Scalzi, John: Questions for a Soldier
Questions for a Soldier (2005)
Written by: John Scalzi
Genre: Short Story/Science Fiction
Published by: Subterranean Press
Rating: Good Read
You guys have been getting a LOT of reviews in a row, and I thank you for your patience. This one, given that it's a review of a short story, will be short and sweet. :)
I've had "Questions for a Soldier" downloaded on my Kindle for almost a year. Now that Mount TBR has given me permission to work through the TBR pile, I've finally gotten around to it. I've been wanting to read it ever since getting my paws on Old Man's War and loving it, but when I learned of this story's existence, it was already out of print, and I wasn't about to go to eBay to look for an even more ridiculously-priced copy. Thankfully, Subterranean has converted older, out-of-print titles to Kindle format, and when I learned of this, I downloaded this beast immediately.
It's another one of those that I should've just read as soon as I downloaded it, it's so short. The only prerequisite is needing to read Old Man's War first, because otherwise, why would you care about this character answering questions about life in the Colonial Defense Forces? This was a fun, almost nostalgic read for me since I finished reading this series a few years ago, and I'm now debating on Scalzi's next installment, The Human Division. Why the debate if I liked the series? Well, he's releasing it episodically starting in December, with a new installment every week through February, and then they're collecting those installments into a hardcover which will likely contain bonus material. Which version to buy? Decisions, decisions. I'll make mine later, but if you want to learn more about the project, click here.
Anyway. This story is fun. It takes place between Old Man's War and The Ghost Brigades but is not necessary to read in order to move forward in the series. It's enjoyable, in that it's classic Scalzi voice and so long as classic Scalzi voice doesn't bother the crap out of you, you'll be in good shape.
Seriously, there's nothing else to say, except to plug Old Man's War, because if you haven't read it, not only is it a fun, entertaining read, but it's a good entry SF book for those who don't have a lot of science fiction in their reading diet. So what are you waiting for?
And if you have read Old Man's War, go ahead and download this short. If you enjoy Scalzi, you've got nothing to lose (except missing out on a good story if you don't download it. That would be sad…).