Best John Scalzi Books

Old Man's War

Old Man\u2019s War • Book 1

by John Scalzi

Join the army at 75, get a new enhanced body, and fight aliens for habitable planets—Scalzi's take on military sci-fi.

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Join the army at 75, get a new enhanced body, and fight aliens for habitable planets—Scalzi's take on military sci-fi.

The Consuming Fire

The Interdependency • Book 2

by John Scalzi

Emperox Grayland watches the Flow that enables interstellar travel disappear, stranding entire star systems while politicians deny the coming catastrophe.

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Emperox Grayland watches the Flow that enables interstellar travel disappear, stranding entire star systems while politicians deny the coming catastrophe.

Starter Villain

by John Scalzi

Charlie inherits his uncle's global supervillain business, discovering an elaborate world of talking cats, dolphin intelligence networks, and surprisingly mundane evil bureaucracy threatening Earth.

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Charlie inherits his uncle's global supervillain business, discovering an elaborate world of talking cats, dolphin intelligence networks, and surprisingly mundane evil bureaucracy threatening Earth.

The Collapsing Empire

The Interdependency • Book 1

by John Scalzi

Scalzi builds a space empire dependent on interdimensional Flow streams, then watches it crumble as the physics that bind civilization start breaking down.

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Scalzi builds a space empire dependent on interdimensional Flow streams, then watches it crumble as the physics that bind civilization start breaking down.

The Last Colony

Old Man's War • Book 3

by John Scalzi

Colonial life on distant Huckleberry seems peaceful until John Perry discovers his new settlement is a pawn in interstellar politics. Scalzi weaponizes small-town bureaucracy against cosmic-scale conspiracies.

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Colonial life on distant Huckleberry seems peaceful until John Perry discovers his new settlement is a pawn in interstellar politics. Scalzi weaponizes small-town bureaucracy against cosmic-scale conspiracies.

Fuzzy Nation

Fuzzy Sapiens • Book 7

by John Scalzi

Independent prospector Jack Holloway's discovery of cute, possibly intelligent creatures could destroy ZaraCorp's mining operation. Scalzi updates a sci-fi classic with humor, corporate satire, and genuine heart.

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Independent prospector Jack Holloway's discovery of cute, possibly intelligent creatures could destroy ZaraCorp's mining operation. Scalzi updates a sci-fi classic with humor, corporate satire, and genuine heart.

The Last Emperox

The Interdependency • Book 3

by John Scalzi

Star systems vanish behind the collapsing Flow while politicians and profiteers deny the science, leaving Emperox Grayland to save what she can of human civilization.

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Star systems vanish behind the collapsing Flow while politicians and profiteers deny the science, leaving Emperox Grayland to save what she can of human civilization.

Old Man's War Boxed Set I: Old Man's War, The Ghost Brigades, The Last Colony

Old Man's War #1-3 • Book 2

by John Scalzi

Earth stays blissfully unaware while the Colonial Defense Force wages galactic war, but some truths about humanity's cosmic situation can't stay hidden forever.

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Earth stays blissfully unaware while the Colonial Defense Force wages galactic war, but some truths about humanity's cosmic situation can't stay hidden forever.

The Kaiju Preservation Society

by John Scalzi

COVID-era food delivery driver Jamie Gray accidentally lands a job protecting kaiju in an alternate dimension. Scalzi wrote this as pandemic comfort reading, and it shows in the best possible way.

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COVID-era food delivery driver Jamie Gray accidentally lands a job protecting kaiju in an alternate dimension. Scalzi wrote this as pandemic comfort reading, and it shows in the best possible way.

The Android's Dream

The Android's Dream • Book 1

by John Scalzi

Diplomatic relations with an alien species depend on finding a specific genetically-modified sheep before Earth faces annihilation—only Scalzi could make this work.

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Diplomatic relations with an alien species depend on finding a specific genetically-modified sheep before Earth faces annihilation—only Scalzi could make this work.

Lock In

Lock In • Book 1

by John Scalzi

After a pandemic causes 'lock in' syndrome in millions, society adapts with neural networks and robotic bodies. Scalzi uses this setup to explore disability, technology, and what makes us human through a murder investigation.

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After a pandemic causes 'lock in' syndrome in millions, society adapts with neural networks and robotic bodies. Scalzi uses this setup to explore disability, technology, and what makes us human through a murder investigation.

Redshirts

by John Scalzi

What happens when Star Trek redshirts figure out they're expendable? Scalzi's brilliant meta-fiction follows crew members who realize they're trapped in a badly written TV show where extras always die horribly on away missions.

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What happens when Star Trek redshirts figure out they're expendable? Scalzi's brilliant meta-fiction follows crew members who realize they're trapped in a badly written TV show where extras always die horribly on away missions.

Agent to the Stars

by John Scalzi

Benevolent aliens want to make contact but face a PR nightmare: they're hideous and smell terrible, so they hire Hollywood's hottest agent to rebrand them.

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Benevolent aliens want to make contact but face a PR nightmare: they're hideous and smell terrible, so they hire Hollywood's hottest agent to rebrand them.

When the Moon Hits Your Eye

by John Scalzi

What starts as an absurd premise—the moon becomes cheese—becomes Scalzi's vehicle for exploring how humanity adapts to impossible circumstances with typical wit.

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What starts as an absurd premise—the moon becomes cheese—becomes Scalzi's vehicle for exploring how humanity adapts to impossible circumstances with typical wit.

Tor.com: Selected Original Fiction, 2008-2012

by Tor Books, Sylvia Day, Brandon Sanderson, Charles Stross, Ken MacLeod, Lee Mandelo, Rachel Swirsky, Meghan McCarron, John Scalzi

This collection showcases Tor.com's finest original short fiction, including Nebula-nominated tales from Sanderson, Scalzi, and other genre luminaries. Premium speculative fiction in concentrated doses.

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This collection showcases Tor.com's finest original short fiction, including Nebula-nominated tales from Sanderson, Scalzi, and other genre luminaries. Premium speculative fiction in concentrated doses.

Rip-Off!

by Gardner Dozois, John Scalzi, Jack Campbell, Mike Resnick, Tad Williams, Elizabeth Bear, Mary Robinette Kowal, Robert Charles Wilson, Allen M. Steele, Daryl Gregory, Lavie Tidhar, Nancy Kress, Paul Di Filippo, James Patrick Kelly, David Marantz, Dina Pearlman, Allyson Johnson, Marc Vietor, Ilyana Kadushin, Nicola Barber

Thirteen speculative fiction masters face an unusual challenge: steal a famous opening line from classic literature, then craft an entirely original story around that borrowed beginning.

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Thirteen speculative fiction masters face an unusual challenge: steal a famous opening line from classic literature, then craft an entirely original story around that borrowed beginning.