What I’m Reading #2 – Scalzi
Disclaimer – I’m not doing these in any particular order at the moment.
Continuing with the Military SF them, I’ve recently read John Scalzi’s Ghost Brigades[asa]0765354063[/asa].
I have to admit WHY I read the book. 1) Scalzi’s going to be the GOH at ArmadilloCon next month. And 2) Ghost Brigades has been on my “To Be Read” Shelf since World Fantasy last year. Nothing like motivation to read something. BUT… I’ve also heard and read some good things about Scalzi through the blogosphere, so it wasn’t like took serious arm-twisting to read the thing…
Okay, so Ghost Brigades, I thought had a great opening. Then got slow for a while while he did the backstory on how these guys are made. BUT… even though it was slow, it was fascinating in that weird, freaky way that DUDE! Scalzi’s universe could actually happen. One of my awesome geek/writer friends has already said he wants a BrainPal.
Once he got through that part, though. It booked – pun COMPLETELY intended. It was a GOOD story. Discovering self, another self, evolution of self, along with mystery, intrigue, stuff blowing up, Giant Space Rock Turtles, and jellybeans. What’s not to love? There’s a good mix of lessons, darkness, and humor. The exploration of humor I completely dug. And his take on Humanity in space, I could see that happening, too.
Again, going back to military SF. It’s not always my thing. But now I understand why John Scalzi is now more-or-less mentioned as John Scalzi. It’s something I aspire to, myself, as writer.
Here’s the kicker… it’s one of the books that was passed off to my husband. Now, we like the same genres, but honestly, we don’t read a lot of the exact same books. Our library is extensive that way. But Ghost Brigades is a shared book.
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You know, I have a copy of Ghost Soldiers, but I haven’t been able to finish it. I can’t get past the section where the Japanese have the Americans dig trenches, and then set them on fire in them….
Wait, not the same Ghost Soldiers, is it?