Book Summary and Reviews of The Shattering Peace by John Scalzi

The Shattering Peace by John Scalzi

The Shattering Peace

Old Man's War #7

by John Scalzi

  • Critics' Consensus (7):
  • Published:
  • Sep 2025, 288 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

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 tripartate 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.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Classic Scalzi space opera at its wisecracking, politically pointed, and, somehow, fiercely optimistic finest." —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Groundbreaking, utterly epic." —Library Journal (starred review)

"[Scalzi] once again holds up a mirror to the human condition with his trademark wit." —Booklist

"Delightful." ―BookPage

"While this installment is light on politics, Scalzi leans into many other series staples—dramatic fight scenes, technical challenges, and bold personalities—and does a good job providing just enough exposition for readers who have forgotten the backstory while keeping the current situation feeling vital. For diehard fans, this will be a treat." —Publishers Weekly

This information about The Shattering Peace was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Author Information

John Scalzi Author Biography

John Scalzi is one of the most popular science fiction authors of his generation. His debut, Old Man's War, won him the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His New York Times bestsellers include The Last Colony, Fuzzy Nation, Redshirts (which won the Hugo Award for Best Novel), The Last Emperox, The Kaiju Preservation Society, and Starter Villain. Material from his blog, Whatever (whatever.scalzi.com), has earned him two other Hugo Awards. He lives in Ohio with his wife and daughter.

Link to John Scalzi's Website

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