9/10
I really enjoyed this. The story kept widening its focus, growing more complex, and taking some sharp changes of direction.

It’s easy to see that this was intended as the conclusion to a trilogy, and it’s a very satisfying conclusion. But we now know Scalzi wrote 3 more books in this series, and at least one (Zoe's Tale) appears to feature a member of the Perry/Sagan/Boutin family. ( )

A little different than Old Man's War. John Perry is retired from military service and is recruited to help colonize a new planet. What I enjoyed about this book is that it illustrates some geopolitics of the the other species residing within this region of space that humanity lives in. I also enjoyed that there are no clear "right" sides of the interstellar struggle, only survival and making the best choices possible. We also get to see a major shift in the Colonial Union's power structure as many colonies and people are getting a little tired of the CU's dominance.

Read this if you like Star Trek: Articles of the Federation. ( )

Series Info/Source: This is the third book in the Old Man's War series. I bought this for audiobook.

Thoughts: I enjoyed this and was happy to be back with John and Jane and Zoe. This is a very political book, so I didn't enjoy the story quite as much as previous books.

The story follows John, Jane and Zoe but is told mostly from John's POV. We start off on the colony they have retired to name Huckleberry; here they are living a quiet but happy life as a family. Then they are contacted by the Colonial Defense Force to help with starting a new colony on a new planet. They agree but don't realize at first that the Colony Defense Force hasn't told them the whole (or really any) of the truths around this new colony. John, Jane, Zoe and all the other colonists are in serious trouble as they end up pitted against a multi-alien coalition that is trying to prevent human colonization of planets.

I really enjoyed being back with John, Jane, and Zoe. Zoe in particular is very entertaining. Sadly, you don't get to see a ton of interaction between John and Jane, as they are very tied up with running the colony and often separated. I also enjoyed the new planet that they colonized, although I would have liked to learn more about the planet itself and the supposed sentient species they found on it (this storyline got dropped in favor of a broader storyline involving the CDF's betrayal).

I didn't enjoy how political this was. The majority of the story deals with John and Jane trying to figure out ways to outmaneuver two massive political forces in order to avoid the annihilation of the new colony they are leading. I also thought the ending felt anti-climatic and predictable. I do realize this was original supposed to be the last book in a trilogy, but now there are three more books in this series.

I listened to this on audiobook and it was well done. My only issue with it was the volume. My husband and I were listening to this while driving and the volume would go up and down drastically so we were constantly having to turn the sound up and down.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this. There was a bit less military and action in this book and more political maneuvering. I really enjoyed the characters but enjoyed the story less than previous books because of the political nature of it. I do plan on continuing the series. ( )

3.5 stars. The Last Colony by John Scalzi completes the trilogy begun with Old Man's War and The Ghost Brigades (but it is certainly not the last of the books set in this universe). This time the focus is less on those wonderfully old-school battle scenes and more upon the consequences of playing politics with people's lives. The Last Colony is a book that is focused on imperialism and expansionist politics. What happens when we (humans) try to colonize other planets? How would other intelligent species respond?

John Perry and Jane Sagan — he the formerly heavily-modded supersoldier of the Colonial Defense Force, she the super-dupersoldier genetically designed right from the lab — have retired to an unassuming agricultural colony with fresh, unmodified bodies and an adopted daughter, Zoe (remember her from The Ghost Brigades?), now a teenager. An unwelcome visit from a former commanding officer leads to an offer that their innate wanderlust makes it hard for them to refuse. They become the administrators of a new human colony, Roanoke. But, Trouble manifests itself quickly....

It doesn't take long to learn that the colony is little more than a tool for politics. The Colonial Union, representing spacefaring humanity away from the isolated Earth, is openly defying a decree by the Conclave, a consortium of alien worlds that have forbidden any colonization efforts by non-Conclave worlds, and have the combined military might of each of those worlds to back it up. It's a huge game of chicken between the Conclave and humanity, with the Union, seeing humanity's very existence threatened, hoping to use Roanoke to goad the Conclave into a military trap. Meanwhile, the only people who seem to care about the lives of the actual men, women, and children on Roanoke are Perry, Sagan, and the colonists themselves.

I didn't feel that this book quite lived up to its predecessor (the plot often seemed a little thin/unbelievable to me) but still it was nice to see the return of John Perry, and an interesting convergence of story-lines from the first two books. I honestly enjoy spending time with John, Jane, and Joe and I think that is a credit to Mr. Scalzi for writing such lovely and snarky characters. I might need to revisit this one in the near future to truly appreciate it.

( )

The Last Colony by John Scalzi is the third book in his science fiction series entitled Old Man’s War and I am finding that these books just keep getting better with every entry. This book draws the first two books together and we find John Perry and Jane Sagan retired from the Colonial Defense Forces and living on the planet Huckleberry. They re accompanied by Zoe Boutin as their adopted daughter and she in turn is accompanied by Hickory and Dickory, two Obins. Zoe is greatly revered by Obins because of her father, and these two are with her to protect her. John and Jane are approached by the CDF and asked to be the leaders of a group that is going to colonize a new planet. While they realize that there is probably more to the story than they are being told, they agree to join the expedition to the planet of Roanoke.

Once they arrive, they realize that nothing is as it seems. In fact, even the planet is not the one they were originally shown. It turns out that this new colony is a play in a complex power struggle between the CDF and the Conclave, a large alliance of species who are determined to regulate the galaxy’s growth and endless wars over territory. In simple terms Roanoke is being used as bait. What follows is an exciting and appealing story that has the reader rooting for the survival of Roanoke.

The Last Colony is an engaging, smart and very enjoyable addition to this series. I am already looking forward to the next book. ( )