stuff that I think Douglas Adams really excelled at creating - very silly and ironic at the same time. Sometimes biting but never mean spirited.
Science fiction and funny are not all that easy to pull off I think - at least based on some of the failed attempts I've read.
Re:Hmm (Score:4, Informative)
I was always an Asimov and Heinlein fan, but Frank herbert's Dune series is a masterpiece. It's well written, readable, and makes one think about politics, religion, and a host of other things. Its only drawback is the same as LOTR - it's very, very long.
If you like REAL adult fiction, Asimov's The Robots of Dawn features adultery and a humaniform robot used as a dildo. His stuff is incredibly readable. The Foundation trilogy deals with sociopolitical themes.
Much of Heinlein's stuff was excellent, although sometimes his politics gets in the way of his writing.
As to HHGTG, that series was hilarious, but I didn't care for Adams' detective stories.
I don't care much for Bradbury, but I'm in the minority, and certainly his Farenheight 451 is a classic.
I'm sorry that all but one of these guys are either geriatric or dead; my ex-wife hated books and got me out of the habit of reading. I got to the point that I didn't read anything but nonfiction. I'm only now, five years after my divorce, rediscovering my love of books.
I recently discovered Cory Doctorow, although he's known for science fiction, his Little Brother is set pretty much in the future; a future that may soon disappear (at least I'm hopeful). IMO it's a great book. It's on the internet at craphound.com, along with a couple other of his novels (which of course are also available in bookstores).
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
>Its only drawback is the same as LOTR - it's very, very long.
The trick is to not read any of the sequels. If you must, you may read up to Dune Emperor but nothing past that. Trust me, by then you wont want to.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Don't worry, you aren't. You can't call yourself a geek and not read science fiction. It's like saying you are the one drop of water that isn't wet. :-P
Re: (Score:2)
I feel as though I'm the only geek that doesn't read science fiction.
I read a good amount [neilmcallister.com] and I also tend to avoid genre fiction. But that's not really because I don't like the genres -- it's the trappings of genre fiction that get old and boring, IMHO. Who wants to read about a bunch of cardboard characters strung together with cliches? But there's usually something from every genre that's worth reading, just because it's good. I really can't see myself getting into Louis L'amour, for example, and I don't really even enjoy that many Western movies, but I'm perfectly happy
Somehow typical... (Score:3, Funny)
John posts on his blog that he's busy all day with real life and a sick kid, and you go and slashdot him...
TANJ.
Good book, though.
Old Man's War and Last Colony (Score:3, Interesting)
I haven't read Zoe's Tale, but I have read Old Man's War (which I think was the first) and the Last Colony.
These are good scifi books in their own right, but they ask some tough questions about government accountability and the need for secrecy in the name of security.
I wish he had never introduced the ability for the BrainPal to snoop on other BrainPal's, though. For Scalzi, it's a great piece of plot convenience, but I always feel like he's cheating when he uses it.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
I wouldn't go that far. In fact - I think not putting it into play would be ignoring a very obvious capability that someone would design into that kind of equipment. Especially a government like the one we find in these books.
Re: (Score:2)
The whole Brain Pal thing was a huge plot convenience. I'd love to know what sort of transmission medium he envisaged for the damn things. All that transmitting about of high bandwidth data should have attracted a lot of enemy attention.
But don't think I am dissing the story line. I absolutely loved Old Mans War and The Ghost Brigades. But to me a lot of The Lost Colony seemed to be more setup for the ending.
On another note the first two books had some similarities with the mil
Intentionally? (Score:4, Funny)
Where are his unintentionally written young adult fiction novels? I bet they are much more fun to read.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes - I do stuff like that all the time - unintentionally by the way.
Know the end? Big deal... (Score:4, Insightful)
You watch a Shakespeare play over and over while knowing the end. Does it make it any worse? Nope. And, seriously, how many times have ya'll watched "Empire Strikes Back"? :)
As for comparisons between Scalzi and Heinlein, it never really occured to me, and I've read just about everything by both authors at least twice. It makes sense now that the review mentioned it, but I don't think it's significant enough to get worked up about.
Re: (Score:2)
I don't get worked up about it - but I've read reviews of other books where they basically explain Scalzi's book in terms of which Heinlein that it matches.
This Zoe's Tale Review [sfreviews.net] wonders if "...Scalzi has perfected some kind of occult ritual to allow the spirit of the late Grand Master to possess his body."
This Last Colony review [scifi.com] says that it is really 2 books in one - one of which is The Tunnel in the Sky. Which I really can't agree with and think it is only the Heinlein tie in that made t
Re: (Score:2)
The signal to noise ratio here is the same as always - but posts like the gp make for good discussion. It's worth it for that - glad you liked the review. He's a great author, and from all I can tell a genuinely good guy. His blog would be of interest to a lot of people around here I think - I know many already are regular readers there.
Re: (Score:2)
You watch a Shakespeare play over and over while knowing the end.
Nope, never. Modern theater makes it unessary with all the constant remakes. I'm still looking for a Romeo and Juliet with a happy ending.
Re: (Score:2)
Yes, but you often watch it over the second time to either
- Relive the experience the first time
- Look beyond the plot and into the intricacies you missed the first time
The first time experience of not knowing the plot is still important.
The first three were definitely strong books (Score:4, Interesting)
I think the part that I found most interesting was how he ended The Last Colony with the aliens defeating the Colonial Union without having to go to war. It would be interesting to see him write a new story that takes place several decades later when the aliens have completely liberated the Earth from the Colonial Union, and maybe even have Earth conquer the colonials out of revenge for exploitation that it suffered at their hands.
Heinlein Comparison (Score:3, Informative)
Having met Mr. Scalzi, I can guarantee that he would see it the highest praise possible to compare him to Heinlein.
Re: (Score:2)
Heinlein had some great ideas that I wish were more well-known. He told good stories to illustrate them, too. On the flipside, his characters tended to be pretty flat, there was always an obvious mouthpiece for his own viewpoint, and his dialog was very weak.
I haven't read any Scalzi, and I do have great respect for Heinlein, but I hope the comparisons only hold true for the positive traits. Are Scalzi's books deeper than pure entertainment? Do they raise questions about the human condition, our treatme
Re: (Score:2)
Are Scalzi's books deeper than pure entertainment?
Yes
Do they raise questions about the human condition, our treatment of others, the role of governments, etc.?
Yes
Though I think you might be selling RAH a little short. Yes - he preached - but just because his books didn't actually ask the questions themselves doesn't mean he didn't inspire the reader to ask those questions.
Re: (Score:2)
Scalzi is a Heinlein rip off of the first rate. Scalzi's leftist feminist whacko characters make Heinlein's look like lecherous lesbians.
The gratuitous gore and sex might be ok, but every single afterglow of victory or orgasm is buzz killed by some whiny preachy little tart complaining about the failures of mankind.
For the record, I have not read any of Scalzi's material, and I do like most of Heinlein's
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
For the record, I have not read any of Scalzi's material, and I do like most of Heinlein's work.
You admit that you haven't read any of John Scalzi's material, yet you have the temerity to complain about it? Fuck off and die.
Re: (Score:2)
Too funny.
Re: (Score:2)
Perhaps, but what would Mr. Heinlein think?
Scalzi strikes me as closer to Haldeman (Score:5, Interesting)
I can see the comparisons to Heinlien, but OMW really struck me as being very much in the same vein as The Forever War.
Great writer though, so definitely worth checking out anything he writes.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Exactly. The scenario looks sortof like RAH on the surface, but the tone and underlying morality is much closer to The Forever War, and I kept feeling like I was in FW's parallel universe the whole way thru OMW. Which didn't detract, but it was certainly odd.
I really liked OMW, it was a wholly new concept, and the story and characters ran full-tilt with it. But I found the sequels merely readable, not compelling, and the universe they inhabit has taken on the cartoonish appearance of ... ah, hell, what's th
Re: (Score:2)
I'd say Scalzi sets somewhere between the two. I think he is a stronger advocate for the use of force but with a lot less 'joy' in the destruction than RAH. I thought all the OMW books were less preachy than either FW or Starship Troopers.
I thought the sequels did a good job of driving home ideas that were just brushed up against in the first. I like how they each stand on their own, and visit those common themes from a number of perspectives.
I think that cartoonish feel is a real tough s
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, it's more "off in the same direction as" rather than "a lot like" either Halderman or RAH, and for different reasons with each. Agreed on your other points as well.
The problem I've developed with aliens, especially non-humanoid types, is that usually they're just different for the sake of being different, rather than due to good and reasonable biology... and I just can't stand reading about 'em anymore. -- As you say, Cherryh is among the best at presenting aliens that are believable within the contex
Re: (Score:2)
I was wondering what this book was (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Gabe did a cover for an earlier Scalzi book - "Agent to the Stars" [scalzi.com] (which you can read on-line for free if you follow the link) and so the PA guys know Scalzi at least professionally. But I think things are tied even tighter with Wil Wheaton just having played D&D with the PA guys - and Wheaton and Scalzi are friends. Talk about word of mouth - it's a veritable geek storm between those 3.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Dude - I don't make the terms up [wikipedia.org] I just use them. And for many of them I doubt that their tastes are a lot different than yours - but the reality is that marketing to them may require reigning in certain elements more easily found in 'adult' fiction. This is a book that could safely make it into a school library in the U.S. - I think. (You never know sometimes.)
Re: (Score:2)
A spade is not a "pointy shovel". It's a spade.
So what's a pointy shovel called?
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
A spade.
Re: (Score:2)
So if you have books designed to appeal to toddlers, children, teenagers, teens and twentysomethings, and adults, is it really wrong to invent a category name for the teens and twentysomethings? After all, we invented names for all the rest. Young adult has been in use for a LOOONG time (more than a hundred years), so at this point I think it is pretty ingrained. If you'd like the world to switch over to 'old children', you can feel free to campaign for that, best of luck to you.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
The idea there is this imaginary line which you can cross to change from being a child to being an adult is one of the most idiotic in this world. If there were one, it most certainly wouldn't be based on age as most 'adults' can quite conclusively be proven never to have crossed it.
There are teenagers out there that deserve the title "Young Adult" and just because someone pissed in your cereal this morning while you were out screaming at the locals to get off your lawn doesn't make you the arbitrator of th
Re: (Score:2)
About how well kept would you say your lawn is?
Re: (Score:2)
Agreed, the old M2 system should be brought back because it seems like the idiots are taking control of the channel.
I, too, await my offtopic mod...