Elitist Book Reviews

In some ways I really wish we could do two reviews of THE HUMAN DIVISION by John Scalzi. I recently got the book in the mail and read through it in a few days. It was fun and fast-paced, and like most of Scalzi’s writing it was filling with that humor, action and suspense that makes him so darn readable to many people out there. The thing is, the book was released in two separate ways and written as a kind of experiment in publishing.

For the first four months of the year Tor released one short story a week in a serial format from Scazli based in his best selling Old Man’s War universe. You could pay to read that particular piece of the story and enjoy each story on its own merits, or you could pay a fee up front to receive each short story as they were released each week.  You could alternatively wait until mid-May to buy the book in hardcover and get all the short stories put together and in chronological order (that’s what I did).

My question then is, did it work?

I can only speak about THE HUMAN DIVISION as a whole, because that’s how I read it. Also, I’m a fan of Scalzi’s OLD MAN'S WAR universe having read each book in the series at least once. What I’m saying is, this book was designed for someone like me. I like the series, I know the characters and feel of it already. So, I’m gonna review it (spoiler alert, I liked it), but I wish I could see a review of someone who come into it cold, never having read Scalzi before and reading each short story a week at a time in pieces.

The book, despite being a series of short stories pulled together tells a larger tale over the course of the novel. This was the intention to begin with and the challenge. The larger narrative deals with the aftermath of THE LAST COLONY (and ZOE'S TALE which tells the same basic story from a different perspective). Basically the setup is this. The Colonial Union is made up of the humans who have either emigrated away from earth to settle new planets, or have volunteered to be soldiers for the Union. They are trying to expand humanity across the galaxy--or cosmos or what have you--by claiming new planets and settling them or taking them over from other alien races (of which there are many). Humanity therefore isn’t on good terms with A LOT of other races and wars ensue. The other races meanwhile have formed a group, called the Conclave, to try and work together instead of fighting. The Colonial Union doesn’t want to be part of it. Earth meanwhile is pretty clueless about all of this. All they know is that the Colonial Union takes some of them for soldiers and others for colonies and no one ever comes back. That is until the Conclave shows up on Earth and gives the earthlings the choice to join them. This then is the human division in THE HUMAN DIVISION. Which way will Earth go? Will they side with the Conclave, or the Colonial Union who has kept them in the dark for so long?

Most of the book takes place in the view point of characters within the Colonial Union. I won’t go more into it here as part of the fun of each story is the setup of the characters and situations, and then the resolution. Each story is quick and fun, and taken as a whole they do an admirable job of telling that greater story of what will the Earth do. Were there some stories that didn’t hold up as well as others? Probably, but to me they were just pieces to give me a better picture of the grand story going on. The big problem I had with the novel that I can say for sure, is that its strength (being made of fun segmented short stories) was also its weakness for me. It’s hard to build up to a BIG PAYOFF at the end when each short story has a minor resolution of its own. In the end it felt like I was on a fun ride but without some of the highest highs or lowest lows. It was fun but it wasn’t able to really resonate with me because of the nature of it.

It was still a fun read and certainly a must buy for Scalzi fans out there (like me). Heck, someone who has never read Scalzi before go buy it and let me know what you think. I’m anxious to see if it works for you as well.

Age Recommendation: 14+
Language: There's some language here or there. But not too bad.
Violence: Not too much. Some action scenes but nothing too violent.
Sex: Referenced, never shown.

Here are your links:

OLD MAN'S WAR
THE GHOST BRIGADES
THE LAST COLONY
ZOE'S TALE
THE HUMAN DIVISION

Once upon a time I read OLD MAN'S WAR by John Scalzi and it became my favorite book of all time. That said, REDSHIRTS has much more in common with Scalzi's ANDROID'S DREAM than it does OLD MAN'S WAR. Sometimes a book is worth losing sleep over. Some books are basically begging to be read in one sitting. REDSHIRTS is one of these books.

Andrew Dahl, Ensign of the Universal Union, has a problem. He has been assigned to the capital ship Intrepid, a ship with an alarmingly high casualty rate for low ranking crew members. Recognizing a terrifying trend relating to away missions, Dahl and his friends seek to discover the origin of the trouble plaguing Intrepid. As death draws ever nearer, Dahl must race against fate to save himself and his friends from a most assuredly gruesome demise.

My review of REDSHIRTS will be purposely short for a change. I can't go too far into detail without giving away large pieces of the plot and to do so would be a crime against literature. REDSHIRTS is a self-aware science fiction novel, paying respect to Star Trek in the vein of Dean Parisot's Galaxy Quest. REDSHIRTS is definitely a spoof but it is also a very thoughtful and well plotted homage. At first I had no idea how Scalzi would cultivate the idea into a full blow novel. The premise struck me as a fantastic idea for a novella but I had doubts about the ability to expand it any further. I need not have worried. This is a meta-novel of sorts, encompassing many trends and tropes of the weekly sci-fi television drama, filled with pop culture delights and snappy dialogue. Scalzi riffs on everything, from bad science plot devices to dramatically necessary deaths.

I remember being disappointed when ANDROID'S DREAM turned out not to be OLD MAN'S WAR. I was expecting another serious military science fiction thriller and what I got was a slightly funny satire. It wasn't fair of me as a reader but that's how it is. I didn't have that conflict with REDSHIRTS. I have grown as a reader but Scalzi has also grown as a writer. Though frequently laugh-out-loud funny this novel just comes across as more genuine. Scalzi never has to grasp for humor, lines are delivered wit comedic precision.

The characters exhibit wonderful chemistry, and despite no huge amount of effort spent on development there are some surprisingly touching moments. Dahl and Co. exhibit just the right amount of depth for "expendables". Most shocking of all is how much I ended up liking the super attractive and intensely unfortunate Lieutenant Kerensky. These characters are worth rooting for and you will find yourself firmly attached and wishing to follow them to the stars and the unknown.

The plot is largely twisted and philosophical. By the end you may find yourself asking if you are the protagonist of your own life's story or just an extra in someone else's. There are multiple surprises, especially regarding the characters themselves and the world they inhabit. Ironically the few problems I did have with the novel were solved by the time the conclusion came around. My minor grievances actually turned out to be deftly maneuvered plot devices. The ending is satisfying in a way that I have recently found lacking in my reading.

A fun Science Fiction adventure as well as an intelligent piece of contemporary fiction, this is exactly the sort of novel my fiction writing professor would have considered to be "literary". Generally when I declare something to be literary I sneer at the elitist arrogance of it. Those books frequently dubbed as such bore the hell out of me. The thing is, I think I have come to understand what the term truly means. REDSHIRTS transcends the genre, telling a memorable story within a story and earning it the instant status of a classic. REDSHIRTS is Scalzi's best novel since OLD MAN'S WAR, exhibiting his trademark sarcastic wit and nimble pacing while also telling a meaningful tale. Fans of Scalzi, Star Trek, science fiction, and good literature in general will find much to be pleased by here.

Recommended Age: 14+
Language: Frequent
Violence: Some but less than expected
Sex: Alluded to but nothing explicit

A Note on Codas: This is being sold as REDSHIRTS: A NOVEL WITH THREE CODAS. The first coda is absolutely essential and hilarious and adds to the overall experience. The two proceeding codas struck me as unnecessary, dragging out the book longer than I would have liked. Maybe I'm just being nitpicky because I was reading this early in the morning and desiring nothing more than sleep but I thought it important to mention my one legitimate objection.

Want REDSHIRTS? Here's your link: REDSHIRTS

FUZZY NATION is a book unlike anything I've ever read before. It's the reboot of a classic Science Fiction franchise—a retelling of the original LITTLE FUZZY. It follows the story of the original in a loose sense, yet tells that same story in a completely new way. It's fan fiction...in a good way.

I'm not sure exactly what the aim of this book was. Whether it was simply a writing exercise that John Scalzi undertook to clear his head and have a bit of fun. Whether it was meant to draw attention to a series that Scalzi loved, or whether it was meant to be simply a darn entertaining story. Whatever his motives, Scalzi has succeeded.

Like its originator, FUZZY NATION tells the story of one Jack Holloway, a man who discovers a new race of creatures, the Fuzzys, and befriends them. The creatures show remarkable intelligence and the issue of whether or not the Fuzzys are in fact sentient beings becomes the main focus for the book. If the Fuzzys are sentient, thinking reasoning beings, the consequences to the large mining corporation that own the planet could be catastrophic. That could be a summary for both books, the original H. Beam Piper Hugo-nominated novel, or the recent Scalzi reboot. How they go about that story is completely different.

The first thing Scalzi does is get rid of every character in the Piper original, except Holloway. He then populates the world with a fresh set of faces, new backstories, motivations and character quirks, Holloway included. I agree with this 100%. One of the bigger flaws of the original, in my opinion, was the characterization. All of the characters were simply talking heads useful only to have various arguments on the Fuzzys' intelligence. In LITTLE FUZZY there were several times where I lost track of who in fact was speaking to whom and it didn't really matter. What mattered to Piper was the argument. Scalzi has taken a different road. The argument is still there, still important, but so are the motivations behind it. These characters have life, have needs, have character. Holloway's ex-girlfriend has a major role, as do the local thugs, the heir apparent to the major corporation and others. Even the fuzzy's in the book have been re-purposed.

The other thing that Scalzi does is give the story a sense of adventure and a bit more of a modern sense of pacing. LITTLE FUZZY was a treatise on sentience, an enjoyable treatise, but a treatise nonetheless. In FUZZY NATION, Scalzi ups the tension, the pacing, and throws in a splash of action for good measure. The end result is a much more enjoyable reading experience that suits my personal tastes much better.

Like all of Scalzi's books, this one was easy and effortless to read. The pages flew by and I finished the book within a few days of getting it (quite a compliment with how busy my schedule is). Scalzi prefers to let the characters themselves describe who and what they are. Everything is learned from dialogue and action instead of long sections of exposition. And he makes it all seem so easy. I mean really? This is just what he writes when he needs a breath of fresh air? If only more authors out there said, "You know what, I'm kind of bored. I think I'll write an interesting intelligent page turning SF novel. You know, just for kicks." The world would be a better place for it.

I'm not sure if this is the novel I wanted Scalzi to write (I'm a big fan of his Old Man's War universe and an even bigger fan of THE ANDROID'S DREAM), but it's hard to argue when you get something so enjoyable as a result. Scalzi hit the nail on the head with this one, keeping all of the fun and warmth of the original series while adding a touch of the new and making it in my opinion and even better novel than it's predecessor. Enjoy.

Recommended Age: 14+ A little bit of language but nothing major.
Language: Not too much although one scene in particular had a bit of it and it was really funny (if you've read the book I'm sure you know the scene I mean).
Violence: A couple scenes. Mostly involving Fuzzys, which was hard to read.
Sex: Not to my recollection.

We often wondered if the reason Scalzi was nominated for various Hugo awards was due to his insane amount of blogging (why do you think we started this site, eh?). Last year, his novel THE LAST COLONY was nominated for the prestigious 2008 Hugo Award. He didn't win, and initially we thought, "Guess we were right, as always."

The thing is, we read THE LAST COLONY, and realized that he should have won in that field of competition.

Scalzi will be the first one to tell you that he was more than happy to even be nominated, and that the other authors were very deserving of their nominations. Sure, we thought the other 2008 Hugo nominated novels were great, but THE LAST COLONY should have won.

This is the 3rd book in the OLD MAN'S WAR universe (OMW, or as Nick calls it...Steve's life), and it is refreshingly different from the prior two entries. OLD MAN'S WAR won the Campbell award back in 2006, and was a great romp through space and war. GHOST BRIGADES, to us, was a disappointment. THE LAST COLONY gives us a look into the colonization process in the OMWU, and gives us back our hero from OMW, John Perry. The political intrigue and interactions in this novel are a welcome addition, and yes, there is violence, and it is great.

One of the great things about this series is that the books are accessible to both die hard fans of Science Fiction and those, like Nick, who don't particularly care for it. The mix of science, plot, action, and intrigue were a sort of alchemy that ended up with both of us wanting more at the end of the Trilogy.

Scalzi gives us fast-paced Military SF, and it makes a fun, fast read. As he once told Steve at a convention, if you can't gobble popcorn down with glee while reading his novels, he hasn't done his job. With THE LAST COLONY, that mission was a success.

Recommended Age: 16 and up.
Language: Ever known anyone in the military that doesn't swear? This is Military SF. Of course there is language.
Violence: Oh yes. Get your popcorn ready...
Sex: Not in this one. In the previous two novels, yes, quite a bit.

Scalzi doesn't really need our help, but we feel duty bound to point you to his well managed blog, Whatever (yes, that is what it is called). It is a fantastic blog, and you get to see how crazy he is. That's a good thing. Tell him creator's of the Scalzi Award sent you (you'll have to ask him about it).

http://whatever.scalzi.com/

Also, if you liked THE LAST COLONY (and you should), go check out Scalzi's YA novel ZOE'S TALE. It is essentially the story from THE LAST COLONY told from Zoe's perspective. It was nominated for the 2009 Hugo Award.