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The Collapsing Empire
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The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi
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My first thoughts:We got typical Scalzi wit, a solid intro to new universe/players, and a few interesting ideas to play with (ex/the Flow).
Also so easy to read - I'll definitely be reading more of this series (I read all of old mans war too - yes even Zoe's Tale)
General impressions (non-spoiler):
"Typical Scalzi wit" — Pluses and minuses. As with almost all his novels, all his characters engage in remarkably witty repartee. (His dialog is similar to an Aaron Sorkin TV show.) I don't think Scalzi could write a serious minded or humorless character. On the plus side, it makes the book easy to read because it's partially a comedy; how important is the plot to a sitcom? Perhaps in the future Scalzi imagines, genetic engineering demands the automatic insertion of the badinage gene.
Initially, the "universe" doesn't impress. It's a human-only universe. The physics of FTL travel are depressingly familiar. It's called "the Flow", but doesn't differ significantly from the hyperspace of Bujold, Weber, Campbell, McCaffrey or Moon.
At least Scalzi is about to do something interesting with the universe....
The operable phrase is “about to do...", since most of this novel is a set up for the real story to come...
"Typical Scalzi wit" — Pluses and minuses. As with almost all his novels, all his characters engage in remarkably witty repartee. (His dialog is similar to an Aaron Sorkin TV show.) I don't think Scalzi could write a serious minded or humorless character. On the plus side, it makes the book easy to read because it's partially a comedy; how important is the plot to a sitcom? Perhaps in the future Scalzi imagines, genetic engineering demands the automatic insertion of the badinage gene.
Initially, the "universe" doesn't impress. It's a human-only universe. The physics of FTL travel are depressingly familiar. It's called "the Flow", but doesn't differ significantly from the hyperspace of Bujold, Weber, Campbell, McCaffrey or Moon.
At least Scalzi is about to do something interesting with the universe....
The operable phrase is “about to do...", since most of this novel is a set up for the real story to come...
I liked the Flow idea for getting around the FTL issue without making humans seem special or smart - we just got lucky for a while.
I was worried at first, as Scalzi did something I normally don't like... Wrote in mile POVs that switched with every chapter. He pulled it off, though! I was able to keep track of each character and their individual plot line without resorting to notes!
Hi guys. I've been away for some months trying to get resettled after moving. While this isn't my favorite Scalzi novel, I enjoyed it. Look forward to the next in the series.
In spirit, did the ship names remind anybody else of The Culture books by Iain M. Banks?
Re-reading:
Part 1, Chapter 1, Sentence 1:
Part 1, Chapter 1, Sentence 1:
For the week leading up to his death, Cardenia Wu-Patrick stayed mostly at the bedside of her father, Batrin, who, when he was informed that his condition had reached the limits of medical competence and that palliative care was all that was left to him, decided to die at home, in his favorite bed.Yikes! What a hideous opening sentence! Just runs on forever. Especially annoying is you can't really suss out the antecedent to "his" without making the assumption that the most likely candidate, Cardenia, is female.
SPOILER WARNING
There are SPOILERS beyond this point
I'm going to assume anyone reading beyond here has read the book.
There are SPOILERS beyond this point
I'm going to assume anyone reading beyond here has read the book.
0. PROLOG
This is a largely throwaway side story to introduce the "universe", framed as a story of a starship mutiny aboard the Tell Me Another One (I do like the different approach to naming ships, as well as the inevitable truncating for brevity to Tell Me.) The characters are discarded after the prolog (though part of the incident is described in a report later in the novel, significantly not the mutiny.) I suppose it's possible some of the characters will show up again in later novels.
The main points introduced are the fixed routes between star systems through FTL passages which Scalzi calls The Flow; the significant anomaly introduced is that The Flow is apparently no longer as reliable as it once was, as Tell Me drops out of a normally stable passage (inconveniently in the middle of the aforementioned mutiny.) This, it turns out, will be the primary focus of the entire novel: the incipient failure of the Flow.
Secondary exposition: The Interdependency is a human interstellar empire (no known aliens in the universe.) (Technically its the Holy Empire of the Interdepent States and Mercantile Guilds.) As the name implies, The Interdependency is big on mercantilism, apparently with a lot of independent commercial starships trading between the inhabited worlds.
This is a largely throwaway side story to introduce the "universe", framed as a story of a starship mutiny aboard the Tell Me Another One (I do like the different approach to naming ships, as well as the inevitable truncating for brevity to Tell Me.) The characters are discarded after the prolog (though part of the incident is described in a report later in the novel, significantly not the mutiny.) I suppose it's possible some of the characters will show up again in later novels.
The main points introduced are the fixed routes between star systems through FTL passages which Scalzi calls The Flow; the significant anomaly introduced is that The Flow is apparently no longer as reliable as it once was, as Tell Me drops out of a normally stable passage (inconveniently in the middle of the aforementioned mutiny.) This, it turns out, will be the primary focus of the entire novel: the incipient failure of the Flow.
Secondary exposition: The Interdependency is a human interstellar empire (no known aliens in the universe.) (Technically its the Holy Empire of the Interdepent States and Mercantile Guilds.) As the name implies, The Interdependency is big on mercantilism, apparently with a lot of independent commercial starships trading between the inhabited worlds.
I think it's likely that the characters in the Tell Me will be utilized again as End is the only place likely to sustain humans after the Flow moves off. And we know the captain is left under arrest there by the Nohamapten Lord there - if Scalzi doesn't utilize her for n some fashion I think that would be an oversight.
**SPOILERS BELOWJust finished the book, and I have to say, Scalzi is very good at world-building. I noticed some ploy elements feel borrowed from classic sci-fi (for example the Memory Room reminds me of Foundation, and the Mercantile Guild and the noble houses that control them screams Dune), but he twists them enough to make them work for the story he is trying to tell. It certainly makes the book feel more accessible to someone who might only be familiar with the 'classics'.
Unfortunately the majority of the book feels like a lot of setup for future series (which indeed after reading the afterword, it appears he has a planned book deal through 2027), though Scalzi does a decent enough job resolving the main plot of the first book with the arrest of Nadashe.
Like all good sci-fi, there is of course allegorical elements to the story. The Interdependency is in dire straits, but those in power (the Parliamentarians, the Mercantile Guild, or the Church) seem to see it merely as an excuse for politicking and grabbing more power as the very thing that brought them power collapses around them.
Scalzi's dialogue is always a delight to read; I found the character of Kiva Lagos quite enjoyably brash and over-the-top, and hope she comes back for the sequel. The humor that Scalzi interjects into his books always make them feel more accessible to the average reader.
This was a fun novel to read. The dialogue was humorous and witty. I liked reading each of the three main POV chapters. They were all strong characters; Cardenia (the future Emperox Grayland II), Kiva Lagos (heir to the House of Lagos), and Marce Claremont (the physicist son of the physicist who first discovered the Flow's change). It feels like the first novel in a series and I'm ready for the next novel. The novel's ending featuring Nadashe Nohamapetan's comeuppance was appropriate. I agree with Aaron's comments, I expected to see Hari Seldon appear in the Memory Room and House Atreides to request an audience with Cardenia.
Just got started on this one and am flying through it. It's my first exposure to Scalzi and it's a lot of fun, which is a pleasant change from most modern SF.
I have also just stated reading this (I had too many other commitments and books on the go when the group read it) but I have to say, so far I love Scalzi's writing style. Looking forward to the rest of it :)
Rob wrote: "I have also just stated reading this (I had too many other commitments and books on the go when the group read it) but I have to say, so far I love Scalzi's writing style...."
Is this your first Scalzi novel. Rob?
Is this your first Scalzi novel. Rob?
G33z3r wrote: "Is this your first Scalzi novel. Rob?""Hello G33z3r (ha! I just realised what your name reads as ;) )
Yes, I saw that it was one of the books the group was reading, took a look through the review and liked the sound of it, but as I said, I was not able to join in the group read. Really enjoying it though. I've been looking for another spacey sci-fi novel to really grab me since Greg Bear's Eon!
September 22, 2017I just noticed that The Collapsing Empire, narrated by: Wil Wheaton, is Audible's daily special today for $2.99.
(2017)