SCIENCE FICTION REVIEW: Zoe's Tale - John Scalzi

BOOK BLURB:

How do you tell your part in the biggest tale in history? I ask because it's what I have to do. I'm Zoe Boutin Perry: A colonist stranded on a deadly pioneer world. Holy icon to a race of aliens. A player (and a pawn) in a interstellar chess match to save humanity, or to see it fall. Witness to history. Friend. Daughter. Human. Seventeen years old. Everyone on Earth knows the tale I am part of. But you don't know my tale: How I did what I did - how I did what I had to do - not just to stay alive but to keep you alive, too. All of you. I'm going to tell it to you now, the only way I know how: not straight but true, the whole thing, to try make you feel what I felt: the joy and terror and uncertainty, panic and wonder, despair and hope. Everything that happened, bringing us to Earth, and Earth out of its captivity. All through my eyes. It's a story you know. But you don't know it all.


REVIEW:

As a huge fan of Scalzi since Old Mans War, I really do have to get these books in the series as soon as they land. So when the latest offering landed I was interested to see how this latest hero of the future would fit into the Hienlinesque universe to which Scalzi writes.

What appears is a character of great heart and warmth and whilst she won’t be to everyones cup of tea, the tale wouldn’t work if it wasn’t for the sheer likability as well as full roundedness of her. She’s a breath of fresh air in the Sci-Fi genre and hopefully a character that will have many other adventures so that we can get to see more of her. Add to that fully rounded supporting characterisation along the wonderful world building and the only thing that you do know is that no matter what happens you’re in for a real roller-coaster ride as the characters within try to find a way to cope with the changing needs of them not only socially but emotionally as well as communally. Great offering to the reader and make Scalzi a must own for all Sci-Fi fans.