REVIEW: The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

The first book I read by John Scalzi was Redshirts, which I loved. Innovative idea for a novel (and it won the 2013 Hugo Award). This novel is more epic than Redshirts and is the first in a planned trilogy.

The setting is far in the future, after humans have discovered The Flow, a space anomaly which allows humanity to spread throughout the universe—a way around the limit of speed-of-light travel. Moving a ship into The Flow enables it to travel in a sort of extra-dimensional field that can be exited at certain points. Over the centuries, humanity has spread to locations outside each of these points, creating an expansive empire called the Interdependency. As the name indicates, each location (a collection of planets or space stations) in which each is dependent on the other for specific resources. The Interdependency consists of local and larger governments, with an overarching emperor (the Emporox), a parliament, state Church, as well as trade guilds and family empires, all vying for power, money, and control.

Scalzi focuses his attention on a few characters throughout, switching viewpoints. The reluctant Emperox, Cardenia, who attained the throne when her father dies, because her brother and heir to the throne had been killed. Lady Kiva: a crude and devious head of a merchant family. Lord Marce, part of a ruling family and a physicist. There are others, but it is the latter’s knowledge, based on the work of his father, that becomes the central plot (though there are many subplots). The Flow, being a natural phenomenon, is subject to change. In the past, it has occasionally shifted, causing whole civilizations to be cut off from the Interdependency. This has been rare, but Lord Marce learns that the Flow is about to shift and collapse in a significant way, perhaps spelling the end of the empire. What will happen to the worlds, the power-brokers, and the ordinary people—especially those who are more dependent on resources from trade?

Scalzi does an excellent job of depicting genuine and engaging characters (with a wide variety of personality and story) while also making the sprawling world of politics interesting. His style is crisp, and the dialog, narrative, and even the occasional “history” of the Interdependency is written to keep the reader engaged. In spite of its length, none of the material feels like filler. The story moves along, and the characters, plot, and setting might remind readers of a futuristic Game of Thrones, with its political intrigue, power-plays, and decadent as well as heroic acts.

The Collapsing Empire demonstrates, once again, Scalzi’s creative style, occasional humor, and engaging prose. Some critics are bothered by the sudden ending, preferring each volume in a series to be self-contained, and not have to wait for deeper character development (assuming it comes later). But the world Scalzi has built, with its unique concept of The Flow, and its impending doom is a deep read but a fun story. It is no surprise that it was a finalist for the 2018 Hugo Award for Best Novel.