Episode 1, The B-Team: The Human Division

Everybody's complaining about the 99 cent price proint, which I think is quite reasonable. I'm paying $3.62 though, which is a bit much. Is this because I'm signing in from Europe? This concept will not work for me this way, which is a pity, because I love the whole Dickensian idea.

About the episode, having just read Old Man's War, which I loved, it's a bit more of the same. But given how I liked OMW, that's positive :-)

Back to The universe we know and love to deal with the aftermath and consequences of "The Last Colony." With humor and wit these characters have some adventures while the Colonial Union is perched precariously and senses its own destruction if this political minefield isn't navigated carefully. Who do you send in for diplomacy- the B Team.

The Old Man's War universe has become one that I will always come back to if given the option. These little vignette stories in the vein of "After the Coup" and others Scalzi has released are wonderful for more glimpses into a larger universe that continues to expand.

I do not generally purchase sci-fi novels this short but I like this author; and I get the distribution/ marketing model, very clever getting us low price guys hooked into premium pricing.

The author does a wonderful job developing the story and building the characters. I love character driven stories that have meat. Sorry, no spoilers from me, if you like space opera buy the book.

Entertaining addition to Scalzi's military SF series. The serial idea is interesting, but I think I will wait for the compilation before reading the other stories. I find big chunks more satisfying than little tidbits. ​

Great read, a good bit of intrigue in this engaging science fiction story. Really enjoyed both the story line and the character development. The Old Man's War Universe is a great / well developed setting.

Entertaining addition to Scalzi's military SF series. The serial idea is interesting, but I think I will wait for the compilation before reading the other stories. I find big chunks more satisfying than little tidbits. ​

Great read, a good bit of intrigue in this engaging science fiction story. Really enjoyed both the story line and the character development. The Old Man's War Universe is a great / well developed setting.

(Note: I'm writing this after having finished the first four installments of this series)

I wasn't sure how I would feel about reading a serialized novel--I usually finish one (especially sci-fi) within a few days or one day if it's a weekend. I have found the serial experience to be an enjoyable change of pace, with a fun sense of anticipation for the next installment to get released. I think Scalzi's technique of moving between different characters over the weeks plays well with the serial releases. I've read a number of Scalzi's novels and short stories, and The Human Division is showing his maturity at crafting a solid narrative that keeps you engaged. I am really enjoying the sense of getting pulled into each small part of the story, and then having to anticipate the next chapter a week later.

I would recommend reading Old Man's War before you get started, but honestly I recommend that anyone I know with a good literary or sci-fi appetite read Old Man's War, so you may or may not actually need to read the OMW series before you start this one.

I'm a fairly new fan of Scalzi's writing, and I was excited to see that he was coming out with a serial. The first installment lived up to my expectations. It took me a few chapters to really piece everything together, but once the story's direction made sense, I couldn't stop reading! The main plot of the installment wraps up successfully while still leaving enough unanswered questions and new problems to keep me wanting to press on with future installments. Overall, a fast paced, relatively easy to comprehend sci-fi mystery.

So glad Scalzi decided to expand this universe! After reading the last of Old Man`s series it really left a feeling of wanting to know more. These episodes do just that. Straight forward read that brings a depth of plot. Excited to read the next episodes.

BITE-sized for easy consumption. Perfect length for a layover. Or when you're up before everyone else on the trip. Putting it in the Old Mans War setting lends quick context so the story can unfold without laboring to establish new background. CRITICISMS I will hold until I've devoured a few more chapters.

I'm eagerly waiting for each installment at this point. God I love Scalzi. Modern Heinleinesque writing minus the grumpy old man who knows better than you lecturing on genetics or economics or something.

An enjoyable continuation of related stories byb the same author. Do not appreciate the underhanded way to get more money out of you by releasing what is essentially one book chapter by chapter at $0.99 per chapter. An expensive way to buy a book that I won't fall for again.

Fun, quirky, humorous Sci Fi. Scalzi writes enjoyable fiction; film at 11.
I'm excited that he's continuing the Old Man's War universe, and this is a nice setup for the continuing story. It left me chomping at the bit to read more.

Okay, it's a serial novel (and I will spend $.99 per week for the next several weeks!). Back in the OMW universe, this is a welcome addition to the novels that preceded it and gives a new look at the events taking place in the post-TLC galaxy. I guess State Departments are the same political bureaucracies, no matter the setting. John Scalzi is a masterful storyteller! (Okay, I admit that if he wrote the labels for soups, I'd be on a virtual liquid diet.)

I love the books that are within the OLD MAN WAR world. This is a great way to continue the saga. the only bad part for me it that the books are not longer. I hope he keeps it up and continues to do his after the HUMAN DIVISION is over!

Okay, it's a serial novel (and I will spend $.99 per week for the next several weeks!). Back in the OMW universe, this is a welcome addition to the novels that preceded it and gives a new look at the events taking place in the post-TLC galaxy. I guess State Departments are the same political bureaucracies, no matter the setting. John Scalzi is a masterful storyteller! (Okay, I admit that if he wrote the labels for soups, I'd be on a virtual liquid diet.)

I love the books that are within the OLD MAN WAR world. This is a great way to continue the saga. the only bad part for me it that the books are not longer. I hope he keeps it up and continues to do his after the HUMAN DIVISION is over!

What a relatively painless way to get $14 for an ebook. That having been said, This return to the "Old Man's War" universe is great fun for the reader, though not so much for the characters. I'm 5 episodes in, and having a splendid time. So, dive in and get hooked.

First, I don't mind the storyline. It in fact seems like it has some potential, but I will not be buying any of these rest of this series (I read up to #3).

At first I though this was going to be like the A-Team from 70's TV in a modern telling. But it is not nearly that interesting.

It is really a single book spread out over 13 chapters you buy one a time. To me that is a little like having to pay each time I pick up my drink and take a sip rather than just buying the whole can. I cannot imagine why publishers think this is a good idea.

When I can read an entire episode while waiting to get my teeth cleaned at the dentist they are WAY too short.

So either package these together into true Novellas with multiple parts, or try something else. I understand that publishers and authors are experimenting with different ways to make money in the new ebook world, but this is not one that I will support.

Now this is actually pretty sad that my review is much more about the publishing model than the actual book, sorry. I like John as a writer and have gone out of my way to buy copies of Old Mans War to give them to friends just to expose them to the concepts and writing. I will not be doing that with this series.

I have not been this quickly hooked since "Old Man's War"! If you loved the characters and intrigue of the Colonial Defense Forces as they skipped across the galaxy, then turn on your BrainPal and jump on board..This looks like it will be one Hell of a ride!

I stumbled across this when looking for something new to read. Based solely on having read Old Man's War years ago, I grabbed this admittedly short read. Read through it in one sitting and ended with a smile on my face. I'll be getting the rest of these more bite-sized novels after I finish rereading the originals. If you enjoyed Old Man's War at all, I definitely recommend this.

I purchased all the chapters to date. The first chapter was considerably longer than the others. The entire set of chapters is worth no more than 4.99 thus charging .99 for each is a rip off.The Human Division #1: The B-Team

I am not convinced about this new trend of 'drip feeding' new books to us one chapter at a time, seems like a ploy to charge more to me...
Saying that though I would and will happily pay it for this series......

No need to say more....

Don't bother with this "book". 93 pages... okay, not too bad. But after this, expect to pay another dollar for each VERY short chapter. Apparently Scalzi is less interested in writing as he is in setting a new business model on how to milk his readership .
The next books in this series are 32, 48, 36, 43 pages and so on(one is only 29). Per book. Consider as well that 6 or 7 pages a book are not story (title, contents, etc) it is even shorter than that. Why not be straightforward and charge $13 dollars for the 1 short book?
I won't bother repeating this warning for the others in this series... I would not want to shame Tor Books or Scalzi by my putting more words in my reviews than he did in his newest books.

I love Scalzis books. He is in fact one of my favorites. The reason I did not give The B Team a high rating was the monotonous dialog between characters which by the end of this novellett had driven me crazy. The story was good but in an effort to lengthen it, I think Scalzi put in these juvenile needling interplays back and forth between the characters. Hey, character development is one thing, overdoing it the way he did would not work well in a real situation and does not work well in a otherwise good story. This in no way makes me think any lesser then I do as John Scalzi is a brilliant author. It just seems like that good charter interplay was not his concern. Read Old Man's War, The Ghost brigades and The last colony. All 5 star from John Scalzi. The contrast from those books to this is why I was a bit surprised.
Enough Said

I (was?) a big fan of the Scalzi works and I really thought he was an up front guy. But this latest format with The Human Division is a blatant money grab that should be below a person of John Scalzi's ability. Paying what amounts to $1 per "book" makes this series cost $13. Each of these books is really only a chapter's worth of reading--and some of them are very short chapters. If these chapters were put together into a real book it would cost $5.99 at the most. So, we're paying an extra $7 for this book. It's nothing short of extortion and Mr. Scalzi should be ashamed of himself for this obvious money grab. I won't be reading another another chapter in this series and as much as it hurts, I won't be reading any more of his othervworks. I refuse to be taken advantage of. Bitterly disappointed in Mr. Scalzi.

Big Scalzi fan, especially his Old Man's War series. Took a hit when I read Zoe's Tale and Sagan Diaries, which were both dreadful and devoid of purpose beyond cashing in on an already successful universe. And when I found out he basically just wrote the original book because military sci-fi was selling at the time. But hey, I guess writers have to make money. And I thought Red Shirts was alright, though a bit more like a fanwank short story than "A Novel With Three Codas"

So I was intrigued when news of the B-Team came up. New distribution model for stories, episodic and whatnot. Wary, because the same model came and went in video games a while back. But I gave it a shot. Hopefully it isn't being released like this because the publisher thought it wasn't good enough to be released as a full novel.

It's a pilot episode, basically. It does a great job setting up the stakes. The OMW Universe always had that sense that humanity is just barely hanging on. We got thousands of genetically engineered supersoldiers and FTL ships with sufficiently-advanced weaponry, but all we have are like a couple dozen systems of planets barely suitable for terran habitation, or in some cases, actively trying to kill us. I like that departure from the idea that humanity is the chosen species or whatever. That theme continues here. Thanks to the protags of the last book, Earth and her colonies have parted ways. Without the steady stream of cannon fodder, of Colonial Union is looking pretty boned. I also like the shift of perspective, as what was treated as a satisfying conclusion to the Last Colony is regarded by the colonial authorities as the death knell for humanity. The state department, once a formality, has to start wheeling and dealing like a mother to get allies for the Colonial Union, before humanity is wiped out. And when the A-list diplomacy force is taken out by parties unknown, it's up to the B-Team to find out what happened and complete their mission.

It's a decent start. Writing has a kinesis about it, people know what they need to do and there's very little noting the scenery or discussing unneccessaries about it. Nothing too notable about the characters so far. Everyone talks in the same nonchalant Scalzi voice that I'm used to by now. The resolution in this chapter bugged me a bit. It revolves around a basic level understanding of space-physics that you'd think people on a spaceship would know off hand, but I guess the protagonist had that special spark or something.

I'll buy the next chapter. 99 cents isn't too bad. Liked Old Man's War, you'll probably like this.

This was the start of a good book, 93pgs. I like this author and read the "Old Man's War", which was great. I like this story beginning so I bought the next chapter. It was only 32 pages! It went nowhere. There are 13 chapters which means $13. This is too much money for too few pages. I can buy a good 400 page book for $3. Why spend $13 for half that or less!! Sorry John, I know you need to make some money but this is a ripoff! I won't buy anymore.

This book is short. It introduces a future history in which Earth colonies are vying for success, and even survival, in a galaxy with many alien rivals. The scene is diplomacy. An important mission fails and "The B Team" is sent on an emergency basis to try to put things to rights. They perform cleverly and heroically and save the day. The head honchos consider promoting the "B team" to be cutting edge problem solvers and then the book ends. As I said, it is short, and could well be the start of a series -- maybe it is, I dunno.

I love Scalzis books. He is in fact one of my favorites. The reason I did not give The B Team a high rating was the monotonous dialog between characters which by the end of this novellett had driven me crazy. The story was good but in an effort to lengthen it, I think Scalzi put in these juvenile needling interplays back and forth between the characters. Hey, character development is one thing, overdoing it the way he did would not work well in a real situation and does not work well in a otherwise good story. This in no way makes me think any lesser then I do as John Scalzi is a brilliant author. It just seems like that good charter interplay was not his concern. Read Old Man's War, The Ghost brigades and The last colony. All 5 star from John Scalzi. The contrast from those books to this is why I was a bit surprised.
Enough Said

I (was?) a big fan of the Scalzi works and I really thought he was an up front guy. But this latest format with The Human Division is a blatant money grab that should be below a person of John Scalzi's ability. Paying what amounts to $1 per "book" makes this series cost $13. Each of these books is really only a chapter's worth of reading--and some of them are very short chapters. If these chapters were put together into a real book it would cost $5.99 at the most. So, we're paying an extra $7 for this book. It's nothing short of extortion and Mr. Scalzi should be ashamed of himself for this obvious money grab. I won't be reading another another chapter in this series and as much as it hurts, I won't be reading any more of his othervworks. I refuse to be taken advantage of. Bitterly disappointed in Mr. Scalzi.

Big Scalzi fan, especially his Old Man's War series. Took a hit when I read Zoe's Tale and Sagan Diaries, which were both dreadful and devoid of purpose beyond cashing in on an already successful universe. And when I found out he basically just wrote the original book because military sci-fi was selling at the time. But hey, I guess writers have to make money. And I thought Red Shirts was alright, though a bit more like a fanwank short story than "A Novel With Three Codas"

So I was intrigued when news of the B-Team came up. New distribution model for stories, episodic and whatnot. Wary, because the same model came and went in video games a while back. But I gave it a shot. Hopefully it isn't being released like this because the publisher thought it wasn't good enough to be released as a full novel.

It's a pilot episode, basically. It does a great job setting up the stakes. The OMW Universe always had that sense that humanity is just barely hanging on. We got thousands of genetically engineered supersoldiers and FTL ships with sufficiently-advanced weaponry, but all we have are like a couple dozen systems of planets barely suitable for terran habitation, or in some cases, actively trying to kill us. I like that departure from the idea that humanity is the chosen species or whatever. That theme continues here. Thanks to the protags of the last book, Earth and her colonies have parted ways. Without the steady stream of cannon fodder, of Colonial Union is looking pretty boned. I also like the shift of perspective, as what was treated as a satisfying conclusion to the Last Colony is regarded by the colonial authorities as the death knell for humanity. The state department, once a formality, has to start wheeling and dealing like a mother to get allies for the Colonial Union, before humanity is wiped out. And when the A-list diplomacy force is taken out by parties unknown, it's up to the B-Team to find out what happened and complete their mission.

It's a decent start. Writing has a kinesis about it, people know what they need to do and there's very little noting the scenery or discussing unneccessaries about it. Nothing too notable about the characters so far. Everyone talks in the same nonchalant Scalzi voice that I'm used to by now. The resolution in this chapter bugged me a bit. It revolves around a basic level understanding of space-physics that you'd think people on a spaceship would know off hand, but I guess the protagonist had that special spark or something.

I'll buy the next chapter. 99 cents isn't too bad. Liked Old Man's War, you'll probably like this.

This was the start of a good book, 93pgs. I like this author and read the "Old Man's War", which was great. I like this story beginning so I bought the next chapter. It was only 32 pages! It went nowhere. There are 13 chapters which means $13. This is too much money for too few pages. I can buy a good 400 page book for $3. Why spend $13 for half that or less!! Sorry John, I know you need to make some money but this is a ripoff! I won't buy anymore.

This book is short. It introduces a future history in which Earth colonies are vying for success, and even survival, in a galaxy with many alien rivals. The scene is diplomacy. An important mission fails and "The B Team" is sent on an emergency basis to try to put things to rights. They perform cleverly and heroically and save the day. The head honchos consider promoting the "B team" to be cutting edge problem solvers and then the book ends. As I said, it is short, and could well be the start of a series -- maybe it is, I dunno.

Schmidt said,
Schmidt said,
Schmidt said,
Schmidt said,
Wilson said,
Schmidt said,
Schmidt said,
Wilson asked,
Schmidt said,
Schmidt said,
Wilson said,
Wilson asked
I had to put the book down several times because of the constant Schmidt said, Wilson said, was this written by a professional writer?

Come on, there is got to be a better way, right?!

The story so far is OK but the constant "he/she said" has got to stop!

====
Side note, this is my 3rd attempt at writing this review, someone at the store is seeing something as "offensive"!

This book is brief to a fault and less than useless to any inquiring intellect. Don't bother wasting the two hours of precious life trying to read it. My granddaughter can write better prose. Thank God that Heinlein and Asimov are dead or this short, massively badly written science fiction farce would have surely killed them had they read it.

The Human Division is a book set in the same universe of Old Man's War and contains interrelated short stories. Each story will be released one week apart, with the final volume being available later. The B-Team is the first story, and features CDF Lieutenant Harry Wilson and Colonial Union Ambassador Ode Abumwe. Abumwe and her team head up a mission to discover what happened when a high profile diplotmat goes missing.

I haven't read Old Man's War. The only Scalzi book I've read is Redshirts (which I loved & screamed from the rooftops just like any proud Star Trek nerd). However, after reading The B-Team I really, REALLY want to read Old Man's War. I loved the mix of military science fiction with humor. In particular the interaction between Wilson and Schmidt. There were moments when I almost laughed very loudly (not a good thing when you're listening to a audiobook at work!). The B-Team thoroughly entertained me and I will definitely be continuing on with the next story in the series.

This was my first time experiencing William Dufris as a narrator and I enjoyed his narration. He definitely added to the humor and adventure of the story, and I'm glad he will be narrating all the stories in this series.

The B-Team is a great start, and even though I'm new to the Old Man's War universe, it was thoroughly enjoyable.

This is a great story, no doubt - I'm currently at #6 in the series. But they are much to short, and this review reflects all of them released so far. After #3 I really felt I had only read a short sample of a story, not a stand alone episode, and felt kind of tricked.

I have no objection with the series-format, dividing a story up into several smaller installations can be a great way to engage the audience. However with each episode being this short, it feels like you need to wait at least three or four episodes to get enough reading to counter the fragmentarized experience.

And with a total of 13 of them coming, this will be a rather expensive novel. With each episode at almost $4 each, the full novel will be a whopping $49.
(EDIT: As I understand it, in the US each ep is only .99$. Not here in Sweden though. With added VAT, they are exactly 3.75 each)

I can't help feeling the series format has just become a new way of increasing the price of the overall product.

This said, if you like Scalzis writing, and I do, and if you don't object to pricing and the length of the individual episodes, the overall story so far makes for a great read.

EDIT: After contacting the store they offered me a full refund, and I'll wait for the full novel in May. Hopefully not at $49...
EDIT2: And after having contacted them, they have lowered the price for us Swedes as well.

/C

Audible posted a free download of the first part of John Scalzi's serial novel, The Human Division, for anyone who likes their Facebook page. I'm sure the idea was to get people hooked on the story so they'd buy each of the installments as they come out, once a week.

It worked.

At least, for me, it did. Part one, The B-Team, introduces a science fiction world with the technology to halt aging, implant computers in people's minds, jump through space, and survive a trip through the void with only a flexible suit and an oxygen supply. I haven't read Old Man's War, but I understand this is that same world. The introduction in this installment is enough to bring me up to speed.

In this installment, a diplomatic ship considered to be low-tier is sent to handle an emergency situation. Another ship, sent to negotiate a treaty with a race that's been reluctant to speak to humans before, was blown up, and they're sent in last-minute to not only handle negotiations, but figure out what happened to the other ship. The installment is probably best summed up by a character who notes that Harry Wilson, the character through whom most of the action is filtered, keeps things interesting. When Harry wonders if that's a compliment, his friend points out where "interesting" got them.

The installment is a self-contained short story all on its own, while also building toward more action and hinting at a much bigger conflict. It had interesting, diverse characters, and a nice balance of action and setup. The world-building was interesting, but not overwhelming. I didn't feel lost, nor did I feel inundated with science fiction jargon or infodumps.

I listened to the audio edition, narrated by William Dufris. I was paying a lot more attention to the action and characters than the person reading, so he must've been doing an effective job. There were a couple of points where I noted characters sounded rather similar, and I hoped they didn't have any upcoming scenes together, or I wouldn't be able to tell who was speaking.

I'll definitely be picking up the next installment.

I loved Scalzi's Old Man's War series. It was an incredible series of books. I very much disliked his new style in "Red Shirts". He tried to be funny, and just wasn't, in my opinion. Which is fine, that book is just not my cup of tea.

So, when I saw a new series of short stories set in the Old Man's War universe, I was pretty excited. Unfortunately Scalzi implements his new 'tongue-in-cheek' style, a la Red Shirts, in this new series - totally turned me off.

I found it self-indulgent, and boring.

Sorry John! I still love your other work, and I would love to see a return to your fantastic Space Opera beginnings.

Look this guy is a good writer with interesting story line. I got down to book 6 when I realized this guy,and or the publisher, is just trying to squeeze everyone for every last penny selling it by the chapter. One chapter is only 52 pages,cmon! Well folks that's where I stopped and will not buy another of Mr Scalzi books and I hope everyone will do the same then they will get the idea. I am not going to pay $14.00 for a electronic (eBook) that should cost $6.00 OR LESS! Don't support the greedy.

13 episodes at 99 cents per episode. Some episodes are about 25 or so pages long. This first one is around 95. This makes a book that costs $12.87. The stand alone book is selling for 13.99, so it IS slightly cheaper to buy all the episodes separately, but this is not a book that's worth 13 bucks. In fact, at this price, it is more than the softcover pint edition, and I don't think any Kindle book should ever cost more than a hard copy. The page counts seem to include the author's biography, copyright and publisher information, a list of published books as well as the listing of episodes.

The writing and editing are not up to what I would have expected from a John Scalzi book. Everything seems to be cobbled together and somewhat disjointed. If you want to read this book, I suggest saving a few bucks and buying the trade paperback.

I was a little apprehensive about this title since it's outside my normal reading comfort zone. It's sci-fi in its truest sense. There are lots of characters to keep up with and lots of action going on. It was very well written and the attention to detail that went into creating this outer space mission is amazing. Highly entertaining with a mix of Star Wars like characters, Space Odyssey like missions and unique and exciting story line.

If you like Scalzi's other books, starting with OLD MAN'S WAR, that deal with Colonial Defense Forces, you'll probably enjoy this one as well. My only problem with it was that the first three scenes had three different sets of people, and trying to ground myself in what was going on took a bit more work than I was expecting.

I do think this did a good job of working as a standalone while also introducing the problem for the entire serial.

Now, I'm off to read the next episode.

It's been a while since I've read Scalzi and have come to the conclusion, he needs to write more. I enjoy the sarcastic verse he usually employs with some of the characters. Would be a 5 but this was too short..

This is the 1st of 13 books I love quick little reads that have a good story and for very little money not to bad on the wallet. The author makes an interesting story this could actually be a good tv series if someone could pick it up on tv.

Haven't done a lot of reading for fun in a while but I remember when I could start an Asimov tale and completely lose track of time. Before I knew it I was turning the last page and wishing for more. Same here. Good story, interesting characters, missiles in space ...nuff said. And the best part is that that there's more to come.

Another look at how humanity copes with life among the stars and all the technical and personal issues to go with it. Scalzi has has the dexterity to blend interpersonal conflict and technical criteria where it doesn't get bogged down. This is a fun read!

Haven't done a lot of reading for fun in a while but I remember when I could start an Asimov tale and completely lose track of time. Before I knew it I was turning the last page and wishing for more. Same here. Good story, interesting characters, missiles in space ...nuff said. And the best part is that that there's more to come.

Another look at how humanity copes with life among the stars and all the technical and personal issues to go with it. Scalzi has has the dexterity to blend interpersonal conflict and technical criteria where it doesn't get bogged down. This is a fun read!

I like Scalzi but this is nothing but a blatent attempt to maximize earnings. I am not happy and will not buy any more. Mr Scalzi and your advisors - do not treat us with contempt by giving us 'books' like this. Dr R Chase