I enjoyed Old Man’s War so much, I immediately requested the sequel from my local library. The Ghost Brigades did not disappoint. And while so many franchises will rely on its charismatic main character, Scalzi didn’t feel the need to do so – it’s a credit to the wonderful universe he’s created. We take on this adventure from a new perspective, that of the CDF’s Special Forces – often called ‘The Ghost Brigades’ by the rest of the military. I would’ve been perfectly happy to read more about John Perry, but pleasantly surprised to see he only had to be barely mentioned to keep the two books tied together.
What is the same is the great formula of storytelling. The narrative has just the right amount of foreshadowing, rising and falling action, and explosion-fueled climax. You’ll guess what’s coming, and have a joyous “a ha!” when you realize you didn’t see it coming.
The characters of this book are oddly more appealing to me than they were in Old Man’s War. The 2nd Platoon seemed a lot more relatable than the ‘Old Farts.’ Maybe that’s just a testament to how young I actually am.
If you enjoy science fiction or military fiction and aren’t caught up on Scalzi, holy cow, now is the time to join me. I don’t want to give away any plot here because it’s just too enjoyable. You may have noticed my pace of reading this year — and how I’ve done a lot more in June than in the earlier parts of the year. John Scalzi earns the credit for that.
Seriously. A fan, I have become. Book 3 is on request already! I’m gonna try to squeeze in some non-fiction quickly while I wait.
The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi
Alex Gustafson 