End of All Thinsgs by John Scalzi

Science Fiction

From Goodreads:

Hugo-award winning author, John Scalzi returns to his best-selling Old Man's War universe with the direct sequel to 2013’s The Human Division

Humans expanded into space…only to find a universe populated with multiple alien species bent on their destruction. Thus was the Colonial Union formed, to help protect us from a hostile universe. The Colonial Union used the Earth and its excess population for colonists and soldiers. It was a good arrangement...for the Colonial Union. Then the Earth said: no more.

　

Now the Colonial Union is living on borrowed time—a couple of decades at most, before the ranks of the Colonial Defense Forces are depleted and the struggling human colonies are vulnerable to the alien species who have been waiting for the first sign of weakness, to drive humanity to ruin. And there’s another problem: A group, lurking in the darkness of space, playing human and alien against each other—and against their own kind —for their own unknown reasons.

　

In this collapsing universe, CDF Lieutenant Harry Wilson and the Colonial Union diplomats he works with race against the clock to discover who is behind attacks on the Union and on alien races, to seek peace with a suspicious, angry Earth, and keep humanity’s union intact...or else risk oblivion, and extinction—and the end of all things.

Set in The Old Man’s War universe The End of all Things once again follows CDF Lieutenant Harry Wilson as the Colonial Union, Earth and the Conclave face new dangers.

A set of four novellas make up the book.  While Wilson is a character in all different people are featured in each.

 I love The Life of the Mind.  Who knew a brain in a box could have so much personality. 

This Hollow Union is set in the Conclave and features several of the aliens.  The politics don’t sound too different from what we hear today.  I found the habits of some of the aliens very interesting.

Can Long Endure follow several CDF soldiers as they try to put out fires.  Things are not going that well.  The final reaction by one of the characters says a lot about what the future holds for the Colonial Union.

Finally To Stand or Fall brings it all together.  All three governments have to decide how the future will play out.  That is the end of all things.  At least for now.  Scalzi does not say that he will never return to this universe so we will see.

This is a nice addition to the Old Man’s War Universe.  To understand the world building and back story you really need to have read the previous books in the series.  If you have this is an enjoyable story and one you might not want to miss.

Tor published The End of all Things by John Scalzi in 2015.

The Human Division by John Scalzi

Science Fiction

What Goodreads Says:

"Following the events of The Last Colony, John Scalzi tells the story of the fight to maintain the unity of the human race.

The people of Earth now know that the human Colonial Union has kept them ignorant of the dangerous universe around them. For generations the CU had defended humanity against hostile aliens, deliberately keeping Earth an ignorant backwater and a source of military recruits. Now the CU’s secrets are known to all. Other alien races have come on the scene and formed a new alliance—an alliance against the Colonial Union. And they’ve invited the people of Earth to join them. For a shaken and betrayed Earth, the choice isn't obvious or easy.

Against such possibilities, managing the survival of the Colonial Union won’t be easy, either. It will take diplomatic finesse, political cunning…and a brilliant “B Team,” centered on the resourceful Lieutenant Harry Wilson, that can be deployed to deal with the unpredictable and unexpected things the universe throws at you when you’re struggling to preserve the unity of the human race.

Being published online from January to April 2013 as a three-month digital serial, The Human Division will appear as a full-length novel of the Old Man’s War universe, plus—for the first time in print—the first tale of Lieutenant Harry Wilson, and a coda that wasn’t part of the digital serialization."

The Human Division is an extension of the Old Man’s War universe.  Set after John Perry lets Earth know how the Colonial Union had used and kept the planet in the dark, this is a series of stories about on one group of diplomats working for the survival of the CU and humans in general. 

There are some great characters in The Human Division.  Harry Wilson, Hart Schmidt and Ambassador Abumwe seem to be a mismatched team.  Harry is a real smart mouth, Hart just seems to be going with the flow and Abumwe does not like anyone.  The interaction between them leads to a lot of laught out loud moments.  They are the “B” team who manages to make things work in spite of the odds. Those three are from the CU.  Dani Lowen is from Earth and often finds herself working with the team.

Even though each story is separate they all come together to make a whole.  You get to know all of the characters, the history and the politics as the stories progress.  There is a cliffhanger ending but don’t despair.  Book two is in the works and is scheduled for release. The Human Division is a great addition to the series and I look forward to the next book.

Tor published The Human Division by John Scalzi in 2013.