Starter Villain by John Scalzi is a stand-alone novel but uses a high-concept premise like two of the author’s other novels: The Kaiju Preservation Society and When the Moon Hits Your Eye. The concept for this novel is what if a supervillain passes away and leaves his evil empire to his simple drifter relative. The evil genius’s relative is his nephew, Charlie. What will Charlie do with the evil empire his uncle has left him?
Summary
[Insert Summary Here]
Recommendation
[Insert Recommendation Here]
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Starter Villain by John Scalzi.
Shattering Peace by John Scalzi is the seventh book in the Old Man’s War series. The Colonial Union, the Earth, and the Conclave are in an uneasy 10-year truce, but something goes wrong with their shared secret Colony of Unity. Gretchen Trujillo, as a Colonial Union ambassador, must find out what happened at the colony. Will Gretchen save the colony, or will the colony perish, leading to the extermination of humanity?
Human Division by John Scalzi is the fifth book in the Old Man’s War series. The book is a series of 15 interrelated stories mainly about Lieutenant Harry Wilson of the Colonial Union’s B Team. Harry was a friend of John Perry, the hero of the previous novels in the series. Can the team avoid a war with the Conclave and save humanity?
Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi is the fourth book in the Old Man’s War series. This novel tells the events from the previous story, The Last Colony, from the point of view of Zoe Boutin Perry.
Last Colony by John Scalzi is the third book in the Old Man’s War series. John Perry and his family colonized a new planet. Can he protect the colony, or will the colony perish, leading to the extermination of humanity?
Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi is the second book in the Old Man’s War series. Jared Dirac is a clone with another man’s memories. He must save humanity from three allied alien races determined to destroy humanity.
The Human Division by John Scalzi, Old Man’s War Book #5
Introduction
Human Division by John Scalzi is the fifth book in the Old Man’s War series. The book is a series of 15 interrelated stories mainly about Lieutenant Harry Wilson of the Colonial Union’s B Team. Harry was a friend of John Perry, the hero of the previous novels in the series. Can the team avoid a war with the Conclave and save humanity?
Summary
The book was originally published online as 13 episodes. The episodes were collected with the addition of two more episode included.
[Insert Summary Here]
Recommendation
[Insert Recommendation Here]
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Human Division by John Scalzi, Old Man’s War Book #5
Shattering Peace by John Scalzi is the seventh book in the Old Man’s War series. The Colonial Union, the Earth, and the Conclave are in an uneasy 10-year truce, but something goes wrong with their shared secret Colony of Unity. Gretchen Trujillo as a Colonial Union ambassador must find out what happened at the colony. Will Gretchen save the colony, or will the colony perish leading to the extermination of humanity?
Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi is the fourth book in the Old Man’s War series. This novel tells the events from the previous story, The Last Colony, from the point of view of Zoe Boutin Perry.
Last Colony by John Scalzi is the third book in the Old Man’s War series. John Perry and his family colonized a new planet. Can he protect the colony, or will the colony perish leading to the extermination of humanity?
Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi is the second book in the Old Man’s War series. Jared Dirac is a clone with another man’s memories. He must save humanity from three allied alien races determined to destroy humanity.
The Shattering Peace by John Scalzi, Old Man’s War Book #7
Introduction
Shattering Peace by John Scalzi is the seventh book in the Old Man’s War series. This novel follows the events ten years after the previous novel. The Colonial Union, the Earth, and the Conclave are in an uneasy truce, but something goes wrong with their shared secret Colony of Unity. Gretchen Trujillo as a Colonial Union ambassador must find out what happened at the colony. Will Gretchen save the colony, or will the colony perish leading to the extermination of humanity?
Summary
Gretchen Trujillo is the point of view of the novel and the best friend of Zoe Boutin Perry. Zoe is favored by the Obin, a race of sentient spider-giraffes. Gretchen was appointed as the Colonial Union ambassador to the Obin due to her connection with Zoe.
Recommendation
[Insert Recommendation Here]
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of The Shattering Peace by John Scalzi, Old Man’s War Book #7
In When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi, the moon turns to cheese, and hijinks ensue. It’s as crazy and interesting as it sounds. The novel is a series of chapters with different points of view in each chapter. The points of view characters are affected by the situation in unique ways. The novel is part satire and part prophetic theory. The final question is, did the moon turn to cheese or didn’t it?
Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi is a reimagining of the novel Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper. Scalzi updates the story to contemporary sensibilities. Jack Holloway discovers a new species he calls Fuzzies. If they are determined to be sentient, then he and Zara Corp lose the right to exploit the planet. Will Jack choose to get filthy rich or protect the new species?
Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi is the fourth book in the Old Man’s War series. This novel tells the events from the previous story, The Last Colony, from the point of view of Zoe Boutin Perry.
Last Colony by John Scalzi is the third book in the Old Man’s War series. John Perry and his family colonized a new planet. Can he protect the colony, or will the colony perish leading to the extermination of humanity?
Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi is the second book in the Old Man’s War series. Jared Dirac is a clone with another man’s memories. He must save humanity from three allied alien races determined to destroy humanity.
Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi is a reimagining of the novel Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper. Scalzi updates the story to contemporary sensibilities. Jack Holloway discovers a new species he calls Fuzzies. If they are determined to be sentient, then he and Zara Corp lose the right to exploit the planet. Will Jack choose to get filthy rich or protect the new species?
Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi is the fourth book in the Old Man’s War series. This novel tells the events from the previous story, The Last Colony, from the point of view of Zoe Boutin Perry.
Last Colony by John Scalzi is the third book in the Old Man’s War series. John Perry and his family colonized a new planet. Can he protect the colony, or will the colony perish leading to the extermination of humanity?
Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi is the second book in the Old Man’s War series. Jared Dirac is a clone with another man’s memories. He must save humanity from three allied alien races determined to destroy humanity.
I attended the Confusion Detroit 2023 Conference at 21111 Haggerty Road Novi, Michigan at the Sheraton Detroit Novi from January 20, 2023, to January 22, 2023. Other Confusion Detroit I also attended were in 2019, 2020, (2021 was canceled due to COVID-19), 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association Sponsored the conference. I attended the opening ceremonies, the guests of honor dessert reception, two panels, and three author readings. This year’s theme was Avatar: The Legend of Confusion celebrating the animated version of the Avatar TV show.
The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association sponsors Detroit ConFusion.
This is my badge for ConFusion Detroit 2023.
Summary
ConFusion Detroit 2023 Conference Recap
[insert summary here]
Recommendation – Conclusion
[insert recommendation here.]
Links
This is my post about ConFusion Detroit 2025 Conference from January 24 to 26, 2025. The theme was Monumental ConFusion for the 50th time they held the event. My stars of the con were John Scalzi and Marie Vibbert.
This is my post about the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 19 to 21, 2024. The theme was the Labyrinth of ConFusion. My star of the con was Author John Scalzi.
In January 2023, I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan. I finally completed the post here. It took awhile to find my notes on the conference.
Links Continued
I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 21 to 23, 2022. The theme was Rising ConFusion. My stars of the con were Guest of Honor author Jim C. Hines and Science Guest of Honor Dr. Jordan Steckloff.
I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 16 to 19, 2020. I attended four panels, two readings, and one interview. The theme of the con was How to Train Your ConFusion, based on the movie, How to Train Your Dragon. My star of the con was John Scalzi. He gave an excellent reading of Chapter Two of his upcoming book named The Last Emperox. My other highlights were Kameron Hurley’s interview and the lecture on Edible Insects and Human Evolution. I’ll be back next year.
I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 18 to 20, 2019. The theme of the con was Storming the ConFusion, so they chose the areas with names related to the movie The Princess Bride. I had a great drive to Detroit just before the snowstorm came. My star of the con was John Scalzi. He gave an excellent reading and was engaging in the panel I attended. My other highlights were Ada Palmer’s interview and watching The Princess Bride at the Con. I’ll be back next year.
I attended the ConFusion Detroit 2025 Conference at 21111 Haggerty Road Novi, Michigan at the Sheraton Detroit Novi from January 24, 2025, to January 26, 2025. I also attended ConFusion Detroit in 2019, 2020, (2021 was canceled due to COVID-19), 2022, 2023, and 2024. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association Sponsored the conference. I attended the opening ceremonies, the guests of honor dessert reception, three panels, a concert, and two author readings. This year’s theme was Monumental Confusion celebrating the fiftieth time they have put on the conference.
The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association sponsors Detroit ConFusion.
This is my badge for ConFusion Detroit 2024.
[insert badge here]
Summary
ConFusion Detroit 2025 Conference Recap
[insert summary here]
Recommendation – Conclusion
[insert recommendation here.]
Links
This is my post about the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 19 to 21, 2024. The theme was the Labyrinth of ConFusion. My star of the con was Author John Scalzi.
In January 2023, I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan. I still want to write a post about that.
I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 21 to 23, 2022. The theme was Rising ConFusion. My stars of the con were Guest of Honor author Jim C. Hines and Science Guest of Honor Dr. Jordan Steckloff.
I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 16 to 19, 2020. I attended four panels, two readings, and one interview. The con theme was How to Train Your ConFusion, based on the movie, How to Train Your Dragon. My star of the con was John Scalzi. He gave an excellent reading of Chapter Two of his upcoming book named The Last Emperox. My other highlights were Kameron Hurley’s interview and the lecture on Edible Insects and Human Evolution. I’ll be back next year.
I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 18 to 20, 2019. The con’s theme was Storming the ConFusion, so they chose the areas with names related to the movie The Princess Bride. I had a great drive to Detroit just before the snowstorm came. My star of the con was John Scalzi. He gave an excellent reading and was engaging in the panel I attended. My other highlights were Ada Palmer’s interview and watching The Princess Bride at the Con. I’ll be back next year.
End of All Things by John Scalzi, Book #6 of The Old Man’s War series.
Introduction
End of All Things by John Scalzi is the sixth book in the Old Man’s War series. The book is a series of four interconnected novellas. The Earth, The Colonial Union, and the Conclave face a threat bigger than all of them. Can the Colonial Union save humanity from extinction?
Summary
They published End of All Things by John Scalzi as a series of four interconnected novellas.
Novella #1 The Life of the Mind. Rafe Daquin is a captured pilot who must discover his circumstances and defeat an unknown threat to reclaim his life.
Novella #2 This Hollow Union. This novella describes the situation in the Conclave.
Novella #3 Can Long Endure. Lieutenant Heather Lee of the Colonial Union faces tough choices in her missions and changes.
Novella #4 To Stand or Fall. Lieutenant Harry Wilson of the Colonial Union narrates the events leading to the potential compromise between the Colonial Union, the Earth, and the Conclave.
The book also has an alternate version of the first novella. It features the same events and characters but has different perspectives and a different ending.
Recommendation
End of All Things by John Scalzi is an interesting continuation of the Old Man’s War series. I liked the alternate version of the first novel. It seemed like this was the last novel of the series, but they plan to publish a sixth novel in 2025. I plan to read it when they release it.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of The End of All Things by John Scalzi.
Last Colony by John Scalzi is the third book in the Old Man’s War series. John Perry and his family colonize a new planet. Can he protect the colony, or will it perish, leading to the extermination of humanity?
Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi is the second book in the Old Man’s War series. Jared Dirac is a clone with another man’s memories. He must save humanity from three allied alien races determined to destroy humanity.
Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi is,as he names it in the Author’s Note, a reimagining of the story and events of the novel Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper. Scalzi updates the story to contemporary sensibilities. Jack Holloway is an independent prospector on the planet Zara XXIII. His companion is his bomb-detonating dog named Carl. They find a new mine worth a lot of money for him and Zarathustra Corporation. The problem is when he discovers a new species or better yet when they discover him. If the species he calls Fuzzys proves to be sentient, he and Zara Corp lose the right to exploit the planet. Will Jack choose to get filthy rich or protect the new species?
Summary
Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi starts with Jack Holloway prospecting on the planet Zara XXIII with his dog named Carl. They cause an ecological disaster which is noticed by Jack’s ZaraCorp contractor rep named Chad Bourne. Chad threatens to end Jack’s contract. Jack finds a valuable mine because of the disaster and will profit greatly but he runs into a problem.
Back at Jack’s tree house in the middle of the jungle, he encounters a being. He can’t decide if it is more like a monkey, dog, or cat. It might be smarter than that. If the being is sentient, then he stands to lose his rich find because the law will give it to the beings which he calls Fuzzys.
Jack enlists the aid of biologist Isobel Wangai and xeno-linguist Dr. Arnold Chen to figure out if the Fuzzys are sentient.
He faces off with the representatives at ZaraCorp and brings the issue of sentience to the planetary court. Jack believes they are sentient while ZaraCorp thinks they are wild animals. The conclusion proceeds from there.
Recommendation
Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi is a contemporary retelling of the story found in H. Beam Piper’s novel Little Fuzzy. I have read both novels and I enjoyed the added elements that Scalzi had added. The corporate plot is like the movie Avatar, though Avatar was probably inspired by Little Fuzzy in the first place. This novel reads like a remake of a movie. I’m glad I read it.
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi.
Zoes Tale by John Scalzi is the fourth book in the Old Man’s War series. This novel tells the events from the previous novel, The Last Colony, from the point of view of Zoe Boutin Perry.
Last Colony by John Scalzi is the third book in the Old Man’s War series. John Perry and his family colonized a new planet. Can he protect the colony, or will the colony perish leading to the extermination of humanity?
Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi is the second book in the Old Man’s War series. Jared Dirac is a clone with another man’s memories. He must save humanity from three allied alien races determined to destroy humanity.
I attended the SF conference named ConFusion at 21111 Haggerty Road Novi, Michigan at the Sheraton Detroit Novi from January 19, 2024, to January 21, 2024. I also attended ConFusion Detroit in 2019, 2020, (2021 was canceled due to COVID-19), 2022, and 2023. The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association Sponsored ConFusion Detroit 2024. I attended three panels, one author reading, and watched the movie Labyrinth. This year’s theme was Labyrinth of Confusion. Celebrating the 38-year anniversary of the release of the movie Labyrinth (1986).
The Ann Arbor Science Fiction Association sponsors Detroit ConFusion.
This is my badge for ConFusion Detroit 2024.
Summary
ConFusion Detroit 2024 Conference Recap
Friday, January 19th at 7 PM
Labyrinth of Confusion Opening Ceremonies with Mark Oshiro, BluRaven C. Houvener, Kurt Erichsen, and Steph Campbell:
Arrived late, missed it.
They held the opening ceremonies in Ballroom D.
Saturday, January 20th at 10 AM
Panel on How to Write a Good Conspiracy Novel with Kelley Skovron, Marie Vibbert, Catherine Stein, and Ken Schraeder:
Marie Vibbert suggested that it is important to let the reader in on the conspiracy and not make it a mystery to the reader. She further commented on saying that it takes a delicate balance to know as a writer when to give up the information and when to not.
Kalley Skovron added that as a writer it is important to reverse engineer the conspiracy so that the writer can set up misdirection.
Ken Schraeder stressed that every character needs a motive to make a well-rounded novel.
They held the panel in the Marquette room with 15 attendees.
Saturday, January 20th at 12 PM
Panel on Wish I Knew When I Started with Catherine Stein, Jim C. Hines, Jean Davis, and Ness Ricci-Thode:
Jean Davis thinks that getting into a writing group helps the beginning author.
Catherine Stein cautions that there are many little steps that need to be taken to get published.
Jim Hines says beware since old advice doesn’t work now. The hardest part is to learn to say no.
Catherine Stein notes that your writing process is unique to you. You can’t practice someone else’s process and be successful for you.
They held the panel in Ballroom B with 20 attendees.
Saturday, January 20th at 1 PM
Reading with Author John Scalzi:
He read three short pieces and then took Q and A questions. He did not read from his new novel coming out in February 2025.
#1 Grizzly Bear Conflict Manager written on the Jo Jo Cruise. He mentioned that he had read this story before, and I remember him reading it. It was very good.
#2 Will Wheaton Croc Hunter also written on the cruise. John Scalzi wrote it about Will Wheaton’s lime green crocs he wore on the cruise. Very funny.
#3 So you want to kill baby Hitler which he wrote that morning. It’s a time travel story trying to explain the issues with time travel.
In the Q and A, he talked about a potential movie or TV show on the novel Old Man’s War. He also talked about the church he bought and converted into an office for him.
John Scalzi readings are always my highlight of the con and this year was no exception.
They held the reading in the Keweenow room with 40 attendees.
Saturday, January 20th at 5 PM
Movie: Labyrinth (1986)
We watched the movie on a TV in the Boardroom. The theme of the con this year was Labyrinth of Confusion. I had never seen the movie before, so I thought this was a great time to watch it. The movie was directed by Jim Henson and featured puppets from his workshop. The star of the movie was David Bowie as the Golbin King and featured Jennifer Connally. I enjoyed it,
I’m glad I watched it.
They showed the movie in the Boardroom film room with 10 attendees.
Saturday, January 20th at 8 PM
Panel on Has the Hype Over Artificial Intelligence (AI) Art and Writing Programs Peaked? With John Scalzi, Lynne Sergent, A. L. Deleon, and Jason Sanford:
Lynne Sergent said that it good that people are more aware of the problem now.
A.L. Deleon is worried about when a helpful tool becomes a predatory one.
John Scalzi notes that it really isn’t A.I., it’s an algorithm that uses published material with no learning involved.
Jason Sanford worries that tech jobs and legal jobs are at risk due to A.I. advances.
They held the panel at Ballroom B with 45 attendees.
Recommendation – Conclusion
I felt the con went well and enjoyed my attendance. My star of the con was author John Scalzi. He read three short stories on his author reading and gave insightful comments on the AI panel. I’m looking forward to attending again in 2025.
Links
In January 2023, I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan. I still want to write a post about that.
I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 21 to 23, 2022. The theme was Rising ConFusion. My stars of the con were Guest of Honor author Jim C. Hines and Science Guest of Honor Dr. Jordan Steckloff.
I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 16 to 19, 2020. I attended four panels, two readings, and one interview. The theme of the con was How to Train Your ConFusion, based on the movie, How to Train Your Dragon. My star of the con was John Scalzi. He gave an excellent reading of Chapter Two of his upcoming book named The Last Emperox. My other highlights were Kameron Hurley’s interview and the lecture on Edible Insects and Human Evolution. I’ll be back next year.
I attended the SF conference ConFusion in Detroit, Michigan from January 18 to 20, 2019. The theme of the con was Storming the ConFusion, so they designated the areas with names related to the movie The Princess Bride. I had a great drive to Detroit just before the snowstorm came. My star of the con was John Scalzi. He gave an excellent reading and was engaging in the panel I attended. My other highlights were Ada Palmer’s interview and watching The Princess Bride at the con. I’ll be back next year.
Zoes Tale by John Scalzi, Book #4 of The Old Man’s War series.
Introduction
Zoes Tale by John Scalzi is the fourth book in the Old Man’s War series. This novel tells the events from the previous novel, The Last Colony, from the point of view of Zoe Boutin Perry. She was adopted by John Perry and Jane Sagan and is now seventeen years old. They leave their home, the only home that Zoe knew, to settle in a new colony on the planet named Roanoke. What they find at Roanoke is not what they expected. Will they protect the colony, or will the colony perish leading to the extermination of humanity?
Summary
[Insert Summary Here]
Recommendation
[Insert Recommendation Here]
Links
This is the link to the Goodreads page of Zoes Tale by John Scalzi.
Last Colony by John Scalzi is the third book in the Old Man’s War series. John Perry and his family colonized a new planet. Can he protect the colony, or will the colony perish leading to the extermination of humanity?
Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi is the second book in the Old Man’s War series. Jared Dirac is a clone with another man’s memories. He must save humanity from three allied alien races determined to destroy humanity.
