The End of All Things (Old Man's War Book 6)

Like The Human Division, The End of All Things is made up of short stories from different viewpoints (mostly the same main characters from Human Division) that all fit together. It does a great job of wrapping major plot points brought up in the previous books and is a great end to the series. (Although I wouldn't be opposed to more stories in the same universe)

Very disappointing considering the good start the series had.
This seems to just be a collection of vaguely related short stories.
Yes it eventually wraps up the current problem between the CU, Earth, and the Conclave, but not very satisfactory IMHO.

Terrific science fiction storyline in the thread of the 'Old Man's War' Series. Enjoyed each one, sad to the end, or maybe he will write another. If you like a good big story sci-fi thread you won't be able to put them down.

This book brings a good conclusion to the series. It really is the "End of All Things" for this story arc. And it's done decently. No huge disasters, and no magical everyone-lives-happily-ever-after, but something in between.

THE END OF ALL THINGS is the 6th, and presumably, but not necessarily (would be my guess), the last book in the very popular Old Man's War series. The series dates back to the publication of the original OLD MAN'S WAR back in 2005, and across the 11 years and five additional books that have followed Scalzi has developed a large audience for these books; arguably, they are the most popular of his works.

THE END OF ALL THINGS is a follow on to THE HUMAN DIVISION (and in fact, is a continuation and conclusion of the story arc that started in that novel), and like THE HUMAN DIVISION was published online in e-book format. While the prior book comprised 13 short stories, THE END OF ALL THINGS was released individually as 4 novellas, one per week in June of 2015. Unlike THE HUMAN DIVISION, which I read in installments, I read THE END OF ALL THINGS in one shot as a paperback. While I can see the episodic elements in it, I believe that reading it all at once is the better way to go.

So, to recap: the Earth and the Colonial Union are at odds with each other after the destruction of Earth Station. As a result, the Colonial Defense Forces are running out of troops to protect their colonies (as a reminder, the CDF got their troops from Earth in the form of aging and infirmed humans - thus the title OLD MAN'S War). Also sitting out there is a coalition of alien governments called the Conclave, and either the CU nor the peoples of Earth have a real good relationship with them. And now we have a new entity called the Equilibrium, which is intent on bringing about the destruction of the CU, the Conclave, and the people of Earth.

We first learn about the Equilibrium in the first novella, entitled "The Life of the Mind", in which third pilot of the Chandler Rafe Daquin has his brain removed from his body and placed in a box, from which he will pilot the ship for the Equilibrium. The carrot is that he will get his body back once he successfully completes his mission. Daquin knows better, and his captors should have known better as well. Score one for the good guys - whoever they are - as the existence of the Equilibrium becomes public and a traitor is revealed.

"This Hollow Union", the second novella, goes deep into the political arena of the Conclave. The Conclave is concerned about its future - in fact, the fear is that the Conclave is on the verge of collapse. The story is told from the perspective of "the second most powerful person in the known universe", Hafte Sorvalh, as she works behind the scenes to protect the Conclave and her boss, General Tarsem Gau. It starts out with Sorvalh going from meeting to meeting, grinding the gears of the machine, trying to get to the bottom of things. The story does take an unexpected and powerful turn at the end, an end that has Sorvalh set up for greater things.

The next episode is "Can Long Endure", follows a platoon of the CDF going from uprising to uprising, rebellion to rebellion, trying to keep peace within the Colonial Union as the CU continues to show signs of tearing itself apart. It seems like a nonsensical set of assignments, with no real rhyme or reason, which eventually ends in the platoon suffering a dramatic loss of life. In the end, the question that comes to the front is whether all this is really worth the effort, and we see one leader's way of dealing with it.

The final novella, "To Stand Or Fall", bring the story of THE END OF ALL THINGS to a somewhat expected, but not necessarily exciting conclusion. We learn about the real motives of the Equilibrium, we see a brewing conflict between the Colonial Union and the Conclave and, eventually, "the end of all things".

It's clear that Scalzi is very comfortable writing in the Old Man's War universe, and revisiting his favorite characters for him must be like visiting with old friends and family in the evening next to a warm fire with a glass of his favorite beverage. And it is much the same for the reader. We settle in with this universe, with these characters, and these situations, and it's like seeing an old friend after a few years. And, as expected, Scalzi's writing is sharp, the dialog is witty, and he moves the story deftly along at a nice pace that keeps the reader interested from the first page to the last.

It may not be the best book in the Old Man's War universe, but THE END OF ALL THINGS is a fine addition to the series and a fine way to end all things.

Good read what I expected. But I really want another one. Also have that really advanced warrior race wage war one the con because they like that and shatter it atleast for a while in two or three. maybe skip fifty years or so, all the characters can basically live forever anyway.

A very good addition to the OMW universe for Scalzi. Here we have the Colonial Union trying to recover from being blamed for the destruction of Earth Station in the last book and trying to find out WTF happened and who really did it. The book starts with the kidnapping of a ship's pilot by one of Earth's own diplomats, which leads to the eventual downfall of the organization that is trying to get the CU and the Conclave to kill each other off. Turns out that this pilot was absolutely the wrong guy to take.

We have some recurring characters like Harry Wilson (his usual funny self), Heather Lee, and General Gao, and a number of new ones that provide good support. The development of the plot is pretty good as the CU, earth, and the Conclave get together to figure out how to find and kill off the bad guys (the "Equilibrium").

What we do not have here is John Perry and his family, including Zoe and her "pets." Other aliens who might be interested in this conflict, such as the Consu, also are missing, but the Rraey continue their evil, human-eating ways.

The Equilibrium as an organization isn't all that well developed, and the ending is a little simplistic but is welcome nonetheless. But the book is a page-turner and a satisfying read.

Scalzi has promised at least one more OMW book, so maybe we'll get to see a final peace of some kind and an update on the Perry family.

I think I have read everything Scalzi has written and I love his writing. This, however, is well below par. The plot has hanging strings everywhere. You don't get to know the characters. There are sudden "miracles" that are just put out there, with no explanation, seemingly just to force the story along. This could/should have been two or three novels. Instead, it is an unsatisfactory mini-novel that seems like it was banged out over a weekend.
That said, would I recommend it? Of course. Scalzi is THE best living writer. This is a dud in comparison to his other writings, but comparing it to virtually anyone else is like comparing a grade school drawing to one of Monat's lesser works.

Was looking forward to this one. Been reading Scalzi for a few years, always a pleasure to read something new in the OMW universe. Hope it won't be 2 more years before another. Thanks for the reading pleasure John.