John Scalzi's Interdepency Series
It’s been a rough few weeks, and I won’t dwell on recent events except to say—we all deserve justice and humanity. Stay safe and take care of one another—a tall order considering the pandemic, I know. So as a distraction, let’s talk about books, okay?
I recently finished the last in John Scalzi’s latest trilogy and I had some thoughts about it.
In 2017, John Scalzi released The Collapsing Empire that kicked off the Interdependency series spanning three books. Please be aware there are mild spoilers ahead. If you don’t want to know much about the book here’s the BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front):
If you love Scalzi’s effortless style and quick dialogue, you’ll enjoy the series. If you’re looking for something deeper than that, it may disappoint you. The series starts out incredibly well in The Collapsing Empire, ramps up with The Consuming Fire, but fizzles with The Last Emperox.
So, mild spoilers ahead, so stop here if you want to read the book.
It’s no secret The Independency Series is an allegory for climate change—Scalzi himself has said as much. Regardless, he comes right out of the gate with an interesting universe (where only two planets have a planetary atmosphere that supports human life—Earth and End) with Houses, Guilds, flow streams, generational AI, and politics galore. Scalzi’s characters are fun and engaging, including a foul-mouthed fan favorite, Kiva Lagos (which I’d put in the room with The Expanse’s Chrisjen Avasarala). The Collapsing Empire builds the universe and story through an arc that ends well, leaving plenty of room for exploration. The story continues in The Consuming Fire as the protagonists delve into the mysteries of collapsing flow steams and political infighting, culminating in a satisfying ending. I expected The Last Emperox to further push into exploring things left incomplete in the previous book, but it treads over old ground in the previous two novels, and rather than ramping up the tension in the story, Scalzi ramps up the inner monologue as exposition, tipping over the edge into absurdity by skipping complicated flow mathematics with something worse than hand-waving—telling the reader by proxy that they are too stupid to understand and gives an eighth grade level explanation. I kept waiting for the story to move forward—when it did, it rehashed previous storylines with a twist that felt more flat than satisfying.
The sequel to Lock In (Head On) felt rushed as a straightforward police procedural compared with the first novel. Now I’m almost convinced Mr. Scalzi wrote the final Interdependency not for a love of his fans, the universe, or even the agenda, but for money. I don’t blame him for that—as an avid reader who enjoys his style, I desired something that was more story and less instruction. His style and dialogue, the highlights of the book, remained light and engaging.
With that in mind in these last two recent series, I believe his prose and ability to establish a fresh world and story are strong. You want to immerse yourself and race alongside his characters as they unravel the plot. However, his sequels don’t have that same fervor, and that’s a shame. Your mileage may vary. Would I recommend it? I would if you enjoy his writing. If you want a satisfying ending to a trilogy, you’ll be disappointed.
From a delivery and marketing aspect, I love Nicolas Bouvier’s covers. They evoke that mix of 1950s and modern science fiction artwork style. Wil Wheaton narrates the audiobooks, which gives the story a fun, quick pace. With the trilogy’s shortcomings at the end, there’s still plenty to enjoy.
If you like these reviews, let me know!
Book News: I wrapped up a draft of Rise of Avalon and after a brief break, I’m back into the novel for another deeper revision to clean up some open loops and improve story elements. I’ve also commissioned a cover and I’m excited to see that come together.
In reading, I’ve been trying out some fantasy series that have been recommended, such as Joe Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy and Steven Erikson’s Malazan Book of the Fallen series. That has slowed my reading somewhat, but I’m picking up some more science fiction reads. I’m looking forward to Josh Hayes’ third Valor novel (Enemy of Valor) which is out now. There’s plenty in my TBR pile.
What are you reading?