The Last Colony ~ John Scalzi

Funk Rating: 7 out of 10

Well, it had to happen. Either I burned out on Scalzi, or Scalzi just couldn't quite pull off the hat trick of 3 top notch books in a row. I readily admit I got so addicted to the first two, that I couldn't help myself but read the last one in the series. And, while I've given it only a 7 for reasons below, it's still a heck of a read.

In this one, I felt that Scalzi was again trying to bring bigger topics to life through science fiction plotlines. This book is about freedom, democratic choice, political machinations, pawns that are used, and creative solutions that can be found when you give "mission intent" to capable people without telling them how to do their jobs. That said, while the topics are noble, I felt the story suffered as Scalzi tried to shoehorn too much into the storyline. I found there was more political backdrop than was necessary; too many "cover stories" baked into politicians telling soldiers what to do (and therefore vice-versa senior soldiers telling junior soldiers that "you don't know the half of it, here's real truth about what's really going on.") 

It's a fine story, eminently readable and enjoyable. If I read this first, I bet I would have scored it higher. But I know Scalzi writes great books, and I simply found the first two better than the last one. I look forward to where Scalzi goes next, as this has been set up as a trilogy and he clearly states in the epilogue that these characters are now done...

Comments

[Dave Bayless]

Based on your reviews of Scalzi's first two books, I picked this up at the airport the other day. I found it enjoyable airplane fodder, but not a great book. It seemed stretched thin - much like Tom Clancy's books after "Hunt for Red October" and "Red Storm Rising."