Thank you to Tor for the eARC!!!

I read all of the Old Man's War series a few years ago and had no idea that Scalzi planned to eventually release a 7th book, so I was super excited when I saw that The Shattering Peace was coming out this year. And I'm happy to say that I really enjoyed it! I've read a bunch of Scalzi's other books now, and this was fun, fast-paced, classic Scalzi. We open up with Gretchen Trujillo, daughter of Manfred Trujillo, former resident of Roanoke Colony and best friend of Zoe Boutin Perry (all of whom we spent time with in the earlier OMW books), who's just found out that Unity Colony and the asteroid it's on have disappeared without a trace and she's being sent to investigate what happened. Are our old friends the Consu to blame? We'll find out...

Gretchen Trujillo was a great main character - She's strong, she's feisty, she's witty, and I really enjoyed spending time inside her head. I also loved Ran - Non-human characters in speculative fiction always get me, and Ran's humor and personality (or, sometimes, lack there of) were lovely. The science was fun - I'm no physicist, but I enjoyed reading about skip drives. While there are references to earlier in the series, I liked that it could likely also work as a standalone. I'd forgotten a lot of the details from Old Man's War, but it didn't impact my reading experience at all. Overall, I loved this latest (last?) installment of the Old Man's War saga, and will be recommending it to all my sci-fi friends!

I had high hopes for revisiting this series, and I was not disappointed. John Scalzi knows how to construct a story and keep it moving. I look forward to sharing this when it is published!

Excellent read. Fast paced for the most part. Not overly technical. layered and exciting. Ending was anticlimactic and unsatisfactory.

I haven't always liked Scalzi's stand alone novels, but I deeply enjoyed this series and this is a lovely addition. Fun, exciting, interesting world building - all that jazz.

Readers of Scalzi's Old Man's War series will be happy to hear that The Shattering Peace is a worthy continuation of the saga, one which focuses on the mysterious disappearance of a secret joint colony project that threatens to break the fragile peace between most of the major powers in the galaxy. When tough-as-nails diplomat Gretchen Trujillo is tapped to lead a multinational investigation into the matter, she quickly discovers that the problem is going to be not only politically and scientifically difficult to solve, but may very well herald an existential threat which no one saw coming. Expect fun characters, sci-fi spacefaring action, expertly executed space opera staples (romance, intrigue, fun technobabble, hail-Mary gambits, etc.), and the classic Scalzi wit to happily carry readers from start to finish. This is a blast to read.

As an additional positive, while this is a late addition to an already fairly lengthy series and the book assumes readers to be somewhat familiar with the major events that happened in the previous books, they are not expected to have read every short story collection or be fresh off a reread to enjoy this entry.

So if you are a fan of Scalzi and the Old Man's War series, you'll like or love this book. Well written, with the usually humorous bits, it's an excellent return to the universe that Scalzi created. Set 20-ish years post Zoe's Tale, it follows Zoe's friend Gretchen Trujilo, who is now a diplomat. Aliens and oddities are a given in this universe, and Scalzi doesn't disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed it, it's a good story, with characters you can get in to, with a good story arc with fun twists and turns. I recommend it to anyone that like science fiction, even casually.

Unity has disappeared and a twenty-year interstellar peace between the Colonial Union, Earth, and the Conclave has been shattered. But why and by whom? Maybe Gretchen Trujillo from the Obin Embassy will know. Her background with colonization, combat, and the Conclave draws her into a high-stakes secret mission to find the Unity Colony.

Returning after a decade long absence, this is the seventh book in the Old Man’s War universe that is set about twenty years after, “The End of All Things”. This book focuses on Gretchen, the childhood best friend of Zoë Boutin Perry from when they both lived in the Roanoke Colony (“The Last Colony”). One could probably read this book without the previous installments of the series but would suggest at least reading ‘The Last Colony”.

Shattering Peace by John Scalzi is the 7th book in the Old Man's War series. The first four books centered on the Colonial Union & colonial defense forces expanding human presence in the galaxy mostly ftom the prespective of John Perry and his family (Jane Sagan & adopted daughter Zoe). The next two dealt with the aftermath of Earth moving out of the shadow of the colonial union and the place of humans in the galactic network. This book jumps ahead about 20 years after the events in the fourth novel.

The main protagonist is Gretchen Truillo who was first introduced as the teenage friend of Zoe who has since become a liaison to the Obin (alien race given consciousness by Zoe's biological father).

The problem is that the first space colony jointly settled by humans and the Conclave (a group of alien species who had formed a coalition against humanity) has disappeared and Gretchen is the one they tap to find out what has happened.

This book is a welcome return to the Sagan-verse that first brought Scalzi to my attention. It was great to revisit old ideas and characters… although it is worth noting that NONE of the main characters from previous novels makes any appearance. 

The writing was of the high quality you would expect from Scalzi. The story was fun and fast-paced. Definitely worth the read. 

All that being said, it was not a good ad previous installments. Part of the reason was how much heavy lifting Gretchen had to do as a character. Since she is the protagonist, of course she will be the fulcrum for many of the plot points. However, Scalzi initially sets her as very much NOT the one in charge of the mission & not the expert in many of the specialized fields she encounters. They introduce the leaders of the expedition and several scientists, who then proceed to seemingly run every decision, idea,  fight, etc through Gretchen and frankly make her the defacto leader. 

The ending (no spoilers from me) does redeem the book somewhat,  but had a couple holes of its own given information you have earlier in the story. 

If you have read the rest of the Old Man's War series, you will, of course, enjoy this book & I would recommend it just to have more time in this wonderful universe the Scalzi has created. It is a quick read and will keep you wanting to turn the page. 
*a 3.75 book*

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read a pre-release copy of this book.

I got on a HUGE John Scalzi kick several years ago. I quickly devoured many of his books including his Old Man’s War series. I love Science Fiction; however, hard sci-fi and I don’t get along very well. Scalzi is quite skilled at balancing comedy, drama, romance, science, and action in every book of his I’ve read.

I was under the impression that 2015’s The End Of All Things would be the final chapter of Old Man’s War. I mean, it says “The End” right there in the title. I was pleasantly surprised to find an email in my inbox a few days ago offering me the opportunity to review the forthcoming new entry in the series, The Shattering Peace, which will officially release in September. I quickly accepted the mission.

Set ten years after The End of All Things, The Shattering Peace follows Gretchen Trujillo through an interesting point in her career as a Colonial Union diplomate. Early in the story she learns from her father that the CU is attempting to colonize once again. That attempt – the “Unity Colony” – seems to have failed. Said colony, whose population included Gretchen’s former love interest, has vanished without a trace. She, along with an interspecies team of investigators, are sent to figure out exactly what happened. I’ll end up description there to avoid spoiling anything.

The Shattering Peace successfully combines many of my favorite genres. Scalzi, as I mentioned, deftly combines comedy, drama, action, romance, and science in his previous work. That’s all done here along with a healthy dose of spy novel-esque intrigue. I loved this book, though I can’t say it fully works as an entry point for the series. Some may enjoy it without previous exposure to Old Man’s War; however, to maximize that enjoyment, it’s recommended to blast through the previous six books. You’ll be glad you did.

It’s been a decade since the last Old Man’s War novel, and eight years since I first read it. I knew that Scalzi’s 2015 book deal with Tor required at least one more installment in the series, and finally, here in 2025 it arrives. The title feels like an OMW novel, John Harris is back with a new cover that looks like an OMW novel. Having an honest to god, painted book cover in 2025 is a gift in and of itself. Thank you for springing for John Harris on this one TOR.

The Shattering Peace is a delightful return to the universe of the Colonial Union, the Obin, the Consu, and The Conclave, and contains a clever mechanism that works as a setting expansion for what I can only assume will be more OMW novels to follow. This is definitely a sequel, particularly to The Last Colony and Zoe’s Tale, and it’s a clear continuation of the story and themes from The End of All Things as well, but it accomplishes a lot of the same work that a soft reboot does, without being a reboot at all.

I am excited about the implications of this novel, and what they hold for future OMW stories.

An entire inter-species colony has disappeared. The asteroid housing it, gone. Our main character, Gretchen Trujillo sets out with a mixed group of scientists, diplomats, and warriors to find it.

The Shattering Peace continues Scalzi's Old Man’s War Series. Followers of the series may recognize our hero from The Last Colony and Zoe’s Tale. Now she takes center stage. She's a slightly wild and unorthodox diplomat with a history and some carefully honed fighting skills. And she's going to need all her skills and a few new tricks. She transitions from a strong supporting character to a fully realized lead. She and her non-human assistant/body guard slip through the cracks of the universe to find the missing colony.

This book especially harkens back to book 3, The Last Colony. If you haven't read the earlier books in the series, this book still works. But followers of the series will be able to tap into a larger storyline. The author does a good job trying to bring the reader up to speed (or remind the reader) about past events. But there will be times when you might not fully understand the deeper relationships.

This latest tale in the Old Man's War universe brings us the story of Gretchen Trujillo, friend to Zoe from the Roanoke colony experience. She is a Colonial Union diplomatic analyst with an Obin assistant, yet her experience and background make her perfect as an investigator when a non-sanctioned colony planet goes completely missing from space. It's a good story with trademark Scalzi dead-pan humor - fans of this universe will enjoy this tale and the surprise twist at the end that gives more insight into this universe's greatest threats.

Many thanks to Tor Publishing group through NetGalley for providing an ARC in return for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Shattering Peace by John Scalzi, a good book that will pull in fans of the series. The Peace Pact is not holding and war is not far on the horizon, a whole colony has gone missing, and the universe may never be the same.

At long last, Scalzi returns to the Old Man's War universe with an offering that focuses on quippy diplomat Gretchen Trujillo and her Obin pal. A secret multi-species colony has disappeared. Mystery ensues! Along the way some light is shed on one of the series' enduring mysteries. Hopefully more Old Man's War will follow...

Another great story in the Old Man’s War series. Scalzi is able to write with the same dry wit and banter as Heinlein.

Great to travel once again to the Old Man's War universe! This, the seventh book, follows Gretchen who is a typical diplomat with deadly fighting skills. The character Ran is one of the Obin, and is absolutely hilarious. Scalzi's writing is so much fun since he can make you laugh out loud, then he'll share a situation that has you reflecting on life. Pick this one up and you may read it in one sitting like I did.

When John Scalzi announced that he was doing another Old Man’s War book and it would be coming out THIS YEAR, well, my hype was HIGH. I love the Old Man’s War books. Every single one of them. It hadn’t been that long ago that I had read every single one of them too. I’m not an old school Old Man’s War fan. I’m a new school Old Man’s War fan. I had only discovered this series, like, post 2020. I’m new. And yet its become one of my favorite book series.

So I thought NEW OLD MAN’S WAR! Can’t wait. I had no plans to review it. I thought I’d just buy it. I have all the other books. But then, you know, the book appeared on Net Galley and I thought Ok, yes, I have to request it. I was ready to be turned down. But I wasn’t turned down. I got the new Old Man’s War book, The Shattering Peace, EARLY. And I was reading other things so I had to wait to read it. Now I’ve read it! What’s the book about?

Gretchen Trujillo is a diplomat working for the Colonial Union. Not an important one, I mean yes she knows stuff about The Consu, the advanced intelligent race that wants to make everyone perfect but first they most all suffer, but otherwise, she just does her job and everyone leaves her alone. Until. A secret colony goes missing and Gretchen is sent on a mission to find it. Why Gretchen? What’s this secret colony about? Where’d it go? What’s next? YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK TO FIND OUT.

The Shattering Peace is a standalone Old Man’s War book. It would be helpful to, at least, read Zoe’s Tale before reading this one. Thats where Gretchen is introduced and some events from that book are referenced. They are referenced a lot. Otherwise, this book stands alone and if you have a basically understanding of the Old Man’s War universe, you should be ok. Still, you really should go read Zoe’s Tale. Honestly, you should read all of the books. They rock!

As a fan of the series, I absolutely loved this book. I loved all the callbacks and I love how the book brings us up to date, a little bit, on things that happened while we were gone. And Gretchen is awesome. She’s great. Though my favorite character is RAN. I won’t tell you who RAN is or why its my favorite character. Just trust me. RAN is amazing. Its also very funny.

In fact, there are a lot of funny moments in this book. The level of humor in The Shattering Peace took me by surprise. The other books had some humor, yes, but this one seemed to have more. I love the humor. I laughed so much. That said, the book also has a cool mystery and plenty of interesting plot twists. I was on the edge of my seat. I had a tough time putting this book down.

Scalzi is an excellent writer. I love how his characters can be funny and tough and break your heart and then put it all back together. He is very good at coming up with a solid plot too. The Shattering Peace was an excellent way to revisit this universe. I think fans of the series are going to love it.

I hope this isn’t the last time we see the Old Mans War series. I have a feeling that there are so many more stories to be told here. Well, as long as John Scalzi feels like telling them. I hope he does. I am very thankful for this book though. If it is the last in the series, well, I think its a pretty good way to go out.

The Shattering Peace is awesome. I’ll be thinking about this book for awhile. I’ll also be getting a physical copy of the book when I can. This one needs to be added to my Old Man’s War collection!

The Shattering Peace comes out on September 16th, 2025. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for providing an early digital copy of the book.

Great story. Set in Old Man’s war universe. With side characters from previous books plus brand new characters to flesh out story. Look for a complicated plot. Filled with surprises. Hard to put down. Classic Scalzi.

Gretchen Trujillo is an everyday bureaucrat--who also happens to be a skilled fighter and (ages ago) the best friend of one of the most famous people in her culture, Zoe Boutin Perry. Her assistant Ran helps her stay on top of things. But when the vital, experimental Unity colony suddenly disappears, Gretchen and Ran are pulled into the tensions between the three powers that founded the colony: Earth, the Colonial Union, and the Conclave. The peace that has held between these three political powers is now even more at risk, and it's up to Gretchen, with Ran's help, to keep this peace intact. Oh, and while they are trying to find the missing colony, an incredibly powerful alien race, the Consu, are having an internal disagreement that might ruin everything--or fix it all.
The Shattering Peace is the seventh book in the Old Man's War series. I'm a huge fan of the series--and of Scalzi's writing as a whole--but it's been years since I read any of the books in the series. Scalzi is very clear in helping his readers remember who's who, what the major conflicts are, and what the history of his world is. (One really fun technique he uses to do so is through a running joke about the super inaccurate movie version of some important historical events--I won't say more here, but I loved that part!)
I enjoyed returning to this world again. Gretchen is a sympathetic main character, and I found her clever and relatable without being a stereotype. I adored Ran, one of the Obin, an alien race developed in the earlier novels (but clarified again here if this is your starting point or if, like me, it's been a minute since you've read the other books in the series). There's science and romance and fighting, and there are insightful themes about how to live with--and how to understand--people who are different than you.