Reviews

After the Coup by John Scalzi

Only show reviews with written explanations

markmiller99's review

4.0

Scalzi brings his usual playful style and tone to this novella (novella? short story? whatever...). A solid and funny addition to the Old Man's War universe. Well worth the $0.99 price of entry.

If you've read my review of [b:The Human Division|15698479|The Human Division|John Scalzi|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341582413s/15698479.jpg|21356077], then you know I love Lieutenant Harry Wilson and Deputy Ambassador Hart Schmidt.

Well while reading a glowing five-star review of that novel from SFReviews.net, I noticed the following post-script: "The print edition of the book also includes 'After the Coup,' a short story featuring Harry Wilson that was one of Tor.com's launch stories." Wait a second, I thought, a launch story would mean this is already available, even though the print edition isn't. Approximately 5.5 seconds of Googling later, and I was reading the story on Tor.com.

You should go there and read it too. It's a really good short story that highlights John Scalzi's ability to write funny yet heartfelt characters in fantastical settings. There's also an interesting fight sequence. And, it's a great barometer for seeing if you'll like [b:The Human Division|15698479|The Human Division|John Scalzi|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1341582413s/15698479.jpg|21356077], which heavily features Wilson and Schmidt.

mankan's review

Go to review page

3.0

This one was fun.

seeinghowitgoes's review

Go to review page

4.0

Is it really after the Coup? Whatever the case, I'm seriously adoring Harry after these last few novels.

thehappybooker's review

Go to review page

5.0

Harry Wilson is one of my favorite characters from the Old Man's War series, so I was delighted to see this short story featured him. Favorite phrase, speculating about if it's bad that a species has recently become expansionist: "Not if we can encourage them to expand in the direction of some of our enemies." Now that's the definition of U.S. covert operations since Tripoli in 1804 (read "The Pirate Coast" for an amazing and appalling treatment of that fiasco).

One of my favorite things about Scalzi is his ability to imagine new species. This species was a real treat. I puff up like a toad when I eat salty food, but this species took fluid retention to a whole new level.

It was so short that I felt a little cheated. I love/hate stories that could have developed into a book.

mdpenguin's review

Go to review page

adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Meh. It's good for what it is, which is a random fighting match between a CDF modified human and an alien, but it doesn't really have much of a point and the humor is mostly a kind of slapstick that I don't really enjoy. That said, it was a somewhat enjoyable read and seems to do what it set out to do and did it well.