Reviewed by Kristin
John Scalzi’s
imagination is out of this world—literally. I recently reviewed his science
fiction novel Redshirts where Star Trek-like characters assigned to wear
red shirts were often on the receiving end of a phaser blast or the victim of
some hungry alien creature. Scalzi’s humor shines through as he creates
intricate plots and characters.
In the
Interdependency, humans have used up the Earth and been forced to find other places
to live. The artificial habitats and one single livable planet (called “End”)
all depend on each other. Certain resources are available some places, and
other things elsewhere. One place may produce all the citrus fruits available
in the known universe, and another may have the perfect conditions to
manufacture solar panels or self-sealing stem bolts. Humans have adapted to
live underground, on rotating space stations with artificial gravity, and under
domes.
But there’s a
catch—humans haven’t mastered the ability to travel faster than the speed of
light, but they have discovered a network which allows them to jump from
certain regions of space to others. Think wormholes, but here it is called the
Flow. Ships may enter the Flow at certain places and exit at others, so a trip
which might take decades at sub-light speeds may only take a few weeks or
months instead. It all depends on which stop you get on this interspace subway,
and where you want to get off. The map is pretty much set, or at least it has
been for the past thousand years or so. All roads connect to the Hub, so it’s a
pretty important place within the Interdependency.
The Interdependency
is ruled by the Emperox, using a gender neutral title rather than the
old-styled Emperor or Empress. Originally a religious figure as well as a head
of state, the Emperox has plenty of power, but usually manages his or her
empire through a series of royal houses which have a monopoly on selling one
thing or another—like all citrus fruit. Political maneuvering runs rampant; the
matchmaking and intrigue rivals that of ancient European countries. Everyone
who is someone has something to gain, and something to lose.
But then the Flow
starts to change. Streams are collapsing, isolating colonies from the rest of
the known universe. Only a few scientists are aware of the issues and the
potential outcome. As they attempt to deliver that message to the Emperox, that’s
where things get interesting. Cardenia Wu-Patrick is about to become the new
Emperox and she is forced to hit the ground running as this looming crisis may
change everything.
This may sound like
I’ve given you the plot of the entire two-books-so-far-series, but I assure you
that I’ve barely skimmed the surface. Scalzi writes brilliantly and creates incredible
yet believable storylines filled with fascinating characters. The Collapsing
Empire ends with huge questions hanging in the balance, but The
Consuming Fire picks right up where the series debut left off. Both are
available in the new fiction section of the Bristol Public Library.
Bonus: These titles fit our BPL Book Bingo theme
this summer as we explore “A Universe of Stories.”
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