Retired from his fighting days, John Perry is now village ombudsman for a human colony on distant Huckleberry. With his wife, former Special Forces warrior Jane Sagan, he farms several acres, adjudicates local disputes, and enjoys watching his adopted daughter grow up.
That is, until his and Jane's past reaches out to bring them back into the game — as leaders of a new human colony, to be peopled by settlers from all the major human worlds, for a deep political purpose that will put Perry and Sagan back in the thick of interstellar politics, betrayal, and war.
The highly-anticipated conclusion to John Scalzi's SF trilogy begun with Old Man's War and The Ghost Brigades concludes with The Last Colony
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"Not as good as the first two in the series, partly because the main story arc took a while to start. I feel that he could have expanded more on some of the characters. In the end though, the payoff was very good. I can't wait until the Human Division comes out in its entirety."
— Gorkem (4 out of 5 stars)
“The Last Colony will kick your butt across the galaxy and make you care.
— Rick Kleffel, The Agony Column, on The Last ColonyScalzi's captivating blend of off-world adventure and political intrigue remains consistently engaging.
— Booklist on The Last ColonyThe sequel to Old Man's War combines taut military action with keen insights into the moral issues revolving around developing technologies. Scalzi has a finely tuned sense of balance between personal drama and the 'big picture' ... Highly recommended.
— Library Journal (starred review) on The Ghost BrigadesA mix of Starship Troopers and Universal Soldier, Ghost evokes awakening, betrayal, and combat in the best military sci-fi tradition.
— Entertainment Weekly on The Ghost BrigadesAn impressive piece of work.
— Philadelphia Inquirer on The Ghost BrigadesFast and deep…I like the galaxy this author's playing in, the characters he limns, the situations he's playing with, and I'm glad there's at least one more volume on the way.
— San Diego Union-Tribune on The Ghost BrigadesIn Heinleinesque fashion, the book is loaded with scenes of comradeship, isolation, ruthlessness and the protocols, which govern the lives of active-duty soldiers. But this is where Scalzi, famous for his blog ‘The Whatever,' surpasses Heinlein. Scalzi weaves in subtle discussions of humanity's growing fear of aging and our simultaneous attraction and repulsion to the Frankenstein-like creatures we are able to create.
— San Antonio Express-News on The Ghost BrigadesScalzi is a natural heir to Heinlein, and his second book in this series is a good old-fashioned space opera, which takes time to question the nature of free will.
— St. Louis Press-Dispatch on The Ghost BrigadesAstonishingly proficient.
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Old Man's WarTop-notch. His combat scenes are blood-roiling. His dialogue is suitably snappy and profane. And the moral and philosophical issues he raises... insert useful ethical burrs under the military saddle of the story.
— The Washington Post on Old Man's WarSmartly conceived and thoroughly entertaining, Old Man's War is a splendid novel.
— Cleveland Plain-Dealer“Scalzi’s captivating blend of off-world adventure and political intrigue remains consistently engaging.”
— Booklist“Fantastic, eminently readable, and more than a little bittersweet…Perry is a likably sarcastic narrator whom readers should find both sympathetic and amusing. The plot is beautifully constructed, and the resolution of the series is heart stopping in its absolute rightness.”
— RT Book Reviews (4½ stars, Top Pick!)" I liked Scalzi's earlier books and there's something to be said for his hyper-speed pacing, but this particular book seemed a little "thin" to me. There were a number of times in this book when I felt like Scalzi just hadn't given us enough basis for believing that the radical plot developments could have happened so quickly/easily. Also, what exactly was the purpose of the "werewolves"? That being said, it was still an enjoyable read. I love the thoroughly practical way the characters employ the technological tools imagined by Scalzi's world (i.e. sneak attacks by genetically modified human SpecOps soldiers). "
— Calvinus, 2/11/2014" Good end to a good trilogy. However, I liked Zoe's Tale, which was essentially the same story told from a different character, better than The Last Colony. "
— Erin, 2/10/2014" Scalzi is quite good at building up a situation until you just can't imagine how it's going to be resolved without everyone dying. He's still quite good at that in this book and I enjoyed this ending more than in the other books in this series. Having said that, I gave this book three stars because it often lags. Sometimes the dialogue turns into philosophical musings (not in the good way) or long debriefings of the reasons behind some action, such as the conversations between John Perry (he's back!) and General [insert one of three names here]. This kind of thing, if overdone, irritates me, because sometimes I think it was bleedingly obvious and we didn't need it, and other times because I just don't want to have a character's every thought process explained to me. Let the reader think about it. Let them debate with another reader why John Perry is a hero or a traitor. Leave some of it to be a mystery. "
— Debbie, 2/5/2014" Good fun reading. Very like able characters. "
— Fred, 1/26/2014" This one didn't impress me. I felt that the plot was lacking and frankly there wasn't much action compared to Old Man's War. Overall, I enjoyed the series, but feel that the final book doesn't come close to the first two. "
— Troy, 1/24/2014" After reading this book I look forward for the next John Scalzi's view of our universe... "
— Luis, 1/20/2014" Trilogy winds down - not as good as the earlier books, but a clear and clean ending. "
— Jeffrey, 1/17/2014" Not quite up to par of the previous two Old Man's War books, but still a quick and worthwhile read. "
— Barry, 1/14/2014" My second favorite in the series after the original. "
— Daniel, 9/22/2013" Excellent continuation of the adventures of John and Jane! I especially loved the ending! "
— Debra, 7/22/2013" I think I liked this one better than "The Ghost Brigades," but not as well as "Old Man's War." Tough to write a really great sequel to a really terrific book, I bet. "
— Sarah, 6/3/2013" This book is a ringing endorsement for the genre and it is a great addition to one of the best series I've ever read. "
— Mikey, 9/20/2012" Nearly a 5-star review, as this was a very good ending to the series. I had some problems with the early pace, though it certainly picked up and had several unexpected twists to keep it interesting. "
— Andy, 9/12/2012" John Scalzi once again shows his ability to draw the reader into a novel with simple human interaction. The plot builds exponentially and the conclusion was unexpected and satisfying. Recommended for those who enjoyed the previous books in the series. "
— John, 8/26/2012" a nice wrap up. "
— Mahdee, 10/26/2011" The third book in the series is once again a departure from the first two, with more of a political space opera bent - though still more Heinlein than EE Doc Smith. "
— Jim, 7/7/2011" The third book in the series is once again a departure from the first two, with more of a political space opera bent - though still more Heinlein than EE Doc Smith.<br/> "
— Jim, 5/19/2011" Una más que digna secuela de la saga de las tropas espaciales. Menos fuirosa que la primera, menos militarismo que en la segunda, pero un poco mas de cuestionamiento sobre las "nobleza" de las fuerzas terrestres de colonización. Recomendada. "
— Speedy, 5/19/2011" Very enjoyable, but sometimes it seems that the coincidences of all the plans falling together so nicely, gets a little unbelievable. "
— Clint, 5/4/2011" An astonishing conclusion to a great trilogy. In my opinion, this is by far the best of the three books. I literally couldn't put it down, and read it in one very long day. "
— Daniel, 5/3/2011" Liked this one better than Old Man's War. Absolutely wonderful. "
— Dvana, 4/21/2011" Another win for John Scalzi. It would probably have been a 4 star but I really enjoyed the ending enough to push it up to 5. <br/> <br/>The Last Colony was less action-packed than the first two but the story was still on par. "
— Matt, 4/18/2011" John Perry made a re-appearance in this book, so I was always going to like this book! I think it says a lot for the strength of John Scalzi's writing that although this was possibly my least favourite book in the series, I still found it a really good read. "
— Rhianne, 4/8/2011" Tasty brain candy. An easy, entertaining read, but mostly unexceptional. "
— Ed, 4/5/2011" This was really a great book. "
— Kyle, 3/31/2011" I enjoyed it but once again John Perry & Jane Sagan, and now Zoe & their retainers the Obin, are so much more capable than any other beings in the galaxy that there's no question of them getting exactly what they want -- nobody can stand up or keep up with them. That's annoying. "
— Chris, 3/27/2011" Enjoyable series. Zoe's Tale is up next, but I have a sneaking suspicion I'm not going to like it for some reason... hopefully Scalzi proves me wrong. "
— Scott, 3/5/2011" An entertaining read and definitely better that book #2 in the series. "
— Rex, 3/5/2011John Scalzi is an acclaimed science-fiction author whose debut Old Man’s War won him science fiction’s John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His New York Times bestsellers include Fuzzy Nation, Lock In, and Redshirts, which also won the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel. He also writes nonfiction on subjects ranging from personal finance to astronomy to film. He served as the creative consultant for the Stargate: Universe television series.
William Dufris attended the University of Southern Maine in Portland-Gorham before pursuing a career in voice work in London and then the United States. He has won more than twenty AudioFile Earphones Awards, was voted one of the Best Voices at the End of the Century by AudioFile magazine, and won the prestigious Audie Award in 2012 for best nonfiction narration. He lives with his family in Maine.