The Collapsing Empire (The Interdependency #1) by John Scalzi

This is my introduction to John Scalzi's writing. I've been following him awhile now on social media, and I gel with his vibe, so it was good to get to see what he's writing is all about. The Collapsing Empire is a fine case of space opera, if this is something that you're in the mood for, and it it's fast-paced and absurdly funny. Of course this does mean that the characterisation falls a little by the wayside, but it's more the biting social commentary that kept me going.

The premise is simple – in a hyper-capitalistic society that is spread out across the stars, it stands to reason that being able to reach the most far-flung parts of the empire and communicate is rather important. It would be a pity if the method of transport through a figurative hyper-space were to fail...

But this is exactly what is happening, and those who control the information have a leg up on those who don't, and how they choose to deploy any advantage they have in the matter will of course send the story spiralling into all manner of directions.

Scalzi is witty, a keen observer of society and human nature, and for those reasons alone he's a treat to read. There's a kind of wry, acerbic wit imbued in some of the situations that had me smirking to myself while I read. 

We see this story from the point of view of three characters – a reluctant absolute ruler, a scientist who says it like it is, and a scion of a powerful trading family. All will be affected once the Flow implodes, and the society that everyone has, up until now, taken for granted and milked for riches without much though to the consequences, is coming to an end. Which is kinda prescient for what we're facing at present.