Old Man's War

Author: John Scalzi
Published: 2005

After reading the book it is clear why it is popular. Old time space opera with a modern feel and sense of humor. Solid writing joins very good pacing and a knack for twisting what might be mundane (e.g. the names the characters give their BrainPals). Did I mention humor? One particularly nasty culinary alien species with a taste for humans is given a name that brings to mind a currently popular, perky, female who has many cookbooks and cooking shows.

More interesting was how I read the book. The text is in first person, for the most part past-tense. This is what I'm using in my current novel project. However, the text does go into present tense on occasion, notably in the very beginning and end, but also here and there where a description is needed to imply ongoing action or semi-permanence (not the best description, I realize). It would be interesting to go through the book and find all the instances of each tense. All it takes is time...