Autobiographical Scalzi

[stephbg]

Fan of John Scalzi's Old Man's War universe books and the blog Whatever, seek same for confirmation of a creeping suspicion. (And yes, asking this question over at Whatever would be more sensible, and I may try it some day).

I'm about half way through The Last Colony having finally got my hot little hands on a local paperback. Has it struck other readers that John Perry is John Scalzi, Jane is Scalzi's wife Krissy, and that Zoe is quite clearly Athena? I'm reading this wonderful SF work of space aliens, guns and politics, and it feels like I'm reading the family blog. Just, on a particularly interesting day.

Anyone else getting that? I'm too fuzzy to proof this properly now so I may not be making much sense.

Comments

[scalzi.livejournal.com]

I personally don't feel John Perry maps perfectly to my own personality (I've noted before that the OMW-universe character most like me is Harry Wilson), but he's certainly got my sense of sarcasm. I wouldn't mind if Athena turned out a bit like Zoe, but Athena's nine and Zoe's sixteen in The Last Colony, so at best there's some projection there. Jane Sagan, however, is definitely modeled after my own wife, because when one wants to have a female character be smart and strong and competent, it makes sense to model her after a smart, strong, competent woman one happens to know very well. That said, there are of course also significant points of variance.

So overall it's not precisely like my family. However, what I think is significant is that the Perry/Sagan family feels like a realistic sort of family; I want them to feel like people you could know in your everyday life (if, you know, you happened to live on a space colony).

[buoy-wonder.livejournal.com]

Heh, it's not every day when you go to comment about a book and find the author has already beaten you to it.

Good book by the way.

[stephbg.livejournal.com]

*blink*

Hi John, nice of you to visit. I like your work.

The important word here, as you say, is *family*. In isolation your three characters do not immediately recollect (what I know of) you, Krissy or Athena. Except maybe Krissy, come to think of it, but my knowledge of her character is no more than the sketches you publish on Whatever.

In The Last Colony it's the moments of interaction between Perry and Zoe that felt particularly realistic and familiar. And when it comes down to it, the affectionate relationship between a father and daughter doesn't necessarily change that much between 9 and 16. I'm a 38-year-old Daddy's Girl myself :-)

And now, if you'll excuse me for a moment:

OMG! OMG! *running, armwaving, and fangrrlish squeeing*

[stephbg.livejournal.com]

And from Whatever:

Post: A Public Service Announcement: I Go Other Places Online. Don’t Be Alarmed

My Comment:
#16 stephbg on 23 Nov 2008 at 8:43 am
So have I detroyed your deep respect of me as an internet commentator by concluding an otherwise intelligent exchange with the following:

OMG! OMG! *running, armwaving, and fangrrlish squeeing*

That’s just me being pleased and surprised to see you. A couple of years ago I offered to become Tim Powers’ official stalker for the con we were at. More recently I got to play with Elizabeth Moon and was always pleased to see her and we had long chats in stairwells. It’s just me being happy to interact with people whose work I admire.

John's response:
@19
stephbg:

You’ve definitely not destroyed my deep respect. I am not so humble that I cannot admit enjoyment out of a good squee that my presence has caused. One of my points, though, is that one should not comment elsewhere just to get a “squee” fix.