With his wife dead & buried & life nearly over at 75 John Perry takes the only logical course of action left: he joins the army. Now better known as the Colonial Defense Force (CDF) Perrys service-of-choice has extended its reach into interstellar space to pave the way for human colonization of other planets while fending off marauding aliens. The CDF has a trick up its sleeve that makes enlistment especially enticing for seniors: the promise of restoring their youth. After bonding with a group of fellow recruits who dub their clique the Old Farts Perry finds himself in a new body crafted from his original DNA & upgraded for battle including a brain-implanted computer. But all too quickly the Old Farts are separated & Perry must fight for his life on various alien-infested battlegrounds. Scalzis astonishingly proficient first novel reads like an original work by the late grand master Robert A. Heinlein"
- " Publishers Weekly". " Delivers fast-paced scenes of combat & pays attention to the science underpinning his premise"
- " San Francisco Chronicle"."