The Collapsing Empire

January 30, 2017
Scalzi (the Old Man’s War series) delivers a strong opener for his fast-paced new space opera series, setting up key players along the primary travel corridor of an empire overflowing with complex interactions among nobles, politicians, business interests, and an unstable physical environment. The Interdependency is a collection of far-flung, human-colonized, barely habitable planets strung together by the Flow, a naturally occurring, limited-access, faster-than-light network. The planets are governed by the concept of obligate mutual reliance and ruled by those who control access to the Flow, but a change to the Flow that would leave established planets isolated to die seems imminent. This would disrupt the plans of the ambitious noble Nohamapetan family, which is involved in a rebellion raging on the outermost planet of End; Kiva Lagos, the foul-mouthed, opportunistic owner’s representative on a starship owned by one of the Nohamapetans’ rivals; Marce Claremont, a scientist carrying data from years of secret research into the Flow; and the young new emperox, Cardenia, guided by her simulated ancestors. Scalzi’s storytelling centers on dynamic and quick-thinking players with strong personalities who engage in spirited social interactions, making the slightly dubious physics forgivable. Expect several future works set in this sprawling universe. Agent: Ethan Ellenberg, Ethan Ellenberg Literary.

June 1, 2017

The galactic empire of the future is shaped by the Flow--mysterious routes that allow faster-than-light travel to specific points. But now they are becoming unreliable. A scientist, a ship's captain, and the ruler of humanity strive to understand and resolve the danger before whole planets become isolated and perish. Set against them are disbelief, politics, and time. VERDICT With a wonderfully diverse and entertaining cast, award winner Scalzi's (Lock In) new series launch offers the allure of an Isaac Asimov novel, written with modern concerns in mind. (LJ 3/15/17)

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2016

Is travel faster than light possible? Ask Hugo Award--winning, New York Times best-selling author Scalzi, who's dreamed up the Flow, an extradimensional field humans can access at certain points in space-time for a trip to other worlds. Humans have used the Flow to spin out from Earth, with their various outposts governed by the Interdependency that assures both interstellar peace and the imperial rulers' absolute control. Bad news, though: the Flow is shifting, possibly cutting off worlds from one another and threatening light travel forever.

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2017
In the first of a new series, brutal politics and pitiless physics threaten an interstellar empire built on trade.The Interdependency is a group of barren planets and space stations ruled by mercantile trading houses and linked by the Flow, an extradimensional mode of travel. Occasional shifts in the Flow have cut off the Interdependency's connection to some planets (including Earth), but it's remained relatively stable...until now. Count Claremont, a physicist stationed on the remote planet of End, has determined that the Interdependency will soon lose access to the Flow completely. Once that happens, every member of the Interdependency will be cut off from all the others by impassible light-years of distance, and a delicate web of commerce and survival will dissolve. Claremont sends his son to the Interdependency's ruler, the Emperox Attavio IV, to share their findings before the Flow routes disappear. But Attavio IV is dying, and his daughter, Cardenia Wu-Patrick, was never intended to assume the throne. The reluctant new emperox is immediately confronted with assassination attempts and the ruthless machinations of the ambitious House of Nohamapetan, whose members seem to have their own knowledge of the radical change in the Flow. Readers might wonder whether Scalzi can write another space opera that shares the elements that made his Old Man's War series (The End of All Things, 2015, etc.) so popular but be sufficiently different to feel fresh. Both include political plotting, plenty of snark, puzzle-solving, and a healthy dose of action, but there's just enough here that's new for this to avoid becoming a retread. There's nothing groundbreaking, but you'll still want to find out what happens next. Scalzi continues to be almost insufferably good at his brand of fun but think-y sci-fi adventure.

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Starred review from March 15, 2017

Humanity has left Earth behind and headed across the universe, with spaceships riding the Flow, an extradimensional field that allows vessels to travel immense distances in weeks or months. The Holy Empire of Interdependent States and Mercantile Guilds, or the Interdependency for short, allows far-flung outposts to trade and exist successfully in this almost inexplicable time-space web. But now the entire Flow is changing, separating worlds from one another and threatening to destroy the Interdependency. Three people unite to try to save the Empire as they know it. But others see an opportunity for transferring the power to themselves. VERDICT Scalzi (Lock In) mixes science, history, and politics with sharp action and intriguing characters. Readers will be thrilled to take another wild ride across the universe with the author of the "Old Man's War" series. [See Prepub Alert, 10/3/16.]--KC

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2017
The Flow connects humanity living underground or in habitats across 47 star systems. Only End is habitable since Earth was lost a millennium ago. Political upheaval there will make it difficult for word to reach Hub of a discovery that would challenge a seasoned leader, much less the recently crowned Emperox Cardenia Wu-Patrick. Kiva Lagos needs to make the best of a bad situation when her cargo is quarantined by the machinations of a rival family. Jaimes Claremont has to get his findings from End to the emperox; with rebellion in full swing, accomplishing that will not be easy. Scalzi weaves these threads togetherwith a clever metaphor for the interconnectedness of human society and how it breaks downwith his well-known wit, whimsy, and ear for dialogue that is profane and laugh-out-loud funny. Fans of Game of Thrones and Dune will enjoy this bawdy, brutal, and brilliant political adventure in the shadow of a phenomenon that will change society forever, if not end it. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: This book, first in a planned series, is lead title in Scalzi's new 10-book, 13-year contract with Tor.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)