No? How about if they could make you young again? In the future, the Colonial Defense Force recruits 75 year olds to fill their ranks. Rumor has it that if you sign up for a tour of duty then they will make you young again; however, since nobody that joins the CDF ever returns to Earth, it's hard to know for sure. Joining the CDF is a minimum 2 year commitment that can be extended for up to 10 years and not surprisingly, many people decide to go for it. After all, isn't it worth trading your next 10 years on Earth as a 75 year old up for 10 years of combat in space? It sure is worth it but what if the rumors aren't true? Well, there is only one way to find out for sure.

Offering the people of Earth a one way ticket off the planet at age 75 has interesting ramifications both for those who choose to go and those who stay behind. One also has to ask the question that if the rumors are true and the CDF will make you young again then why are they only rumors? Is it just a folk tale or does the CDF have something to hide? What are they really up to? This interesting concept, and the technology behind it, forms the core of this futuristic tale that put John Scalzi on the map and made him a NY Times bestselling author.

It starts with 75 year old John Perry, whose wife has recently passed away. It is John’s 75th birthday and after a visit to his wife’s grave he is off to the recruiting office. After all, what does he have to lose? Both he and his wife turned in the required DNA samples when they turned 65, so he is eligible to sign up, but he must do it today or miss out on his chance to know the truth. I won't spoil any of what happens after that, but I will say that I enjoyed finding out what awaited John after he took the plunge. This book does have its ups and downs, as I enjoyed the beginning and the end a lot more than the middle, but overall the future tech is interesting enough to carry the day.

For the audiobook, William Dufris is an excellent narrator but I really didn't think that his performance enhanced the story beyond the written word. So if you decide to give this 6 book series a start then know that reading is just as good of an option as listening.