Tynga's Reviews: John Scalzi

Showing posts with label John Scalzi. Show all posts

Monday, March 20, 2017

The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

Book Stats:

Reading level: Adult
Genre: Science-Fiction
Paperback ARC: 336 pages
Publisher: Tor Books
Release date: March 21, 2017

Series: The Interdependency

Source: For review

Reviewed by: Stéphanie

Order: Amazon | Book Depository

The first novel of a new space-opera sequence set in an all-new universe by the Hugo Award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author of Redshirts and Old Man's War.

Our universe is ruled by physics and faster than light travel is not possible -- until the discovery of The Flow, an extra-dimensional field we can access at certain points in space-time that transport us to other worlds, around other stars.

Humanity flows away from Earth, into space, and in time forgets our home world and creates a new empire, the Interdependency, whose ethos requires that no one human outpost can survive without the others. It’s a hedge against interstellar war -- and a system of control for the rulers of the empire.

The Flow is eternal -- but it is not static. Just as a river changes course, The Flow changes as well, cutting off worlds from the rest of humanity. When it’s discovered that The Flow is moving, possibly cutting off all human worlds from faster than light travel forever, three individuals -- a scientist, a starship captain and the Empress of the Interdependency -- are in a race against time to discover what, if anything, can be salvaged from an interstellar empire on the brink of collapse.

The Collapsing Empire is the first book in a new series by Hugo Award winner and New York Times bestselling author, John Scalzi. Personally, I've only read a couple of his books, but he's gained at least one new fan with this most recent novel. This novel will certainly be creating waves in the coming months because it's something completely new, accessible and despite being science fiction, it actually has some relevant present day themes.

When it comes to interstellar travel, the author doesn't try to go into too much scientific detail. Actually, he states in the beginning of his novel that most people wouldn't even understand it. In short, something called the Flow allows a ship to ride a "stream" from one location to another without the need for light-speed travel, something that still doesn't exist, even in this post-Earth civilization. Some streams take months to travel, and they aren't always the shortest or most logical routes.

Streams are also one way, like the only one leaving the planet End. The planet is called End because many streams lead to it, but there's only one that leaves it to go back to Hub, the seat of the Interdependency because most streams lead back to it. Curious enough, End is the only planet humanity has discovered that is suitable for human life, all other planets needing special habitats or rotating space stations for survival. However, End is not a very desirable place to settle because it's so far away from everything else. It isn't called End for no apparent reason. Personally, I love this concept of space travel because even though it's fiction, it's still believable. There's still a lot we don't know about our universe and John Scalzi makes it easy to believe in the Flow.

The author also introduces us to a wide range of interesting characters, including a physicist named Marce Claremont who believes something drastic is about to happen to the Flow, and actually, already happening. Many of his peers believe the Flow is something stable, however, Marce and his father have studied the Flow extensively and data shows what can only be called the collapse of the Flow. Since trade and the economy depend heavily on Flow routes, business and political tensions arise in forms of rebellions, piracy and political trickery. The newly crowned emperox of the Interdependency, Cardenia, now Grayland II, has to deal with feuding business families, assassination attempts and news about the shifting Flow.

Funny enough, the author mentions in his afterward that the plot line is not based on the current american situation, that in fact, the book was plotted and written before the 2016 american election. However, one can see how anything as unpredictable can create tension, fear and violence. Many businesses and families capitalize on this fear and I think the author demonstrates very well how some people crave power and money, and will do just about anything to have both.

As a relative newbie to John Scalzi's work, I'll definitely have to read his previous books to see how this new series compares to career building series, Old Man's War. The Collapsing Empire deserve much attention and is one of my new favourites of the genre. It's an epic and grand introduction to a new sci-fi universe and I'm really looking forward to what happens next.

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JOHN SCALZI is one of the most popular and acclaimed SF authors to emerge in the last decade. His massively successful debut, Old Man’s War, won him science fiction’s John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer. His New York Times bestsellers include The Last Colony; Fuzzy Nation; Redshirts, which won 2013’s Hugo Award for Best Novel; and Lock In. Material from his widely read blog, Whatever, has also earned him two other Hugo Awards. He lives in Ohio with his wife and daughter.

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March 14: Bookwraiths

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by Tynga at Monday, March 20, 2017

John Scalzi, Publisher, Review, sci-fi, Science Fiction, Science-Fiction, The Collapsing Empire, Tor 2 People left their mark

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi

How should and intelligent race from another world reach out to the entirety of this world? Approach the world leaders at the UN, land in the middle of the White House lawn? The Yherajk are a bit more savvy and came up with a better plan.....hire a Hollywood agent.

Most of this story takes place in and around Los Angeles so, which is just the right backdrop for a tale centered around the entertainment industry. Even though the book is not abundant with detailed description, the scenery that is there is sufficient to convey the look and feel of story. This is one of those stories where less is often more.

Agent to the Stars is one of those books where the plot development goes almost hand in hand with the growth of its characters. We get to see how Thomas Stein, ambitious young Hollywood agent, transitions from up and comer to somebody noted for something more than his ability to sell the abilities of his clients to TV and movie producers. Thomas introduces us to some more varied and equally interesting characters. Everything from aged agents to spoiled performers to ...well.... aliens from another planet. There are two typical ways to show character development: show or tell. John Scalzi opts for a much lesser used method that I won't go into (spoilers). Suffice it to say, this method also allows the story to move forward.

Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi is an entertaining and amusing read. This is by no means classic literature but, it is a very fun story. One that I suspect would make a good movie. There is very little violence but there is some language here and there as well as frank discussions of human sexuality. For those reasons I would give this a PG13 rating.

by Tynga at Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Alien Contact, Hollywood, John Scalzi, Macmillan, Purchased, Review, Science Fiction Leave your mark

Monday, February 02, 2015

Lock In by John Scalzi

This book is original and intelligent on so many levels that I really hope this review will incite at least a few people to read it. Personally, I didn't know what to expect when I picked it up. I thought a science fiction novel would be a nice change of pace, however, it's important to note that even if it does have its place in science fiction, it can also be categorized as a mystery thriller.

I love the tag line that's on my copy. On the cover it says "A novel of the near future" and that is chilling thought. To think that a global epidemic could affect so many people, kill a good percentage of the population, and render some people to be locked in, physically paralyzed but still aware, is probably closer to science than it is fiction. The present day outbreak of Ebola in West Africa is still a threat, and recent scares of influenza may have been dramatized by the media but the fact remains that some grave illness could in theory affect the world and the potential for an global epidemic is scary. Obviously Haden's disease in this book is fiction but I think the author did an amazing job in making it as realistic as possible.

For the characters in the novel that are locked in, science and technology has advanced enough in this near future to enable them to interact with the world via a neural implant in the brain that allows them to control a threep, some sort of vehicle/robot for their minds. The beauty of the written word is that even if the narrator of the book is the voice of a young man that uses a threep to get around, it's very easy to forget that his real body is hidden somewhere in a room, unable to move. The narrator, Chris Shane, is a poster child for Hadens, those who are locked in. As a new FBI agent, he didn't expect his first week on the job to turn out like this. As he and his partner, Agent Vann, navigate the world of major technology and pharmaceutical companies, what begins as a simple suicide/murder investigation turns out to be a major corporate conspiracy. The many twists and turns will boggle your mind and will have you rethink the idea of hacking and fraud.

Agent Chris Shane is a very likable character. As a young man of a billionaire family, I admire his commitment to not let his famous past define who he is. He does not want to be a hindrance to the community and as an FBI agent, he believes he can make a difference. It would be easy for any Haden to simply live off the system, to use their disability as an excuse to not work and not contribute to society but all the Hadens we encounter in the novel are contributing members of society. Among others, we meet Hadens that are lawyers, doctors, coders, corporate CEOs and then some that are simply administrative workers. The possibilities are endless and I love that even if Haden's disease has defined who they are, they are still normal people, trying to live out their lives. We can analyse all we want, but their situation is comparable to those living with disabilities in our world. They are subject to prejudice and bullying, but at the end of the day, they are human beings and should be seen a such.

Overall, I think the author is a genius in combining scientific elements to a possible yet improbable future. As a science geek, I admire authors that blend science and technology in their writing and that aren't afraid to go into details. In this case, it was brilliantly done. I could see this novel developed into a series because the characters are likable and so well established. However, I would be as pleased with a series as I am with a stand alone. The conclusion of the story is open to endless possibilities, yet wraps up the novel quite efficiently. Lock In was the first novel I read from this author and if his other books are as engaging as this one, I will definitely check out his other works.

Read an excerpt

Read the prequel - Unlocked: An Oral History or Haden's Syndrome