It's not every day that I can say, "Hey, one of my friends is nominated for a Hugo."
It's not every day that I can say, "Hey, one of my friends is nominated for a Hugo. Again."
It is, however, embarrassing to me that while I can now say, "Hey, one of my friends is nominated for a Hugo. Again," I never actually read the goddamn book that's nominated, though I bought it on the day it was released, and consistently face it out when I see it in book stores.
So, yesterday, I set up a chair in the back yard, grabbed some iced tea, and started reading The Last Colony.
At 2 this morning, I finally forced myself to put the book down because I was too tired to comprehend it, and didn't want to miss anything. I'm a little more than halfway through, I guess, and while I've wanted to do nothing more than blow off all my work for today and dive back into it, I've been responsible to the point of avoiding extended trips to the bathroom, whether I really have to go or not.
Oh, shut up. You've all done it, and if you haven't done it, it's because you don't have kids who wouldn't leave you alone to read unless you were making stinky with the door closed.
I don't know what my endorsement is worth, but if you've read my blog long enough to have an idea of whether or not we like the same things, you should go get this book right away, though I'm guessing most of you already have, since I'm so late to the party on this one.
I loved all the books that John set in this universe: Old Man's War, The Ghost Brigades, and The Sagan Diary. I love the characters, I love the setting, and I love how massively fun they all are to read. I love them so much, in fact, that I have the lettered versions from Subterranean Press. That's a lot of love, my friends. The Last Colony had some very big shoes to fill, and it's wearing them quite nicely. If you're looking for an accessible, intelligent, well-paced series that won't let you down in the flavor department, I urge you to check out these books. The cool thing? John wrote them so they all work together, but each one stands alone, like the farmer's cheese, so you don't have to commit yourself to them all to enjoy just one.
I would bet, however (if I were a betting man, which I sometimes kinda am) that after reading one of them, you will want to read them all, and you won't be disappointed.
