The Last Colony – Review

Scalzi’s The Last Colony is a fast-paced novel that uses simple writing as a vehicle for a complex plot involving alien governments, oppressive human regimes, and the rigors of colonization.

I’m really torn about what to think about the novel.  There is a sparsity to Scalzi’s prose that makes it elegant in its simplicity, but at the same time, it almost seems too simple.  I suppose it is a triumph of Scalzi’s writing chops that he can write a convoluted plot in such simple prose.  This style makes science fiction accessible to the masses; it also makes his novels a great plane/car/beach read.  These aren’t altogether bad things, but if you’re used to a bit more substance in your reading, then Scalzi may be like cotton candy–sweet and good, but ultimately not very filling.

I can’t describe too much of the plot without giving anything away, but by the third twist, I was almost tired of being jerked around.  Most of the twists and turns made sense within the context of the universe, although there was one “Oh, come on!” moment that involved the introduction of a piece of alien technology that just happened to save the day.  The book has a crisis of identity about half way through.  It is hard to know if the novel is about the colonization of a new planet or if it is about the cloak-and-dagger games being played by both human and alien governments.  When the dust settles, the reader is left to wonder if one plot would have been preferable to the other, or even if both plots could have been interwoven for a richer experience.

Characters, beyond the main protagonists John Perry and Jane Sagan, were written in rather broad strokes.  To cover the lack of character development, Scalzi uses his players as a showcase for witty dialogue and wry humor.  Archetypes littered the landscape of the book, with one of the few bright spots being the character of General Szilard, head of the special forces team (The Ghost Brigades) that gave the second novel in the trilogy its name.  As a frequent reader of the Whatever blog, it was readily apparent to me that Scalzi has drawn heavily on his own personal life to provide substance to his main characters.

The above isn’t necessarily a criticism.  There is no question that Scalzi writes science fiction for the everyman, continuing in the vein recently jump started by the TV shows Firefly and Battlestar Galactica.  His stories, like the late grand master Robert A. Heinlein, are human stories.  He captures the essence of human relationships (even in characters that seem to be cardboard cut-outs) and reminds us all what it means to be a man or a woman in a universe that hates what humanity stands for.  Scalzi is the most recent author to recall the grandeur of Heinlein in his heyday.  That alone makes his work commendable.

If you’re looking for depth, don’t expect to find it here.  This novel is also not as well executed as the wonderful The Android’s Dream.  However, this book is a great read for a long trip, a relaxing day at the beach, or a quiet evening at home.  This is also a book you can give to your friends and family who don’t like sci-fi.  They’ll be hooked by the story that dispenses with the hard science and obtuse technobabble that turns so many away from the genre.