If you have finished Old Man’s War and find yourself rather bereft—as one often feels upon reaching the end of a particularly splendid adventure—then take heart, dear reader. For there exists a whole constellation of stories waiting to spirit you away to distant stars and desperate battles. Herein you shall find twelve remarkable books, each possessing that same curious magic that made John Scalzi’s tale of elderly soldiers in young bodies such a delightful expedition.
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
Here is a book that came before Old Man’s War and yet feels remarkably like its spiritual companion—rather like meeting one’s grandfather and discovering you share the same mischievous grin. Private William Mandella is drafted into an interstellar war against the mysterious Taurans, and through the peculiar cruelties of relativistic travel, centuries pass on Earth while he experiences mere years of combat.
What makes this tale so extraordinary is how Mr. Haldeman, himself a veteran of the Vietnam War, transforms the alienation of returning soldiers into something literal and heartbreaking. Mandella comes home to find everything changed beyond recognition. The book won both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, and John Scalzi himself wrote the introduction to newer editions—which tells you something rather important about its influence.
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
This is the grandfather of military science fiction, the book that taught all the others how to march in formation. Young Johnny Rico enlists in the Mobile Infantry to fight the insectoid aliens known as Bugs, and through his journey from recruit to officer, we witness both the rigors of military life and philosophical musings on citizenship and duty.
Published in 1959, it won the Hugo Award and has sparked debate ever since—which is rather the mark of an important book, would you not agree? Whether you find its vision of earned citizenship inspiring or troubling, you cannot deny its tremendous influence on everything that followed, including Old Man’s War itself.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
In this tale, the military has decided that children make the finest commanders, and young Andrew “Ender” Wiggin—brilliant, isolated, and burdened with impossible expectations—is sent to Battle School in orbit around Earth. There, children learn warfare through increasingly complex games, preparing for the next invasion by the alien Formics.
The twist that awaits at the end of Ender’s training is one of science fiction’s most devastating revelations. Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula Awards, this book asks difficult questions about the nature of warfare and the cost of victory—questions that will linger in your mind long after the final page.
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
Here the battlefield expands to encompass our entire solar system, where Earth, Mars, and the Belt stand upon the precipice of war. A hardboiled detective named Miller searches for a missing woman while an idealistic ship’s officer named Holden stumbles upon a conspiracy that could consume humanity entirely.
This is space opera of the grandest sort, combining noir mystery with interstellar intrigue. The television adaptation, The Expanse, brought these characters to vivid life, but the books remain the fuller feast. The protomolecule at the heart of the mystery adds a touch of cosmic horror to the military maneuvering.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Allow me to introduce you to Murderbot—a construct of organic and mechanical parts who has hacked its own governing module and would really rather be watching soap operas than protecting humans. Yet when danger threatens the scientists in its care, this socially anxious security unit discovers it might actually care about keeping them alive.
Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and Alex Awards, this novella is shorter than the others on this list but packs tremendous emotional punch. Murderbot’s voice—sardonic, reluctant, deeply relatable—has won countless hearts. If you enjoyed the wit in Old Man’s War, you shall find a kindred spirit here.
We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
Bob Johansson sells his software company, gets hit by a car, and wakes up a century later as a computer program installed in an interstellar probe. What follows is perhaps the most entertaining exploration of self-replication and the meaning of identity you shall ever encounter, as Bob makes copies of himself to explore the galaxy and, incidentally, save humanity.
The humor here sparkles with geeky references and philosophical asides. Audible named it their Best Science Fiction Book of 2016, and Andy Weir himself has declared his love for the series. If Old Man’s War made you smile, the Bobiverse will make you laugh aloud.
Armor by John Steakley
Felix is a scout in a war against insectoid aliens called Ants, surviving mission after mission through what he calls “the Engine”—a psychological dissociation that allows him to function when terror should overwhelm him. This book is Starship Troopers stripped of philosophy and dressed in psychological horror.
Mr. Steakley, who wrote only two novels before his passing, created something unforgettable here. The battle sequences are visceral and relentless, and Felix’s survival becomes both triumph and tragedy. It is not a comfortable read, but it is a powerful one.
Terms of Enlistment by Marko Kloos
Andrew Grayson escapes the crime-ridden welfare tenements of future Earth by enlisting in the military, seeking nothing more than real food and a chance at something better. What he finds is basic training, space combat, and eventually an alien threat that makes human conflicts seem rather petty.
George R.R. Martin has praised this series as “a worthy successor to such classics as Starship Troopers, The Forever War, and We All Died at Breakaway Station.” Mr. Kloos served in the West German military, and that experience lends authenticity to every page.
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
On a terraformed world, a nanovirus meant for monkeys instead accelerates the evolution of spiders into a civilization. Meanwhile, the last remnants of humanity drift toward this planet on a generation ship, desperate for a new home. When these two species finally meet, the results defy expectation.
Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award, this book asks what intelligence means and whether species so different can ever understand one another. The spider chapters are particularly remarkable—Mr. Tchaikovsky, a qualified zoologist, makes these eight-legged creatures genuinely sympathetic.
Shards of Honour by Lois McMaster Bujold
Captain Cordelia Naismith of Beta Colony finds herself stranded on an unexplored planet with the notorious Barrayaran commander Aral Vorkosigan—the “Butcher of Komarr.” What begins as mutual suspicion becomes something far more complicated, blending military adventure with genuine romance.
Ms. Bujold has won seven Hugo Awards and three Nebulas, and was named a Grand Master by the Science Fiction Writers of America. This book launches the beloved Vorkosigan Saga, and while subsequent novels follow Cordelia’s son Miles, this beginning stands splendidly on its own.
Hammer’s Slammers by David Drake
Colonel Alois Hammer leads the finest mercenary tank regiment in the galaxy, and these interconnected stories follow his soldiers through brutal campaigns across many worlds. Mr. Drake served in Vietnam with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, and his experience infuses every firefight with terrible authenticity.
Unlike the philosophical debates of Starship Troopers or the anti-war stance of The Forever War, these stories present war in all its complexity—heroism and horror intertwined. The hover tanks are marvels of military science fiction, but the human cost is never forgotten.
The Expanse Series by James S.A. Corey
Should Leviathan Wakes capture your imagination—and how could it not?—know that eight more novels await, charting humanity’s expansion through alien gates into a galaxy full of wonder and peril. The series won the Hugo Award for Best Series in 2020, a testament to its sustained excellence.
Each book expands the scope while keeping our beloved crew of the Rocinante at its heart. Political intrigue, alien mysteries, and desperate battles combine into something quite magnificent.
Finding Your Next Adventure
The books gathered here share DNA with Old Man’s War—that sense of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances among the stars, discovering courage and purpose in the crucible of conflict. Some are grimmer, some funnier, some more philosophical, but all offer that particular thrill of military science fiction done well.
Whether you choose the classic foundations of Heinlein and Haldeman, the modern delights of Wells and Taylor, or the epic scope of Corey and Tchaikovsky, splendid adventures await. For that, after all, is what books are for—to carry us away to places we could never go alone, and bring us back enriched by the journey.
Now then, which shall you choose first?
