Reviews

Questions for a Soldier, by Bob Eggleton, John Scalzi

euphoric's review

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dark emotional funny informative mysterious reflective
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

helenkat's review

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4.0

4.5 stars

nedens's review

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funny medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

thomcat's review

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3.0

Read in May, 2015
Very brief tale set just after Old Man's War. Enjoyed the introduction of Savitri, and this story leads nicely to The Last Colony.

evanbernstein's review against another edition

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3.0

A simple nice short story set after book 1. Like spending time with a friend but not amazing.

argent_'s review

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5.0

Short and sweet. It even infodumps some events and terminology for people who have been away from the series for a while.

djotaku's review

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3.0

Full of inside jokes for readers of the first trilogy and a chance for Scalzi to expand on Perry's thoughts which would have been too awkward to fit in during the original narrative.

merrinish's review

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4.0

A short about Perry's tour of the colonies after he survived the battle on Coral. Interesting q&a session.

cesarbustios's review

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4.0

I'm about to finish The Last Colony. I should have read this one before but what the hell, there are a couple of stories from Captain Perry here that are worth the reading. You also get the chance to meet Savitri for the first time.

That worm-infested planet felt very Frank Herbert:

verkisto's review

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3.0

Questions for a Soldier was initially a chapbook (that is, a short story published in a minimally bound book format) that was released by a small press to further the story of Old Man's War. I'm not sure exactly when it was released, but its chronology in the universe of the series is between books one and two. I didn't know about it until I finished book three, and I'm glad that I read this book after finishing that one, since an event that happens in this story is relevant to what happens in book three. I won't spoil it for you if you want to check it out for yourself, but if you get it in your mind to read it, look for it in an e-book format instead. If you buy it that way, you're out a buck; if you try to get it in the chapbook format, you'll be out one hundred bucks.

The story isn't really much at all. It's written as a transcript of an interview with John Perry, who's taking questions from an audience that wants to know more about him and the CDF. Much of the story references events that take place in Old Man's War, and foreshadow what's going to happen in The Last Colony, so if you've read those books, then a lot of what's here is just restating what you already know. It's not essential by any means, but you still get a bit more about the events that happen to John Perry, and more insight into the CDF. It's a curiosity at best, and I would only suggest it to completionists like me.