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alassel's review against another edition
4.0
This book follows Zoe Boutrin, daughter of Charles who promised consciousness to the Obin, mainly throughout her time spent on Roanoke Colony with her parents John and Jane. Much of the story is that of [i]The Last Colony[/i] told from a different perspective, but I found it to be just as entertaining and interesting as the original point of view. Scalzi did a very good job of writing from the POV of a smartass teenager, and I really enjoyed some of the excellent banter between Zoe and her friends. Definitely worth a read if you enjoyed the rest of the [i]Old Man's War[/i] series, and also interesting to see what it's like to grow up as the patron saint or goddess of an entire species, once you've hit teenagerhood.
damrunner's review against another edition
3.0
As with most of the OMW series, I flew through Zoe's tale. It was nice to get a different perspective on this story, and it also tied up some plot points from The Last Colony that felt a little...deus ex machina.
edgecy's review against another edition
4.0
This book is essentially a retelling of The Last Colony from a different perspective, which was both interesting in that it filled in gaps from the Last Colony but also disappointing in that it did not move the story of Old Man's War forward. The book literally began and ended in the same space and time as The Last Colony. That said, the last two chapters of the book really expanded on some of the canon of the story and was what elevated this book from a 2/3-star to a 4-star as its final rating. Overall, it was well written and I look forward to the next entry.
mateuscaixeta84's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
goldnlady's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
sociotom's review against another edition
4.0
Zoe's Tale doesn't seem like it's necessary in order to enjoy the Old Man's War series, but it is absolutely a great companion piece to The Last Colony. It fills in some of the gaps in both subplot and main plot, and adds more depth to a character who was so central to The Ghost Brigade but then not really treated as more than an extra in The Last Colony. I'm glad I read it!
zengoalie's review against another edition
3.0
Didn't realize this was a retelling of the previous book but from Zoe's point of view. It was cool to get her side of things (especially at the end). I enjoyed it, but binging the books it was a little bit of overkill on this particular storyline that I'd just read.
I do like we get more insight into Hickory and Dickory. Hilarious that all the other Obin picked names like Dock...Clock...Mouse...
If you loved the Last Colony you'll like this as well, but maybe give it a few other books inbetween so it's not too close to a retelling for your reading enjoyment.
I do like we get more insight into Hickory and Dickory. Hilarious that all the other Obin picked names like Dock...Clock...Mouse...
If you loved the Last Colony you'll like this as well, but maybe give it a few other books inbetween so it's not too close to a retelling for your reading enjoyment.
scrooge3's review against another edition
3.0
Teenager Zoë Boutin goes with her adopted parents, retired soldiers John Perry and Jane Sagan, and a group of settlers to an uncolonized planet. Things quickly go wrong, and colony leader Perry finds himself in the thick of interstellar politics and war. If this sounds familiar, it’s because this is the exact same story Scalzi told in last year’s Hugo nominee, The Last Colony. The only difference is that it is told from Zoë’s point of view. Zoe’s Tale is an enjoyable young-adult page turner that fills in a couple of plot holes from The Last Colony. However, if you’ve read The Last Colony, don’t waste your time reading Zoe’s Tale, and vice versa, because there is very little difference between the two—certainly not enough to justify reading both. Why this book was nominated over major works by Iain M. Banks, Greg Bear, and Ken MacLeod is beyond me. John Scalzi obviously has a passionate and vocal following.
developher's review against another edition
3.0
Good job on pulling off the same book from a another character's point of view. Unfortunately that character is very closely aligned to the heroes of the previous book (their adopted daughter) and so the rebelling is only subtly different with the same events the same perspective. Extremely little is added except to explain away some dues-ex-machina from the previous novel by introducing even more (dues-ex-meta-machina?).
mattharaja's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this better than The Last Colony. To be fair, I honestly didn’t want to read it at first, what with all the critics saying it was YA and so on and so forth. But, this book is quite entertaining and it’s a far cry more adventurous than the one on which it is based. Zoe is well developed and believable, and her relationship with the Obin is one of the better plot devices I’ve seen in any scifi series. The scenes with Hickory and Dickory are among the more entertaining in the entire series. So, yeah, big thumbs up for this one, not perfect but a perfectly enjoyable read nonetheless.