Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi – Review

Zoe’s Tale by John Scalzi

Zoe’s Tale wouldn’t work if it weren’t for Zoë. John Scalzi insists the character is not based on his daughter. But he has poured enough paternal love into the creation and development of his plucky teen heroine to raise global sea levels by a full meter. Result: the character breathes such life and warmth from every page that it helps offset those parts of Scalzi’s story that could have easily tipped the book into mawkishness had it come from a less capable writer. Scalzi is fond of Big Emotional Dramatic Moments, the kinds of scenes in Hollywood films that are accompanied by a violin section louder than Ozzfest. But in Zoe’s Tale those scenes achieve their desired effect, because, in contrast to most of said films, the sentiments are neither dishonest nor unearned.

SF REVIEWS.NET: Zoe’s Tale / John Scalzi ☆☆☆☆.