Reading Order
Old Man's War Reading Order
John Scalzi's Old Man's War series is an ongoing military science fiction series currently at six novels. The series follows John Perry, a 75-year-old man who joins the Colonial Defense Forces — humanity's interstellar military — in a new young body, fighting in a war for habitable planets against dozens of alien species. The series can be read in publication order; each novel is largely self-contained with the first book functioning as the strongest standalone.
Where to start
Old Man's War
Complete Old Man's War Book List
- 1Buy
Old Man's War
John Scalzi·2005·Book 1 — John Perry joins the Colonial Defense Forces at 75 and discovers what old people get in exchange for their military service; functions as a complete standalone - 2Buy
The Ghost Brigades
John Scalzi·2006·Book 2 — follows the Special Forces, made from the DNA of people who died before they could enlist; different protagonist than Book 1 - 3Buy
The Last Colony
John Scalzi·2007·Book 3 — John Perry and Jane Sagan lead a new colony; the galactic politics around human colonization come to a head
Old Man's War — Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Old Man's War reading order?
Read Old Man's War (2005) first — it functions as a complete standalone. The Ghost Brigades (2006) and The Last Colony (2007) form a loose trilogy with the first book. Zoe's Tale (2008) retells The Last Colony from a different perspective. Additional novels in the series include The Human Division (2013) and The End of All Things (2015).
How many Old Man's War books are there?
The Old Man's War series currently has six novels: Old Man's War, The Ghost Brigades, The Last Colony, Zoe's Tale, The Human Division, and The End of All Things. John Scalzi has not ruled out additional books in the series.
Is Old Man's War similar to Ender's Game?
Old Man's War and Ender's Game are frequently compared — both are military science fiction about humanity at war with alien species, both center on protagonists who are trained to fight, and both ask what the military does to the people it builds. Scalzi's approach is more comedic and more direct about the political economy of interstellar war than Card's; Ender's Game is darker and more focused on the psychological cost.
Is Old Man's War hard science fiction?
Old Man's War is military science fiction rather than hard SF — the science is plausible and internally consistent but Scalzi doesn't labor over technical detail. The novel's interest is in what the premise does to the characters (particularly what it means to fight a war in a young body with an old person's values) rather than in the technical mechanisms.
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