Name: Natasha Johnson's review of The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
Item: The Collapsing Empire
Rating: 5
Author: Natasha Johnson

John Scalzi

Does the biggest threat lie within?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 . . . The Collapsing Empire is an exciting space opera from John Scalzi.

The Collapsing Empire

Natasha Johnson

*2018 LOCUS AWARD WINNER OF BEST SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL* *2018 HUGO AWARD FINALIST FOR BEST NOVEL* “John Scalzi is the most entertaining, accessible writer working in SF today.” —Joe Hill, author of The Fireman The first novel of a new space-opera sequence set in an all-new universe by the Hugo Award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author of Redshirts and Old Man's War Our universe is ruled by physics. Faster than light travel is impossible—until the discovery of The Flow, an extradimensional field available at certain points in space-time, which can take us to other planets around other stars. Riding The Flow, humanity spreads to innumerable other worlds. Earth is forgotten. A new empire arises, the Interdependency, based on the doctrine that no one human outpost can survive without the others. It’s a hedge against interstellar war—and, for the empire’s rulers, a system of control. The Flow is eternal—but it’s not static. Just as a river changes course, The Flow changes as well. In rare cases, entire worlds have been cut off from the rest of humanity. When it’s discovered that the entire Flow is moving, possibly separating all human worlds from one another forever, three individuals—a scientist, a starship captain, and the emperox of the Interdependency—must race against time to discover what, if anything, can be salvaged from an interstellar empire on the brink of collapse. "Fans of Game of Thrones and Dune will enjoy this bawdy, brutal, and brilliant political adventure" —Booklist on The Collapsing Empire "Political plotting, plenty of snark, puzzle-solving, and a healthy dose of action...Scalzi continues to be almost insufferably good at his brand of fun but think-y sci-fi adventure." —Kirkus Reviews on The Collapsing Empire “Scalzi is one of the slickest writers that SF has ever produced.” —The Wall Street Journal on The Human Division The Interdependency Series 1. The Collapsing Empire 2. The Consuming Fire At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Shona Tiger

3.8, probably. I really liked this book. Some parts drag on a bit, but it's a fun read.

The first novel of a new space-opera sequence set in an all-new universe by the Hugo Award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author of Redshirts and Old Man's War.

Sade A

"I'm continually confronted with the human tendency to ignore or deny facts until the last possible instant. And then for several days after that too."

The collapsing empire is one of those rare sci-fi novels that you can read without having to know all about science. It's engaging without too much of that morality issue or scientific jargon that you can enjoy the story. Despite this the book still fell a little short for me. There were suitable holy shit moments but for the most part, i feel like the tensions were easily subdued by the protagonists'. Maybe it's just first book introduction but overall while the plot was engaging enough, it just seemed too easy.

3.5 Stars

Ryan LaFerney

John Scalzi’s The Collapsing Empire — whose title may or may not be an on-the-nose allegory for the state of the United States at this moment — is an entertaining revisionist hyperspace narrative pastiche which combines elements of Asimov’s Foundation series with Herbert’s Dune, and Lucas’s Star Wars. In The Collapsing Empire, humans live within The Interdependency, a millennium-spanning trade partnership between far-flung planetary systems. The members of The Interdependency (the Empire) are linked together by the Flow, a naturally occurring “river” of space-time that allows ships to pass in and out by using entrance “shoals” that remain stationary (basically, wormholes in space). It’s not faster-than-light travel, but it makes travel between systems notably faster. It also allows human colonization of different systems—through the sharing of resources via an elaborate system of trade—that would otherwise not be possible. And it’s all about to fall apart, because the Flow shoals are vanishing which equals the Empire's and humanity's doom. 

Cardenia is the new Emperox of the Interdependency (and perhaps my favorite character), the daughter of the previous ruler, brought up far away until the unexpected happened: her older brother and rightful heir dies unexpectedly. Now, the unprepared child is the one to rule them all. Cardenia is quietly reserved, smart and determined to do well. She is also not so sure the Interdependency is a good thing.

Enter the pending collapse, the news brought to her door by Marce, a traveling scientist from End, the farthest colony in the Empire. And it is in End, that the competing Houses – one of which ran by Lady Kiva and her family are attempting to capitalize on the impending doomsday scenario while fighting for trade resources. Each conniving House has different information which makes for an interesting read with results that will have repercussions all over. 

Since it is John Scalzi writing, The Collapsing Empire reads rather quickly and the dialogue is witty and sharp. Scalzi is a consistently entertaining author and one I have great regards for.

The only problem with The Collapsing Empire is that it feels like a set-up for the rest of the series. 
 The entire setup of the Empire is a carefully regulated power play concentrated in the hands of a few merchant family nobles, the church, and the Emperox–those who are at the heart of the Flow’s most prominent channels, and who can control ships that enter and leave the Flow from their ports. It's super rad (don't get me wrong), I just felt that the buildup of impending doom gave us no real emotional, action-driven, or even character-driven payoff. But, perhaps that is coming....

I'm assuming a pay-off of some sort will come with the next book due out in October. And I look forward to reading it. 

Reread this late 2019. *👍 It is even better the second time around.

Janice Hopper

Finished in time for my book club tomorrow. :D

I went back and forth between eye-reading and ear-reading this book. Wil Wheaton did a good job at narration, I think. I'll grab an audio version if the text has strange or awkward names or terms, so I don't have to guess how they're pronounced.

I'm not really the target audience for Scalzi. Don't get me wrong - he's a very accessible author. He mostly writes in a fairly breezy, conversational style. It's just a style that I don't find very entertaining or satisfying to read/listen to. So that's my caveat.

The human empire of the Interdependency is in danger of collapsing when the special "currents" in space (called the Flow) that permit travel between worlds in a reasonable amount of time start to collapse. Most of the human settlements are either on space habitats or on stony worlds, underground. There is one planet where humans can live like they do on earth now. (It's not Earth - the Flow pattern to/from it collapsed a millennium ago.) It's a planet called (appropriately, maybe) End. But End is in the middle of an insurrection against its reigning Duke. And as we begin to discover, one of the big merchant houses is behind the insurrection. There's a big power grab about to happen. The Emperox (emperor) is new. Political maneuvering is happening everywhere. Things are going to get ugly.

There's a lot of info-dumpage going on in various parts of this book. And some things wind up awfully quickly and conveniently. The end is pretty exciting.

I thought that some of the book was obliquely referencing the current political situation in America. There are politicians working against the good of their subjects; there's disbelief in a phenomenon that there is scientific evidence for (Flow vs. climate change) and unwillingness to do anything about it. I'm not surprised, knowing Scalzi's views from Twitter and his blog. And it may have been done unconsciously. When you worry about our current situation as much as I do, that worry tends to seep into lots of different parts of your life. I don't think this hurts the book. To the contrary, I liked it. It added a little element of interest for me, at least.

It was ok. I just don't personally find his writing very compelling, or his characters very interesting. I'm a little curious about what happens in the sequel, but probably not curious enough to read the whole book.

Maggie Gordon

Scalzi is so very very readable. The Collapsing Empire is the first book in his new space opera series. It's about a future where humans have spread out, living in space habitats and underground, all connected by this mysterious force of physics called "The Flow". The Flow allows for faster travel so that traversing human space takes only nine months instead of decades. But we don't know exactly how the Flow works, and that, of course, comes back to bite humanity in the ass.

The story starts with the deal with the Emperox and the ascension of his daughter, Cardenzia, who was never supposed to take the crown. She gets saddled with the whole problem of the collapsing flow that her father has been keeping secret. At the other end of the universe is the planet End, embroiled in a civil war and a lot of political machinations. A physicist must flee to tell the Emperox about the coming devastation, and a trader just wants to get off the damn planet with some money. 

The problems of The Collapsing Empire are the same problems that haunt every Scalzi book. His characterisation is always weak. People like Lady Kiva (the trader) are entertaining, but fairly one-note. Relatedly, while Scalzi's dialogue is always witty and fun to read, it also means that his books and characters tend to sound the same. The Collapsing Empire does feel much different from his other novels, and given this is a new world, that's not really a good thing. The plot is fairly basic so far, but I forgive the book for that because this is the first in a series and Scalzi has a lot of world building to cover. 

So, all in all, The Collapsing Empire gives readers what any Scalzi book does: witty characters, a fun, fast plot, and an interesting SF premise. It's a fast, easy read, and despite not being brilliant, I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Liza 

This was really fun and I can't wait for the next instalment (which is apparently not coming until 2019?!). It is very Scalzi-esque, which isn't a bad thing. Many of the characters are assholes, but mostly endearing assholes. I am pretty sure if I didn't know who it was written by I'd guess a few pages in, and I haven't even read much of his stuff. Ollie Inverr quickly became my favorite character, (view spoiler)[which made for a very disappointing end of the prologue (hide spoiler)]. (view spoiler)[I look forward to finding out how Ghreni Nohamapetan is going to deal with being stranded on End - he seems good at manipulating situations and people, not so much at taking responsibility for all of humanity on the last known inhabitable planet, soon to be in complete isolation. (hide spoiler)]

Andrew Kerr

Very strong start to the series, certainly a lot of room going forward and much of the universe remains to be flushed out.

Scott Vandehey

I read this on the strength of a review from Warren Ellis:

“If you’re missing Game Of Thrones or The Expanse, this is both. Also, if you ever liked the Mission Impossible or Leverage tv series, you will fucking love this. It’s court intrigue, spaceships, and a lovely long con.”

I don’t think I can really add anything to that, so I’ll just say that he’s right, I did fucking love it, and I can’t wait to read the next two books in the series.

Alexia Cambaling

Continuing the space opera kick I got these past few months, I decided to pick up John Scalzi’s The Collapsing Empire. At first, I wasn’t really sure what to expect as I didn’t exactly understand what the synopsis says. I didn’t understand most of the science stuff in this book either. Fortunately, you don’t actually need to understand the science in this book to enjoy it. I enjoyed it. A lot.

This is the first book I’ve read from John Scalzi and a pretty good introduction to his works, I think since this series seems to be separate from his other ones- although I have been meaning to pick up Old Man’s War. The Collapsing Empire is set in The Interdependency, an empire controlled by mercantile houses and spans several systems. The planets humanity inhabits are dependent on one another (hence, The Interdependency) and on The Flow- an extra-dimensional field which allows for travel in large swaths of space. The problem?

The Flow is collapsing or at the very least, shifting.

This of course spells trouble and brings together three unlikely people. Emperox Grayland II (formerly known as Cardenia), Marce Claremont, and Kiva Lagos are now drawn in all the political intrigue that this kind of information entails.

I really really liked this book. Firstly, John Scalzi has a really strong voice. There’s a certain light-heartedness in the tone of this novel (see ship names Tell Me Another One and Yes Sir, That’s My Baby) but he can get serious in the appropriate moments. Plus, excellent characterization, political intrigue, and women at the center of the political intrigue are in abundance.

My favorite character in the whole of this novel has to be Emperox Grayland II (I really appreciate the gender neutral title), formerly known as Cardenia. She never expected to be emperox, but was crowned one anyway and now has to make do and try to do the right thing. And hopefully avoid a powerful but nasty family who wants to marry into the crown. I adored her character. She’s unprepared as emperox and even more unprepared for what’s to come with the end of the Flow and possibly the Interdependency. She’s also very introspective which is shown with her conversations with her ancestors’ simulations.

Kiva Lagos is also very interesting. She’s more brash and abrasive, but her ultimate goal remains what is best for her family, the House of Lagos. When one comes from a mercantile house that ultimate operates like a mega-corporation, I suppose that’s to be expected. Still, Kiva is a fascinating character with a lot of history. Her previous relationship is kind of explored here as he becomes an adversary- and I highly suspect there’s a lot to unpack there. Still, Kiva throughout her chapters proves to be a power player in her own right (despite being the sixth child of the Countess) and may play a significant role in the events to come.

The plot moves at a fairly fast pace and the tone of the writing helped so I didn’t feel lost at any point. It’s pretty much the kind of book that I picked up and discovered I couldn’t put down. It was just a lot of fun and I think that a lot of it is really due to the prose. It’s not flowery or too descriptive, in fact the prose is kind of plain but the tone and voice made it shine. I think I’m fast becoming a fan of this kind of writing style and it makes me want to pick up more of the author’s works.

Overall, I highly recommend this book if you’re a fan of science fiction and space opera. If you’re new to the genre and sub-genre, this really looks like a great place to start.

This review is also on  The Bookworm Daydreamer

Edyta

Ben Nathan

This was a TON of fun. The characters were great. I really want to read everything about house Lagos imaginable as Kiva was 80000 levels of badass and funny and awesome. The casual style of writing was just what I needed as everything else seems to be so self-serious all the time. I'm very excited to read more.

Les Reynolds

Very fun beginning to an interesting story. Can’t wait for the next one.

Bryan Alexander

I love space opera. Always have, since I was a child. I'm a sucker for star-spanning adventures, giant space battles, complex political machinations. Give me Babylon-5, Imperial Radch, Mass Effect, or Iain Banks' Culture series and I'm a happy humanoid.

So how did The Collapsing Empire fare? Ah, it was a very light, fluffy, charming, but forgettable space opera.

The plot (whose outlines fade as each day passes since I finished the book) concerns a far future spacefaring civilization. One narrative engine churns away at a succession struggle, while another sees a catastrophic cosmological change starting to develop. A medium-sized cast of characters schemes and tries to figure out what's going on. Since this is the first in a series much time is spent in setting the stage, although there's a central plot that receives some satisfaction by the end.

I enjoyed parts of this. The prologue is a nice mix of naval mutiny, sarcasm, and multiple quick betrayals. A torture scene was actually funny (please don't take that the wrong way; it's black humor; you'll see what I mean). 

After the first handful of chapters my attention started flagging, which bothered me. This is some of the sf I really look forward to! But it didn't work for me. 

To be direct, the plot and characters felt dull. It's stuff I've seen far too many times before, both in science fiction, other genres, and history. A powerful ruler dies and is replaced by someone who didn't want the job? This was old when Claudius succeeded Caligula. Natural catastrophe threatens civilization? Sumeria was into this, as I recall. Smart people struggle to minimize the decline of a space empire? Asimov did this. Etc. There wasn't anything added here that raised my interest.

Another, irritating problem concerned history. The book's technology level is that of wax seals, guns, pigs and cows, 20th-century-style orchestras, and USB drives. So much of Empire feels massively retro. For every futuristic-sounding corneal scraping there's a stack of cars, shoulder-launched missiles, stapled documents, and print books familiar to a 2018 reader's life. The empire's politics and society is a mix of aristocracy and merchants that would have been familiar to 16th-century Europe. 

Now, that's often the case in space opera, which likes to pillage historical tropes. Sometimes space operas mix genres to achieve this, combining with fantasy, a la Star Wars. Other, better times this kind of story explains the retro forms as a consequence of future history. Frank Herbert does this brilliantly in the Dune books, with swordplay returned because energy shields block guns and lasers, or when a declining civilization (under the God Emperor) has fits of lower technology because, well, it's declining. Scalzi offers no such explanation. It's as if a bunch of 2018 humans were suddenly given starships and an interstellar empire - which is an interesting exercise, if you think about it. Maybe later books will explore this.

Altogether, while I chuckled at some dialogue, I had to look up my annotations to remember why, only a few days later. The plot needed a refresher.

Very disappointed, personally. Recommended if you're a Scalzi fan and/or interested in a light, fluffy, quick read.

The Collapsing Empire is an exciting space opera from John Scalzi, the first in the award-winning Interdependency series. Does the biggest threat lie within? 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 . . . Continue the space adventure trilogy with The Consuming Fire. 'Rousing storytelling and satisfying intrigue . . . an engaging, well-crafted sci-fi drama.' - SFX

Natasha Johnson &
The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

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