Zoe's Tale (Old Man's War, #4) - Kestrels Nest: BookWyrm Edition

Hardcover, 320 pages

English language

Published Jan. 4, 2008 by Tor Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-7653-1698-1

(2 reviews)

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 to make you feel what I felt: the joy and terror and uncertainty, panic …

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 to 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.

4 editions

Jakers reviewed Zoe's Tale (Old Man's War, #4) by John Scalzi

I liked it, but not the strongest in the series

3 stars

There's a lot to like here, but story-wise it does retread a lot of ground we've honestly seen before. I think in the notes he mentioned he wanted to sew up a few plotholes once he started writing it, but honestly, the last 25% of the book probably could have been a short by itself. Zoe is an interesting, fun character to follow, though. Mostly what makes this book weaker is that it's retreading the same water we just swam out of.

reconbot reviewed Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi

A wonderful retelling of a fun story

4 stars

The previous book from the point of view of Zoe. Well told and a good reminder that you can excuse any retcon with teenagers not telling parents the whole truth.

In all seriousness it must have been written at the same time. Pages cut from the previous book perhaps. Which leads it to fit very well in the series.

Lots of fun and a good button to the series.

Subjects

Science Fiction - General
Fiction / Science Fiction / General
Fiction
Fiction - Science Fiction
Science Fiction