Reviews with content warning for Sexual content - The Ghost Brigades

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The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi

5 reviews

singalana's review against another edition

adventurous challenging lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I read The Old Man’s War (the first book in this series) last year, I think. I don’t remember how many stars I gave it, but my main criticism then was that the main character seemed to be too perfect, and everything was too easy for him. I can happily report that this book has a different main character, and things are not too easy for him.

We follow Jared Dirac, a “super soldier” created from the DNA of a scientist who has turned into a traitor to the human race. The higher-ups hope that Jared will be the key to finding out why the scientist betrayed them and how to stop him. This book has space warfare (but not spaceship battles, so if you’re looking for that kind of book, this ain’t it), some political intrigue and interesting moral discussions about cloning, choices and what makes a person an individual. The book executed all this well, balancing the different aspects of the book without being too heavy on any of them.

My one criticism is that Scalzi’s protagonists all seem to come from a similar mould (I’ve read three of his books so far), and if you don’t like that character type, you’re out of luck. But the plot kept me engaged, and I liked the discussion this book was having. The ending made me a little bit emotional, so I have to give this book bonus points for that too.

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vjackso2's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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mgrey15's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I did not enjoy this as much as “Old Man’s War”. This book is still well-written & gripping, but it felt much darker to me than the first book in the series. I recall more humor in “Old Man’s War”, even though both books grapple with war. There are some very grim moments when it’s hard to like the protagonists, and there’s some very philosophical discussions and dialogues (though not about the things soldiers are forced to do).

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nedens's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Second in the Old Man's war series. If you are into sci fi, but don't want a ton of heady science info, this series may be for you. Pacing was a little slower in this second book but it starts getting into the universe at large. In contrast to the first book that focused mainly on one character or group, this book really expands into another character, group, history, and opens up other alien races and the broader conflict. It manages to do all of this while not leaving behind the characters from the first book.

A good easy entry into space opera if that is your thing.

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kittalia's review against another edition

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adventurous funny tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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