The Human Division by John Scalzi

Genre: Science Fiction

Setting: In space, and on various planets.

First Sentence: Ambassador Sara Bair knew that when the captain of the Polk had invited her to view the skip to the Danavar system, protocol strongly suggested that she turn down the invitation.

This novel is part of Scalzi's Old Man's War series.  This series consists of several novels and novelettes based in the Old Man's War universe.  In this universe, there are hundreds of sentient species spread out across the galaxy.  Humans are represented in space by the Colonial Defense Forces (CDF).

For many rears, the CDF has been at war with many other species who wish to slow down, or even stop humanity's invasion of space.  Humans are looked down upon, feared, or even hated by most of the other sentient species.

Now the CDF is hated by most of Earth as well.  It seems that the CDF has not been truthful about the status of colonies and the Colonial Union (CU) in space.  So the Earth has withdrawn from the the Colonial Union.

Now that Earth is no longer a part of the Colonial Union, the CU has a problem.  The CU has used the Earth as a source of new recruits for colonies and the CDF.  Given this new state of affairs, the human race may be extinct in thirty years.

The CU needs to use every means it has to rectify this situation.  This includes diplomacy. The CU has crack teams of special operators that are used in the most sensitive missions.

It also has the B team.  This team is used when failure is the most probable outcome.

The B team consists of several specialists who seem to be able to find a way to solve seemingly unsolvable situations by using technology, thinking out side the box, and a little bit of luck.

It seems that someone has been trying to stop the CU from succeeding in its missions.  Will the B team discover who has been trying to covertly disrupt their efforts?

Scalzi is one of my favorite authors.  His Old Man's War universe is one of the best thought out universes I have encountered.  Scalzi's characters are believable.  His plots ore interesting.  And he writes in an easy to read style.

I especially like how he tells stories about many different characters in his universe.

For me it was a fun and enjoyable read.