Thomcat
7/10/2024
A novel in four longer stories - novellas? - that brings the broader story arc from The Last Colony to an end, without the return of the main character from the first few books. Not entirely satisfying.
The conclusion to the arc was nicely engineered, and it was fun (and quick) to read. I expected the stories would be longer (only 4 in the book) but they felt about the same as the previous book (which had 13 or 14). Most of the characters carry forward from the previous book as well. The wise cracking toned down some, but then the topics were a bit more serious. The first story, "The Life of the Mind" was especially clever, and focused on a software engineer :)
Nicely engineered, but fairly pat - almost too quick and too perfect. I wanted a little something more from the series - or perhaps something less. I can't say where I would break the series, but perhaps after The Ghost Brigades? The events of The Last Colony follow from that one, so perhaps reading no further would work. I'm not entirely sure, and look forward to discussing with someone else who has read the whole enchilada.
I've read a fair amount of John Scalzi, and there's more left to read. Next up will probably be a single work. Maybe his newest, Starter Villain? Stay tuned...