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Science Fiction & Fantasy |
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Zoe's Tale
written by John Scalzi
Studio : Tor Books
by Tor Books
Release Date : 2008-08-19
Publisher : Tor Books
Released : 2008-08-19
Availability : Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Number of Items : 1
EAN : 9780765316981
Avg. Customer Rating: (based on 29 reviews)
List Price : $24.95
Our Price : $11.99
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Product Description |
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How do you tell your part in the biggest tale in history?
I ask because it's what I have to do. I'm Zoe Boutin Perry: A colonist stranded on a deadly pioneer world. Holy icon to a race of aliens. A player (and a pawn) in a interstellar chess match to save humanity, or to see it fall. Witness to history. Friend. Daughter. Human. Seventeen years old.
Everyone on Earth knows the tale I am part of. But you don't know my tale: How I did what I did — how I did what I had to do — not just to stay alive but to keep you alive, too. All of you. I'm going to tell it to you now, the only way I know how: not straight but true, the whole thing, to try make you feel what I felt: the joy and terror and uncertainty, panic and wonder, despair and hope. Everything that happened, bringing us to Earth, and Earth out of its captivity. All through my eyes.
It's a story you know. But you don't know it all. |
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Love it |
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I loved this book, which is yet another in the Old Man's War universe. Many scenes show a different perspective of Lost Colony, and are OK. But what really gives this book the gold is the parts John Scalzi fills in with the rest of Zoe's adventures. Totally worth it- I almost cried (and I'm not being sarcastic or anything). |
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Good, but not the same |
I read all of Scalzi's "Old Man's War" series in sequence, including Last Colony, then Zoe's Tale. In case anyone doesn't know, Zoe's Tale covers the same ground as "The Last Colony," but this time it is from the point of view of Zoe Boutin-Perry, rather than her parents. Between the two, I consider Last Colony to be the better book. But that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy Zoe's Tale, too. And I highly recommend it if you want an introduction to Scalzi's writing and don't want to read the more 'military' stories that he has written. Just consider that if you think you might like the military aspect, then Zoe's Tale is probably NOT the place to start.
Zoe's Tale, though a fine book, is really more of a YA story. It focuses much more on relationships than on events. John Scalzi still shows his great skill at characterization and his clear, concise writing style that is so effortless to read
It does take place at the same time with the same general frame as Last Colony. It nicely rounds out some of the questions I had, but some events and details that were very important in The Last Colony aren't even mentioned in Zoe's Tale, and vice-versa. In some cases it is almost like 2 parallel worlds.
Essentially Zoe's Tale is more of a coming of age story, and gives you a much better understanding of the Obin as a race, and of Zoe as a person. It also gives more detail on one or two very important things that happened towards the end of Last Colony, but even then it doesn't go into the detail you would expect for such important occurrences.
Zoe's Tale is also, clearly, a character study. I actually marveled at Scalzi's ability to capture the mind and heart of a teenage girl. Very nicely done. And some of the relationships are interesting in and of themselves, especially Zoe with her friend Gretchen and her Obin bodyguards, as well as her relationship with Enzo, the boy she comes to love. I liked it, but if that doesn't sound like your cup of tea, then this book probably isn't for you. You can feel free to stop at "The Last Colony" and not worry that you have missed too much.
Now, if Scalzi writes more stories about Zoe, or the Conclave, or the Obin, or the new choices that Earth makes among the stars, and I suspect he will do exactly that, then this book might assume more importance as a key pivotal point in the series. But as things currently stand, you can choose to read it or skip it.
If you do read it, just don't expect it to be quite the same as what has gone before. |
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From a Different Point of a View |
John Scalzi returns to his popular "Old Man's War" universe with a parallel novel to the last entry, told from the perspective of Zoe Boutin Perry. Covering the same time frame as the previous entry, "The Last Colony," "Zoe's Tale" examines the ins and outs of the story from Zoe's perspective as a teenage girl and the lynchpin of peace agreeement between several interstellar races.
Hearing how Zoe thinks and reacts to things is fascinating and even though we may know where things are going, Scalzi still manages to keep the story suspenseful and compelling. The big part of this is the voice of Zoe. Scalzi sets up the character's voice early and then steps back, allowing her to take over telling the story in such a way that it is fresh, compelling and a definite asset to the universe of Old Man's War. I know at the end of "The Last Colony," Scalzi said he was taking a break from the universe for a while, but after reading this, I'm glad he didn't. "Zoe's Tale" comes along just soon enough after "Last Colony" to allow readers to remember enough of the critical events and turning points from the story.
However, don't think that just because you haven't read "Last Colony" you can't or shouldn't read this one. Scalzi's strength is that you can read his novels in any order and while having some background will enhance some aspects of the novels, it's not required. Scalzi has created a series that is equally rewarding for new and old readers. If anything, the compelling nature of "Zoe's Tale" will have those who haven't read the previous installments heading to a bookstore or library to see what they've missed.
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Strong on Character, Light on Details |
Zoe's Tale is a retelling of the events featured in "Lost Colony" from the perspective of the teenage girl, Zoe. It fills in gaps that were glossed over or full of deus-ex in "Lost Colony," and does so in a believable and entertaining fashion.
I had a hard time imagining settings and aliens. Scalzi hardly describes the aliens (and even human characters) in the book (I pictured General Gau as a noble talking Kangaroo), and I had trouble picturing events while reading.
Gretchen brings the sense of sarcasm I felt was missing from the last book back in spades, and the sheer character and sense of boundless family rescue the novel from the lacking descriptiveness.
Zoe has a strong, noble character, and I cared about her a whole lot more after finishing this book than I did after "Lost Colony." A worthy addition the 'Scalzi section' of your bookshelf, but don't expect new events. What this novels really gives is heart-warming perspective. |
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One of the Best Books You Can Give Your Kids |
In his fourth novel set in the world of OLD MAN'S WAR that jumpstarted John Scalzi's career in writing science fiction, the author doubles back for a second helping of story from his last novel, THE LAST COLONY. With a new voice, new events, and a batch of new stakes, Scalzi rekindles that reading experience to white-hot intensity.
The protagonist is a teenaged girl named Zoe who has an interesting background that has shaped not only her present, but her foreseeable future. She was a secondary character in THE GHOST BRIGADES and THE LAST COLONY, but now she's center stage. Although Scalzi's work has often been compared to Robert A. Heinlein's, with this new protagonist, those parallels have never been more sharply defined. I constantly felt as though I were twelve years old again, hunkered down with one of Heinlein's novels for juveniles.
Zoe is a marvelous character and leaps from the pages. As a kid, I knew girls like her. As an adult, I raised a daughter like her in so many ways. The fierce independence and need to shield her parents from her world (and to protect her privacy) was endearing.
Scalzi's voice in the first-person narrative is pitch-perfect. If I hadn't known the writer was male, I wouldn't have believed it. The views and opinions Zoe and her best friend Gretchen shared were incredibly well done.
I enjoyed the portrayal of the scientific realm as well, especially the way that it was rendered through Zoe's eyes. Her chief concern was her PDA, and it was just as much a part of her as a modern teenager's cell phone: for calls, for pictures and videos, for texting, and for storing media. The other things (like the interplanetary ship) were primarily taken for granted since they were in the adult world.
Zoe's crush on Enzo was particularly good as well. I like the way the couples paired off, and the fact that their close relationships later caused problems for all of them when those friendships also became liabilities.
Readers of THE LAST COLONY are going to know most of the major arcs of the story and won't find any true surprises in this book regarding those. But to hear the story in Zoe's words, to find out all the behind-the-scenes action that was going on regarding Zoe and her alien protectors, to find out more about the "werewolves" in the forest's outside the colony's containment walls is a veritable feast made from leftovers. Sure, the story's been told before in some regards, but there's a reason twice-backed potatoes are popular too.
Not many writers can pull off a second visit to what is - essentially - the same story. Scalzi not only does pull this off, but he brings so much more out of the second trip in such a unique way that this trip through doesn't even feel like the same book. Even though so many of the characters and situations are familiar, I was swept away to another world seemingly made whole from the one I'd only thought I knew.
I enjoy Scalzi's writing. He's deceptively easy to read. His voice, whichever voice he's using, always rings true and pulls me through his novels. Zoe's voice was hauntingly familiar from the Heinlein juveniles, but Scalzi just has a much better hook on today's kids.
ZOE'S TALE is a perfect book to offer a young reader. Especially one that's wondering why you're reading Scalzi's books. A young reader doesn't have to read the preceding three books because this novel is self-contained. It's a great exposure to the Old Man's War books, and it might just have your kid raiding your book shelves or the local library for Scalzi's previous novels. If that happens, you're going to have competition for his next book!
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