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    The Last Colony
    The Last Colony
    The Last Colony
    Audiobook9 hours

    The Last Colony

    Written by John Scalzi

    Narrated by William Dufris

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    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

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateOct 1, 2008
    ISBN9781427206435
    The Last Colony
    Author

    John Scalzi

    JOHN SCALZI is one of the most popular SF authors of his generation. His debut, Old Man's War, won him the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His New York Times bestsellers include The Last Colony, Fuzzy Nation, Redshirts (which won the 2013 Hugo Award for Best Novel), The Last Emperox, and 2022's The Kaiju Preservation Society. Material from his blog, Whatever, has earned him two other Hugo Awards. He lives in Ohio with his wife and daughter.

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    Reviews for The Last Colony

    4.5/5

    167 ratings39 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Science fiction that makes you want to laugh and cry! Loved it!

    • 5/5
      I enjoyed the series. He is able to keep your interest and weave a tale. Thank you!!!
    • 4/5
      Fine, entertaining story. Continues a story from two earlier books about same characters and same world, but it isn’t necessary to have read the earlier books – I haven’t – yet. Well described characters, interesting background, refreshing that most of the time you were rooting for alien empire against the human community.
    • 2/5
      John Perry and Jane Sagan are back in the third of the Old Man's War series. They're drafted to be the leaders of a new colony, but as soon as they arrive at the planet it becomes obvious things aren't right. They're cut off from everyone with no idea why.As far as I can tell, this is only considered science fiction because of the previous books and because we've colonized other planets. There is nothing science fictiony about this story. They colonize, there's some politics, they discuss, and most action is reported after the fact, or through dialogue. The latter half of the book is dialogue with a few reported battle scenes thrown in. It wouldn't matter if only there was character development to make up for it, but the characters are taken out of previous books and left the way they are, playing roles. It's a terrific disappointment after the previous books, and it's too bad since the very ending of the book (the last few pages) is touching and worth reading.
    • 4/5
      Another fun and enjoyable read from John Scalzi, continuing with a third installment of the Old Man's War series. We're back to following John Perry who was the main character from the first book, and his wife, former Special Forces intelligence officer Jane Sagan. It's always a pleasure to be reading about these two, especially Sagan, who has become one of my favorite female characters in sci-fi.The tensions between the humans and aliens remain high, and wars continue to rage on throughout space as John and Jane find themselves caught in the middle of a vast conspiracy. As such, I found there to be less action in this sequel, but more suspense and political intrigue. Still, this was very good.
    • 4/5
      In this novel Scalzi wraps up the tale of John Perry and Jane Sagan, as they are called upon to lead a colony into harm's way in circumstrances that turn into one double cross after another, to wind up with an ending that I didn't see coming. One is reluctant to say more, so as to not give anything away. I will say this: While Scalzi might be regarded as something of a second coming of Bob Heinlein, much of the plot of this story turns on a modern sense of having a low respect for authority that St. Robert is not usually credited with. If I have any particular gripe with this novel it's that there are some big loose ends left in regards to the environment of the planet Roanoke; those who have read the book will know exactly what I'm talking about. Having initially given this book five stars, a little more thought made me knock it down to four. The series as a whole I do give five stars to.
    • 4/5
      Summary: John Perry and his wife, Jane Sagan, have both been decomissioned from the Colonial Defense Fleet - he from the regular CDF enlistment, she from Special Forces - and had their consciousnesses returned to unmodified human bodies. For the past seven years, they've been living in a small town on a small colony with their adopted daughter Zoe, trying to adjust to civilian life. But then they get tapped by the Colonial Union for an important job: leaders of a new colony, the first of its kind. But when the planet they arrive at is not the planet they were expecting, they get the first hint that there's something they're not being told. The CU is involved in some serious - and deadly - scheming, and while John and Jane don't like being used as pawns, they must first keep themselves and the colonists for which they're responsible alive long enough to confront the people who are really in charge.Review: I continue to be impressed with John Scalzi's range; each installment in the Old Man's War series is a completely different beast than what's come before it. The Last Colony is narrated by John Perry, narrator of Old Man's War, so it's not a difference in voice, but the tone of the story has changed quite a bit. While I would class Old Man's War as part humor and part military fiction, The Last Colony reads more like a conspiracy thriller. (There's plenty of humor and military action too, don't get me wrong, but they're not as much the focus.) Scalzi manages to pack in a lot of really good, complexly layered plots, with plenty of complicated schemes and conflicting agendas and powerful secrets. Even better, he was able to present them in such a way that I followed them easily but never saw them coming, and able to sympathize with his narrator's frustration about being left in the dark without getting lost and frustrated myself. And amidst the scheming and action sequences and snarky dialogue, Scalzi also manages to drop in a lot of interesting points about the responsibilities of governments to their people and vice versa, the value of information and power, the realities of peace, and (as always) what it means to be human. While on the whole the various layers of plot were woven together really well, I did finish the book feeling that there were still some dangling plot threads. There are several points that in the beginning and middle of the book are played like they're going to be very important later, and then dropped without any real resolution. One of these elements (apologies for the vagueness; trying to avoid being overly spoilery here) was something that was done so effectively that I actually got creeped out reading about it, and it seemed to me like there was some fertile ground for storytelling in that direction, but instead it was just used as the catalyst for another plot point and then abandoned with nary a further mention. Aggravating, but on the whole there was enough other stuff going on that it didn't affect my enjoyment of the book overmuch. 4 out of 5 stars.Recommendation: Don't pick this book up without having read the previous installments in the series, but on the whole Scalzi's books are great for sci-fi that manages to be both serious and light at the same time.
    • 4/5
      I read this book a few weeks ago, but somehow it never got entered on this list!Amazon Editorial ReviewRetired 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.
    • 5/5
      An amazing series. I am super impressed with john Scalzi.
    • 4/5
      Really nice ending to a superior scifi trilogy.
    • 3/5
      The Last Colony by John Scalzi The third book of his Old Mans War series. A fair read. His character's are getting a little stiff and and worn out. Also I kept thinking I"ve read this somewhere else (alot of familiar plot twists) . Still If you read and liked the first two you'll like this one too. Overall I enjoyed it (having read the first two) and pre-ordered the fourth book "Zoe's Tale."
    • 4/5
      Good ending to an excellent series. John Scalzi has created some excellent characters in an interesting world. Sorry to see them go.
    • 4/5
      John Scalzi’s The Last Colony is an enjoyable read. I unfortunately obtained this book only to discover it’s the third in a series, but this wasn’t a problem. There’s a bit of backstory exposition to get through, but Scalzi handles this deftly, and the story here stands on its own very well.Scalzi’s universe is exciting. Briefly, the human race has spread into nearby worlds and colonized many, but they face constant competition from many alien races. Our protagonist and his family are shanghaied into leading the establishment of a new colony in murky and seemingly precarious circumstances.Much of the book follows their struggles to make a small community work as it’s built from the ground up, but there are wider implications to their efforts as well.Scalzi writes a smooth, engaging story, and I’ll be looking forward to reading the earlier books in this series as well as his other works.
    • 4/5
      The Last Colony is the final installment of Joe Scalzi’s science fiction trilogy, following Old Man’s War and The Ghost Brigades. Suffice it to say, if you enjoyed the first two installments, you won’t be disappointed. In a nutshell, after years of colonizing planets with Earth inhabitants, the subsequent colonies have matured to the point that many wish to have their own colonies. In an effort to quell cries of favoritism, the Colonial Defense Force cobbles together a seed colony, consisting of colonists from many of the existing colonies. The colony will be led by John Perry and Jane Sagan, the main characters from the preceding two novels, who have subsequently retired from active duty with the CDF. Conflict with other intelligent life forms and intrigue within the Colonial Union ensues.I’ve read quite a bit of science fiction lately, and this novel is a jarring contrast to one I recently finished, River of Gods (Ian McDonald). Whereas the latter was, at times, difficult to follow and understand (I would term it literary, intelligent science fiction), Scalzi’s work is far more accessible to the average science fiction fan. After reading River of Gods and Saturn’s Children (Charles Stross), I needed a break and this novel was a perfect breather. It is easy to follow, well developed and enjoyable to read. Not groundbreaking or award winning in my opinion, but if a good science fiction story is what you’re looking for, and you’re not in the mood for deep, philosophical Philip Dick, Frank Herbert style sci-fi, you could do far worse than Scalzi’s trilogy. As with Old Man’s War, I felt that some of the dialogue was contrived, but not to the extent of detracting from the story.Bottom line, if you’re looking for classic Isaac Asimov style science fiction, this is just the ticket. Conversely, other authors are pushing the boundary of science fiction into the literary realm. This is not one of those, deep philosophical, complex works.
    • 4/5
      Classic sci-fi, and thoroughly entertaining.
    • 5/5
      This series in incredibly consistent in its depth, tension, and delightful characters. I hesitate to go into detail and spoil the previous books, but Scalzi manages to create incredible layering with his plots. No one is good. No one is bad. Everything is convoluted and complicated, set against a backdrop of interstellar politics: humanity's Colonial Union, which has effectively made enemies with over 400 alien species, and those 400 alien species who have formed a Conclave with the combined goal of preventing rampant colonization by all species, including humans.Scalzi does pull out something of a deus ex machina at the end, as his characters face impossible odds, but the book is so fantastic that I didn't mind all that much. The Old Man's War books are engaging and intelligent, without being overwhelming in terms of the science fiction. I look forward to reading the next volume in the coming months.
    • 5/5
      A fun syfi story of adventure , loss and government corruption.
    • 3/5
      This book reminds me more of a Niven/Pournelle book than Scalzi's previous 2 novels in this series. Unlike the first two, John Perry is not fighting for his life every moment of the book. Instead, he's helping to found a colony, then trying to prevent it from being destroyed. This book reminds me a bit of 'Ender in Exile', though John Perry is no Ender Wiggin.
    • 5/5
      The audio book was very enjoyable to listen to .. The narrator did a very good job !!
    • 4/5
      This story and *Zoe's Tale* cover more or less the same territory from different perspectives. This is post-imperial space opera, Andersonian/Heinleinian stories as they should be, written from a wryer, dryer perspective and told in a way that fits our age better.
    • 5/5
      Third book in the Old Man's War series. John and Jane are chosen to head up a colony on a new planet. Except things don't go exactly as expected and along with the normal hazards of colonizing a new planet (unfriendly lifeforms, inedible vegetation, etc), they suddenly discover that they've been made pawns in an intergalactic war.Excellent as usual from Scalzi.
    • 5/5
      This is a slightly different book to the first two in the trilogy, with the bang bang action of the first to giving way to political maneuvering and much more time is spent on the characters and the sometimes minute of their lives. This works well, because when it becomes obvious the Colonial Union are playing with there lives, you care even more new colonists.And can I just say how great it is to have John Perry back! He has got to be one of my favourite characters of the last few years reading, and his sarcastic one-upmanship with his assistant Savitri Guntupalli, is a joy to read.John and Jane are also joined by their daughter, Zoe, who does her best to both mock & love her 90-year-old adopted dad. I can’t tell you just how much I am looking forward to meeting Zoe properly in her own book, Zoe’s Tale, which follows the events in The Last Colony from her teenage point-of-view.While, there is less action in this book, it is certainly not missed, Scalzi once again, excels at writing characters and their interactions and that is what makes his books so much fun to read. And this one is no different. Excellent, excellent read.
    • 2/5
      Not a lot happens in this book, compared to the previous ones, but it is written quite superbly.There is a section where we get to see a discussion between two old friends, alien leaders. We've never met them before, and yet, by the end of the chapter, I really cared for them.Brilliant piece.
    • 4/5
      The Last Colony was a nice conclusion to a great trilogy. It wasn't, however, his best work, but I don't regret reading it at all. I do highly recommend this trilogy.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this, and read it almost in one sitting. I enjoyed the previous books in this series more, however. There's nothing bad about this one, and if you liked the previous books you'll like this too.
    • 4/5
      Third in the Old Man's War universe, this book follows John and Jane as they are selected to lead a new colony for the Colonial Defense Force. Of course, things being what they are, not all is as it seems.In many ways this is a lighter read than the previous novels in the series; other approaches to the "establishing a colony" scenario generally spend a chapter or two on the grinding struggle that is life on a farm, the characters' loss of will to keep doing this, and their subsequent revitalization and love of life, their spouse, their neighbors, plowing, farming in general, and the author's paycheck.There's arguably none of that in this book, for which I roll my eyes to the skies and thank ceiling cat; I've read plenty of that crap already.A nice close to the official series; John Scalzi plans on writing more in this universe, but not more in this series. I'll be picking them up.
    • 3/5
      Scalzi's third novel in the SF/politico series that started with Old Man's War, which is the best one. The plot is pretty tight with some interesting twists except for a native skirmish, which I think was thrown in for fun. I can picture Harrison Ford or Bruce Willis easily playing the part of John Perry.
    • 5/5
      I like this one much better than the prior two novels. Very interesting character interactions both human and alien. The O’Ben are hilarious. Lots of good droll humor.
      Good action pace and interesting plot.
    • 4/5
      I read John Scalzi's blog, Whatever, and its very clear that this book is all Scalzi. The first thing that comes across is how much John loves and respects his wife and daughter. Where other authors will write a teenager as utterly clueless or miniature adults, Zoe is all teen.The characters are quite real, but the plot is over the top and more convoluted than it needs to be. It makes sense, but I'd like to see a character rely on innate ability rather than an unexpected gift. The ending also felt rushed.
    • 4/5
      In which we discover that the Colonial Union is actually some kind of evil empire... We follow Jane Sagan and John Perry into semi-retirement with their adopted daughter, Zoe Boutin - and then back into active service. The book feels a bit more epsisodic in places. Having said that, I found it unput-downable, even while falling asleep.