The Human Division by John Scalzi
Synopsis:
Following the events of The Last Colony, John Scalzi tells the story of the fight to maintain the unity of the human race.
The people of Earth now know that the human Colonial Union has kept them ignorant of the dangerous universe around them. For generations the CU had defended humanity against hostile aliens, deliberately keeping Earth an ignorant backwater and a source of military recruits. Now the CU’s secrets are known to all. Other alien races have come on the scene and formed a new alliance—an alliance against the Colonial Union. And they’ve invited the people of Earth to join them. For a shaken and betrayed Earth, the choice isn’t obvious or easy.
Against such possibilities, managing the survival of the Colonial Union won’t be easy, either. It will take diplomatic finesse, political cunning…and a brilliant “B Team,” centered on the resourceful Lieutenant Harry Wilson, that can be deployed to deal with the unpredictable and unexpected things the universe throws at you when you’re struggling to preserve the unity of the human race.
Review:
This was originally published from January to April 2013 as a three-month digital serial series. There is also a short story prequel (written in 2008 for Tor.com) as well as a coda that is exclusive to this printing. While the story is set in the Old Man’s War universe, those who haven’t read anything else by Scalzi will still be able to easily follow. Instead of reading as a serial, I waited for the printed version. Though I like the idea, I read too much to be able to appreciate a drawn-out serial. I prefer reading stories all at once in a day or two.
The Human Division is a well-paced tale of mystery and political intrigue. The characters are complex and vivid. The encapsulating story is brilliantly woven. Scalzi is a must-read for science fiction fans. His latest scifi adventure is full of suspense, drama, and thrills – and is completely unpredictable.
Scalzi’s sense of humour falls completely in line with mine (Think Stargate Atlantis) and I enjoyed the serial immensely. It had a very Retief (Keith Laumer’s best serialized hero) like quality and yet the central theme running through the episodes was a taut thriller that stood on its own. I wasn’t thrilled with the ending, although I liked most of the possibilities it set up. It’s worth reading, but the whole serial works best if read after the original trilogy and novella. Those caveats aside, I am an unabashed admirer of the Scalzi canon of work and can recommend this book and his others.
Even though I haven’t read this edition.