eBook, 336 pages
English language
Published March 22, 2017 by Tom Doherty Associates.
In the far future, humanity has left Earth to create a glorious empire. Now this interstellar network of worlds faces disaster – but can three individuals save their people?
The empire’s outposts are utterly dependent on each other for resources, a safeguard against war, and a way its rulers can exert control. This relies on extra-dimensional pathways between the stars, connecting worlds. But ‘The Flow’ is changing course, which could plunge every colony into fatal isolation.
A scientist will risk his life to inform the empire’s ruler. A scion of a Merchant House stumbles upon conspirators seeking power. And the new Empress of the Interdependency must battle lies, rebellion and treason. Yet as they work to save a civilization on the brink of collapse, others have very different plans …
Great plot, great world, amazing characters, so fun and funny
This is very much just one part of a three-part novel, which I find difficult to review in isolation. Because this site works best when people review the things they read, however, I will be adding the same review to all volumes.
John Scalzi is a nice guy writing nice SF novels.
You could almost leave it at that, really. For the sake of context, I will add a few more details to this assessment. This, like all of his novels I have read, is smoothly plotted and written, entirely unsurprising in its cliffhangers and ultimate resolution, and contains exactly one original idea. This being said, it’s an entertaining read if, at times, a bit too glib to my taste (I don’t think Scalzi has ever seen a witty repartee he didn’t like). If what you want from your SF is what I just described, you could do a lot …
This is very much just one part of a three-part novel, which I find difficult to review in isolation. Because this site works best when people review the things they read, however, I will be adding the same review to all volumes.
John Scalzi is a nice guy writing nice SF novels.
You could almost leave it at that, really. For the sake of context, I will add a few more details to this assessment. This, like all of his novels I have read, is smoothly plotted and written, entirely unsurprising in its cliffhangers and ultimate resolution, and contains exactly one original idea. This being said, it’s an entertaining read if, at times, a bit too glib to my taste (I don’t think Scalzi has ever seen a witty repartee he didn’t like). If what you want from your SF is what I just described, you could do a lot worse than the Interdependency series.
This was an enjoyable, light read. The premise is very interesting and the humor and story telling are great. The characters are a bit bland, but engaging in their own right- you'll certainly be cheering for the good guys. Overall, this was pretty good book and I would recommend it for people looking for a quick read and lighthearted sci-fi fun. Bear in mind, that this appears to be the first of a series: the stage is set for subsequent books, which I hope Scalzi writes to fully explore the universe he has created!
For my full review, check out my blog: strakul.blogspot.com/2017/05/book-review-collapsing-empire-by-john.html
