The Shattering Peace

Old Man's War, Book 7

By: John Scalzi

Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert

After a decade, acclaimed science fiction master John Scalzi returns to the galaxy of the Old Man's War series with the long awaited seventh book, The Shattering Peace

THE PEACE IS SHATTERING

For a decade, peace has reigned in interstellar space. A tripartite agreement between the Colonial Union, the Earth, and the alien Conclave has kept the forces of war at bay, even when some would have preferred to return to the fighting and struggle of former times. For now, more sensible heads have prevailed – and have even championed unity.

But now, there is a new force that threatens the hard-maintained peace: The Consu, the most advanced intelligent species humans have ever met, are on the cusp of a species-defining civil war. This war is between Consu factions... but nothing the Consu ever do is just about them. The Colonial Union, the Earth and the Conclave have been unwillingly dragged into the conflict, in the most surprising of ways.

Gretchen Trujillo is a mid-level diplomat, working in an unimportant part of the Colonial Union bureaucracy. But when she is called to take part in a secret mission involving representatives from every powerful faction in space, what she finds there has the chance to redefine the destinies of humans and aliens alike... or destroy them forever.

©2025 John Scalzi (P)2025 Audible, Inc.

Narration improved by decreasing playbaclk speed

I was excited and pleased to read this final chapter of the Old Man's War series - my favorite series he's written. I am often pleasantly surprised by the twists in JS endings. Apparently I have no imagination. I will be reading the physical book because I can't deal with this narrator.

I was not disappointed in the story (I loved it!), but I am tired of poor narration.

UPDATE: I decreased the narration speed to 0.95x, which substantially improved the sound quality. The alien's clicking is still incredibly annoying but the rest of the voices improved.

Thoughtful and humorous.

Scalzi delivers again. The narration was on point. Overall a great choice. Would recommend absolutely.

Great update

I enjoyed the style. Scalzi is always at his best in having realistic and sarcastic dialogue between friends and foes.

Story good, delivery bad.

Great story, narrator was trying much too hard. Overly obnoxious character voices made this unpleasant to listen to.

Some character voices are a bit silly.

Great continuation of a story. My only immediate dislike, which is a little too strong of a word to convey my actual degree of annoyance was the voice actor. Main voice and alien characters sounded fine but adult human male characters felt like the voice actor was a 10 year old boy trying to sound like their grizzled grandfather.

Can I give it a… 4.7, maybe a 4.8?

It’s good. Really good. It feels like the last couple of books like “The End of All Things” or maybe “The Human Division” than the first book or “The Ghost Brigades”. So, again, really good. It doesn’t have the impact of the first two books though. And while such a comparison may be unfair given how Scalzi has explored this universe, it still remains (IMO) that this book doesn’t quite meet that high standard. The level of intrigue is very good. Considering that I almost always figure out the intrigue-based surprises, that I was surprised by this ending is actually a compliment.

It was nice to see G_____ make a return though. As much of a badass as he/she was nearly 20yrs ago!

Scalzi, that monster, throws us a curve...

As a long time fan of the series, this book was not at all what I was expecting. Neither in tone, nor in plot. And still it flowed well, followed the nature of the series and even answered many of the formerly mysterious parts of the universe he originally created.
Well written, and beautifully read.

Outstanding story by the Master John Scalzi

If you have never read any of the Old Man’s War series you can start with the newest chapter The Shattering Peace. And then allow the narrative arc to sweep you off your feet by starting the first novel in the series Old Man’s War. The series is 20 years old and John is always earthy and authentic. He cares about you the reader and crafts amazing stories to share.
Tavia Gilbert does an amazing job reading as she did Zoe’s tale and shared in reading with the recently departed William Dufris who read the bulk of the stories. It reads fast and just when you finish you can start the very first book and jump right in.

The Shattering Peace announces your murder, then pulls the trigger

A strong sequel to Zoe’s Tale. Same pulse. Cleaner arteries. Twists and closures show up like a multi-limbed "healing" hug from an Obin.

Meanwhile, Chekhov’s Consu sits on the mantel, not dusty, not decor. Scalzi oils the trigger. Hear the test click. Old feuds from Old Man's War shove the all knowing, all powerful Consu toward your face but their secret hides behind the rules. Then the rules bend.

Scalzi is still a master of sleight of mind. You glimpse the hand. Then it waves like it was never there. Motives from other universes stay a live wire. You may see the sparks but you won't know if the shock will come from an alien probe or awkward elevator sex reveal.

The Shattering Peace was blazed through in one sitting, too snarky to be contained by a controlled burn.

I love the series!

The Shattering Peace is classic Scalzi: smart, fast-paced, and packed with the kind of sharp dialogue and clever twists that keep you hooked. It’s a fun, thought-provoking story about what happens when fragile alliances start to break down.

I just love the way John writes, his style always pulls me in, and his books will always be an automatic buy for me. Can’t wait for whatever he puts out next.