Title: Old Man's War
Author: John Scalzi
Series: Old Man's War (Book 1)

In the future, we have colonized far of planets, but not everyone is allowed onto these new worlds. For Americans, the only way you can travel through space is by joining the army, on your 75th birthday. John Perry, facing the end of his life after the loss of his beloved wife, is one of these newest recruits. He doesn't know much about what his life in the army is going to be like, but he knows it involves making him young again. Will John be able to survive the intensity of being an interstellar solider, or will he die before his first tour is even over?

Old Man's War is one of those books I've been meaning to read for a while. When it was chosen as a selection for the Sword and Laser Book Club, it was the perfect excuse for me to finally give it a chance. Now that I've finished it, I can honestly say that it's been a long time since I've had so much fun reading a book. Old Man's War is a fast paced sci-fi adventure, filled with great characters and a lot of laugh out loud humor. I just flew through the pages and wanted more by the time I was done. Old Man's War reminded me a lot of James S.A. Corey's Expanse series, which was of mt my favorite finds of 2012.

What first drew me into the novel was the mystery of it all. How were they going to make John Perry and his new friends young again? What was going to happen to them once they joined the army? For that reason, I won't be spoiling to much of the actual storyline, because getting surprised along with the characters was half the fun. I also connected really well to the protagonist, John Perry. I found him to be a satisfyingly competent lead, even if some of his advances were based just as much on luck as anything else. He had a great voice, filled with plenty of humor. I also found it very easy to get attached to the side characters, even those who only made an appearance for a few scenes, which is pretty impressive in my opinion. The novel is told in an episodic format, which I don't always like, but actually worked pretty well here. And although the story is more about action and fun than anything else, there is a handful of hard science to be found here, all which was pretty thought provoking.

Final Thoughts: If you're looking for a top notch, fast paced science fiction novel, then look no further than Old Man's War. Old Man's War is an exciting work of military sci-fi, filled with likable characters and plenty of laugh out loud moments. I will certainty be continuing this series in the future. Five Stars

Next I will be reviewing The Map of the Sky by Felix J. Palma