BY: BOOKMANS

Old Man's War
by John Scalzi
A relative newcomer to the sci-fi scene, Scalzi's "Old Man's War" grabbed me almost immediately and sucked me in like few books do. It's the future (duh!) and man has begun to colonize the stars thanks to some type of warp technology dealie (was that too technical?). They quickly discover that, not only does alien life exist, but there's lots of it, and everything is at war with everything else in competition for the few habitable planets that are out there. To hold their own and expand to other colonies, mankind has created the Colonial Defense Force (CDF), a crack team of super soldiers that fights humanity's battles amongst the stars. Where does the CDF get their soldiers? Why, from retired old people from Earth that go through a reconditioning process to make them fit for combat. There's a definite Heinlein/"Starship Troopers" feel to this book, though in my opinion it far surpasses them. Told with sharp humor and 21st Century sensibilities, the book also has a fish-out-of-water feel that really helps empathize with the main characters and what they go through. The sequels (the final one which I just finished reading a few days ago, "The Last Colony") are also very enjoyable, though I have to admit that I didn't enjoy them quite as much as this first one. Also worth noting: this is one of the few books that I've read in a long time that actually had me laugh out loud with its humor. I'm usually a quiet reader, but this one had me
guffawing on a few separate occasions.

The Man Who Never Missed
by Steve Perry
Okay, total high school flashback on this one. This is the ultimate 'one man vs. an empire' story. The main character, Emile Khadaji, is a soldier for a corrupt and powerful government that uses its massive military might to oppress, well, everyone. During a sudden flash of insight, he realizes the "wrongness" of this and makes it his personal goal to single-handedly topple the evil regime. Going underground, training in an amalgam martial arts style, and using tiny dart guns attached to his hands, Khadaji begins the fight to destabilize the oppressive government. Full of fast-paced action, wonderfully righteous vengeance, and beautifully described combat, Perry creates one of my all time favorite sci-fi characters that spawned a whole bunch of sequels. If you need a great "one man against evil" or a "David/Goliath" style story, this one is a must read.

Manifold: Time
by Stephen Baxter
The "Manifold Series" ("Manifold: Space, Time and Origin") is an interesting series that, every time I read it, seems to be trying to tell me something on a deep subconscious level. What it is, I don't know, except that its about the nature of the universe! Okay, I'm being silly, but only partially. Like other Baxter books, quantum mechanics and the universe's evolution are a major theme. In this case, that theme is crystalized on several different levels: the subatomic, the cosmos, and humanity/life. The book is full of digressions on the origin of everything, the nature of time, the tenacity of life, and man's future in the cosmos. While this isn't a space opera or anything, it does have some traditional action elements though, frankly, those are few and far between. This book, and the series in general, is all about what it does to your brain and the places it will take your thoughts. While I don't know anything about quantum mechanics other then what I've read on the wikis and in other sci-fi books, Baxter certainly does a convincing job or making me believe that he knows what he's talking about, and within that context, he makes it understandable without math (which may be impossible - physics geeks in the audience feel free to chime in). This book goes to beautiful places: the origins of the universe, the end of time, the expansion of life to the stars, and even the descriptions of the inevitable and ruthless processes that shape the universe, coldly and dispassionately. I'm not even really sure what to say about this book and the series besides that it was fascinating, both in scope, perspective and the possibilities of what could be. It's also profoundly depressing (the aforementioned ruthless universe) in its characterization of life and its inevitable demise. There are silvery linings, however, and a fascinating story with some great characters. Whether its bad science or good science, this one will make you think differently and entertain you.

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