The
Interdependency—humanity's interstellar empire—is on the verge of collapse. The extra-dimensional
conduit that makes travel between the stars possible is disappearing, leaving entire systems and human
civilizations stranded.
Emperox Grayland II of the Interdependency is ready to take desperate measures to help ensure the survival of
billions. But arrayed before her are those who believe the collapse of the Flow is a myth—or at the
very least an opportunity to an ascension to power.
While Grayland prepares for disaster, others are preparing for a civil war. A war that will take place in
the halls of power, the markets of business and the altars of worship as much as it will between spaceships
and battlefields.
The Emperox and her allies are smart and resourceful, as are her enemies. Nothing about this will be easy...
and all of humanity will be caught in its consuming fire.
In a trilogy, expectations for the middle novel (or film) are typically kept low. The first novel lays the
groundwork for the plot, introducing the reader to the world and this mighty obstacle that must be overcome.
The last novel resolves the conflict in an epic conclusion. The middle novel is typically treated as filler.
Maybe there's some minor errands that the protagonists have to deal with in order to get them to the point
where they can confront that calamitous problem that they've sought to solve since the first novel. While
it might be a good story, written well, even entertaining, the epic feels won't be there.
But any old school Star Wars fan will tell you that of the original trilogy of films, the middle
film, The Empire Strikes Back, was the best.
Now I'm not going to tell you that The Consuming Fire is better than The Last Emperox,
namely because I haven't read it yet. No, what I'm here to say is that The Consuming Fire is
not the typical middle episode novel. In fact, I'd put it much closer to Empire... in terms
of enjoyability.
The Consuming Fire gets my high praise because of the delightful way that Scalzi deals
with the machinations of the antagonists. They're a cynical, devious lot. Always feigning respect
in the most polite way possible while planning how to stick a knife in your back. We saw a good
deal of that in the first novel, The Collapsing Empire. Once the news got out that the
collapse of the Flow isn't bullshit, everyone and their mother decided to hatch a scheme to
be top dog before it all falls apart rather than trying to work together to prepare for it.
Because, you know, people. How Grayland deals with this is... tasty.
There are other enjoyable parts like the foul-mouthed, perpetually horny Kiva Lagos who receives
a promotion from her usual duties in the first novel. There's the typical middle novel side quest,
but here it's actually informative rather than just being a dreadful errand. And there's an
assortment of backstabbery going on amongst the antagonists. Through it all, you have Scalzi's
humor and humanizing of the heroes that makes his characters so wonderful. Forget the stuffy
book blurb; this is Scalzi.
One observation I'll point out is that in both of these books, the action tends to come out of
nowhere. One minute A is happening and then B comes in like a bolt of the blue. Now that might
sound jarring, but life is like that, no? You're driving along, crossing through an intersection,
when someone runs the red light and T-bones your car (Fortunately, I'm not speaking from experience).
That's how Scalzi delivers some action events: The calm is suddenly, and without warning, interrupted
by violence. I point this out as a pattern I observed, not as a criticism. It worked for me.
I look forward to reading how Emperox Grayland and her allies deal with the collapse of the Flow
in the last novel of the trilogy.
4.5 stars
\_/
DED
The Sanitarium on Saturn
Sunday, December 1, 2024
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Sunday, October 6, 2024
Book Review: The Collapsing Empire
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.
Books-A-Million (BAM!) had the entire trilogy on sale when I visited the Bangor, Maine location in May. I mention that because it was a totally random stop meant to kill time while my son wrapped up some post-college graduation activities. They had it for a price that I couldn't refuse. The store is located in the Bangor Mall commercial park, a solar system of stores orbiting the dying mall—watch out for the potholes!—at its center. And IIRC, BAM! is planning on re-locating to a commercially healthier part of the city. Every time we visit, I wonder how much longer it'll last. But unlike dying stars, it'll skip the supernova, just collapse in on itself like a black hole, possibly take the entire commercial park with it.
But I digress.
The book blurb tells you that humanity's means of FTL interstellar travel is unraveling. This is not good for business or humanity's survival. In the past, worlds that lost access to the Flow have died—for some reason the Flow predominantly only goes to worlds where atmospheric conditions are toxic to humans, thus forcing them to live in artificial constructs. And the economy is controlled by family-owned megacorporations who have been granted monopolies over segments of the economy. So we have insanely rich people behaving badly, always trying to get an edge over rival houses, politically and economically. This super secret information about the Flow is something that can give a clan an edge and thus is something that they're willing to kill for.
But as serious as that sounds, Scalzi includes a measure of his humor, brought out by the characters' dialogue, most notably through the corporate executive (Kiva) who carpet f-bombs people who annoy her. And there are characters who demonstrate relatability despite their positions. Cardenia has to become emperox as she's the only living heir to the throne, but she has spent her whole life living like a regular person, away from the trappings of royalty. And Claremont, a humble science teacher, has to take his father's work on the Flow and present it to the emperox and the other branches of government and get them to act now before it's too late.
At this point in his career, John Scalzi is comfortable. He has a solid fanbase that can be counted on to buy his books and thus keep his publisher happy. And happy publishers make authors' lives easier. Having mastered the formula that keeps his readers devoted and said publisher happy, he's not going to mess with that. So if you like Scalzi's past work, then it's highly likely you'll like this one too. But you have to go into this knowing that it's a series, and it won't get wrapped up until the last book. There will be unresolved bits when this book ends. I was fine with it, but not everyone will.
4 stars
\_/
DED
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.
Books-A-Million (BAM!) had the entire trilogy on sale when I visited the Bangor, Maine location in May. I mention that because it was a totally random stop meant to kill time while my son wrapped up some post-college graduation activities. They had it for a price that I couldn't refuse. The store is located in the Bangor Mall commercial park, a solar system of stores orbiting the dying mall—watch out for the potholes!—at its center. And IIRC, BAM! is planning on re-locating to a commercially healthier part of the city. Every time we visit, I wonder how much longer it'll last. But unlike dying stars, it'll skip the supernova, just collapse in on itself like a black hole, possibly take the entire commercial park with it.
But I digress.
The book blurb tells you that humanity's means of FTL interstellar travel is unraveling. This is not good for business or humanity's survival. In the past, worlds that lost access to the Flow have died—for some reason the Flow predominantly only goes to worlds where atmospheric conditions are toxic to humans, thus forcing them to live in artificial constructs. And the economy is controlled by family-owned megacorporations who have been granted monopolies over segments of the economy. So we have insanely rich people behaving badly, always trying to get an edge over rival houses, politically and economically. This super secret information about the Flow is something that can give a clan an edge and thus is something that they're willing to kill for.
But as serious as that sounds, Scalzi includes a measure of his humor, brought out by the characters' dialogue, most notably through the corporate executive (Kiva) who carpet f-bombs people who annoy her. And there are characters who demonstrate relatability despite their positions. Cardenia has to become emperox as she's the only living heir to the throne, but she has spent her whole life living like a regular person, away from the trappings of royalty. And Claremont, a humble science teacher, has to take his father's work on the Flow and present it to the emperox and the other branches of government and get them to act now before it's too late.
At this point in his career, John Scalzi is comfortable. He has a solid fanbase that can be counted on to buy his books and thus keep his publisher happy. And happy publishers make authors' lives easier. Having mastered the formula that keeps his readers devoted and said publisher happy, he's not going to mess with that. So if you like Scalzi's past work, then it's highly likely you'll like this one too. But you have to go into this knowing that it's a series, and it won't get wrapped up until the last book. There will be unresolved bits when this book ends. I was fine with it, but not everyone will.
4 stars
\_/
DED
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Book Review: The Triumph of Time
This
is the last installment in the Cities in Flight series, and it presents the most dire problem for
Amalfi and company: the end of the universe.
With New York permanently grounded on New Earth, Amalfi has resigned as mayor and is bored to death. He has a permanent case of wanderlust and is itching to get back to the stars. He's pretty psyched to see the wandering planet He make its way to the New Earth system. Meeting with them, he learns that they've made a discovery: the birthplace of continuous creation. He and some scientists head out with the Hevians to check it out and discover further that there's an anti-matter universe on the other side. And we all know what happens when matter and anti-matter come together.
But while all of the scientists are conjecturing about what, if anything, can be done, others are trying to come to terms with what this means. Amalfi isn't the only one who's grown unhappy with life on New Earth. He and Dee finally get to explore their attraction to one another since her husband, Mark Hazleton, is busy with work and a philosophical group known as the Stochastics. And a couple of young adults struggle with traditional bonds of love in the face of the end of the universe.
Eventually, the scientists come up with come up with a way to cope with the end. I don't want to spoil what discoveries they find and obstacles they encounter, but Amalfi tackles the end of the universe in a very Amalfi way.
3 stars
\_/
DED
With New York permanently grounded on New Earth, Amalfi has resigned as mayor and is bored to death. He has a permanent case of wanderlust and is itching to get back to the stars. He's pretty psyched to see the wandering planet He make its way to the New Earth system. Meeting with them, he learns that they've made a discovery: the birthplace of continuous creation. He and some scientists head out with the Hevians to check it out and discover further that there's an anti-matter universe on the other side. And we all know what happens when matter and anti-matter come together.
But while all of the scientists are conjecturing about what, if anything, can be done, others are trying to come to terms with what this means. Amalfi isn't the only one who's grown unhappy with life on New Earth. He and Dee finally get to explore their attraction to one another since her husband, Mark Hazleton, is busy with work and a philosophical group known as the Stochastics. And a couple of young adults struggle with traditional bonds of love in the face of the end of the universe.
Eventually, the scientists come up with come up with a way to cope with the end. I don't want to spoil what discoveries they find and obstacles they encounter, but Amalfi tackles the end of the universe in a very Amalfi way.
3 stars
\_/
DED
Monday, August 19, 2024
Mid-August 2024 Writing Update
Finished writing Gateway To Empire! Now to send it off to my alpha readers.
I have a lot that I'd like to say about the journey to get to this point, but I'm conflicted as to how to say it. I can't find the words right now to balance my disappointment that it took me so long to get it done with my pride that I got it done and like what I wrote. But that's the man I am.
\_/
DED
I have a lot that I'd like to say about the journey to get to this point, but I'm conflicted as to how to say it. I can't find the words right now to balance my disappointment that it took me so long to get it done with my pride that I got it done and like what I wrote. But that's the man I am.
\_/
DED
Thursday, August 8, 2024
Book Review: Earthman, Come Home
In this,
the third book in the Cities in Flight series—but the first one to be published—Mayor John
Amalfi leads the city of Manhattan through several adventures.
Early on, we learn the fate of Chris, the main character from A Life for the Stars. I have to say that it was a disappointment. Considering what we learned here, Blish should've kept going with Chris's story until said fate occurred.
Anyway, Chris's replacement as City Manager is Mark Hazelton, but this story is strictly told from Amalfi's POV, which is a shame. Hazelton is much younger than Amalfi (by a few centuries) and hasn't grown too cynical to love or dream. It would've been more enjoyable had we got to read about Hazelton's experiences and motivations rather than have Amalfi explain them to Hazelton and us.
Despite the fact that we only get Amalfi's POV, we never truly get to know Amalfi. When he gets passionate about something (good or bad), it seems like it comes out of left field. Blish leaves the reader (and Hazelton) hopelessly in the dark on Amalifi's plans. It isn't until things are already in motion that we have any idea that Amalfi is prepared for the plot twists. Maybe if we were allowed to get in his head, Amalfi wouldn't have seemed like such a jerk at times.
Another thing that bothered me was the passage of time. Blish doesn't offer any clues that it's happening. He lays out the development of a project or the travels of a city but doesn't offer us any signposts. A year passes in the blink of an eye on a mining project when it seemed like it had just started. And decades can pass when the city travels from point A to point B, but there's no indication the journey took nearly that long.
Despite my grumblings, I did enjoy this story. The technological shortcomings (slide rule, Saturn's rings thought to be solid) were easy to overlook when compared to other ideas: AI, energy weapons, anti-agathics. The adventures were entertaining, and Blish put down the cultures that practiced misogyny and aggressive serfdom. For a story published in 1955, it's aged fairly well. I just wish the actual storytelling had been better.
3.5 stars
\_/
DED
Early on, we learn the fate of Chris, the main character from A Life for the Stars. I have to say that it was a disappointment. Considering what we learned here, Blish should've kept going with Chris's story until said fate occurred.
Anyway, Chris's replacement as City Manager is Mark Hazelton, but this story is strictly told from Amalfi's POV, which is a shame. Hazelton is much younger than Amalfi (by a few centuries) and hasn't grown too cynical to love or dream. It would've been more enjoyable had we got to read about Hazelton's experiences and motivations rather than have Amalfi explain them to Hazelton and us.
Despite the fact that we only get Amalfi's POV, we never truly get to know Amalfi. When he gets passionate about something (good or bad), it seems like it comes out of left field. Blish leaves the reader (and Hazelton) hopelessly in the dark on Amalifi's plans. It isn't until things are already in motion that we have any idea that Amalfi is prepared for the plot twists. Maybe if we were allowed to get in his head, Amalfi wouldn't have seemed like such a jerk at times.
Another thing that bothered me was the passage of time. Blish doesn't offer any clues that it's happening. He lays out the development of a project or the travels of a city but doesn't offer us any signposts. A year passes in the blink of an eye on a mining project when it seemed like it had just started. And decades can pass when the city travels from point A to point B, but there's no indication the journey took nearly that long.
Despite my grumblings, I did enjoy this story. The technological shortcomings (slide rule, Saturn's rings thought to be solid) were easy to overlook when compared to other ideas: AI, energy weapons, anti-agathics. The adventures were entertaining, and Blish put down the cultures that practiced misogyny and aggressive serfdom. For a story published in 1955, it's aged fairly well. I just wish the actual storytelling had been better.
3.5 stars
\_/
DED
Tuesday, July 9, 2024
Book Review - A Life for the Stars
Chris
stood on the outskirts of Scranton, PA, hoping to watch it take off to join the multitude of cities that
had left Earth for the stars (natural resource depletion being the #1 driving force for said exodus),
but an impressment gang
snagged him and brought him aboard, forcing him to leave his family behind. Going into space was
something that he dreamed of, but this wasn't how he envisioned it. Now he needs to prove himself
useful or else be forced to shovel slag for the rest of his days.
This is one of those coming of age stories for young men that were written in the 50s and 60s. The common lesson being: A good education and a solid moral compass is all you need to make yourself a valuable member of society. Yes, Chris has a couple of adventures, too, which showcase his bravery to save others even when he lacks the self-confidence to do so. It was a fun read, but the real exciting action took place off-screen as it wouldn't be prudent for a teenager to get involved in combat situations.
Another complaint: It was too short! I felt like Blish was just getting started with Chris's story.
While A Life for the Stars is the second book in the series, it was the last to be written. It's set about 1,100 years after the events that took place in They Shall Have stars. The reader is filled in about what they missed over that span through Chris's schooling: fact dumping directly into the student's brain via a VR helmet. It's interesting to note that, in this series, the decline of Western Civilization came as it began to mimic the Soviet Union (repression, not economics). Today, some of us worry about a similar decline coming in the West as certain leaders have begun to mimic authoritarian Russia. Hopefully, we meet a better fate.
3.5 stars
\_/
DED
This is one of those coming of age stories for young men that were written in the 50s and 60s. The common lesson being: A good education and a solid moral compass is all you need to make yourself a valuable member of society. Yes, Chris has a couple of adventures, too, which showcase his bravery to save others even when he lacks the self-confidence to do so. It was a fun read, but the real exciting action took place off-screen as it wouldn't be prudent for a teenager to get involved in combat situations.
Another complaint: It was too short! I felt like Blish was just getting started with Chris's story.
While A Life for the Stars is the second book in the series, it was the last to be written. It's set about 1,100 years after the events that took place in They Shall Have stars. The reader is filled in about what they missed over that span through Chris's schooling: fact dumping directly into the student's brain via a VR helmet. It's interesting to note that, in this series, the decline of Western Civilization came as it began to mimic the Soviet Union (repression, not economics). Today, some of us worry about a similar decline coming in the West as certain leaders have begun to mimic authoritarian Russia. Hopefully, we meet a better fate.
3.5 stars
\_/
DED
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)