THE END OF ALL THINGS

In the sixth Old Man's War novel, a direct sequel to The Human Division (2013), human and alien governments on the brink of war must foil the secret cabal that pushed them there.

The two major human governments—of the Earth and the Colonial Union—have firmly parted ways after the destruction of Earth Station, and both have a rocky relationship with the Conclave, a coalition of alien governments. A CU diplomatic unit has suspected for some time that a fourth party has encouraged this tense situation and is responsible for several recent provocative incidents which have been pinned either on the CU or the Conclave. But they have no definitive evidence until the brain of a human cargo pilot, Rafe Daquin, and the ship he controls, The Chandler, escape from that group, the Equilibrium, carrying both information on the conspiracy and a significant figure in it. Now the CU diplomats must convince Earth and the Conclave of the truth and that they all must work together (at least for now) before the Equilibrium leads the three governments to destroy one another while it reaps the profits. The Old Man's War books occupy the space-opera void that American TV used to fill with various incarnations of Star Trek, Babylon 5, Farscape, etc.; it’s no wonder Syfy is developing the series for TV. This novel—actually four connected novellas—provides a conclusion to the latest plotline while remaining open to new stories in the universe. It’s classic crowd-pleasing Scalzi, offering thrilling adventure scenes (space battles, daring military actions, parachute jumps through a planet’s atmosphere), high-stakes politics, snarky commentary, and food for thought.

Delightful, compulsively readable, and even somewhat nutritious brain candy.