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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A thoroughly engrossing final act to Scalzi's Interdependency trilogy. While the actual ending left me wanting, the journey to get there was nothing if not fun. My main issue stems from how competent Scalzi showed his three protagonists to be in previous volumes, and thus he had to give his villains a lot more credit than they deserved. So much so that, at times, credulity was strained. That said, it was a pleasure to be back in the company of Cardenia, Marce, and Kiva.
Ah, such fun. John Scalzi does it again with the third (and last?) book in the Interdependency series.
Before I begin this review, however, a bit of a warning: if you are concerned about f-bombs and other profanity, be aware that The Last Emperox (and the entire series, for that matter) is more like an f-neutron bomb, a tidal wave of swear the likes of which has rarely been seen. Make no mistake, this is not some casual, off-handed use of words your mother would have washed your mouth out for; no, this is clearly an intentional, deliberate literary choice to use as much vulgarity as can be packed into one volume. And it's hilarious, if only in it's excess. But you have to be into that kind of humor. You have been warned.
The Interdependency is a coalition of planets joined by The Flow. These planets are not near each other, but The Flow, a sort of space/time shortcut, connects them in a way that makes trade between them possible. Which is a good thing, since all but one of them is inimical to human life without carefully constructed habitats to shield the delicate species. But each planet has it's own monopoly on manufactured or agricultural goods, so all of them are truly, as you might have guessed, interdependent.
Each planet is controlled by a single family, so not only do they own the monopoly rights to their particular goods, but also the workers who produce them. This is not as dystopian as it sounds, however, because it is in the best interest of the families to keep their workers happy and whole; they live is a controlled environment with them and unrest could have fatal consequences. So, it all works pretty well, even if it does depend on an elite exploiting the labor of the many (and I won't go into the obvious parallels to other governments one might name).
The problem is, The Flow is collapsing. As you might imagine, this is a problem for everyone. While there is one planet, End (guess where it's located) which can support life without external support systems, it is a bit of a backwater and couldn't, in any case, support the billions of people throughout the system who might flock there. It's a dilemma.
It is the job of one Cardenia Woo Patrick, aka Grayland II, the current emperox (a gender-neutral version of emperor) to figure out how to save all of the people in her realm. How she goes about that and the people around her who plot, scheme, connive, and assassinate to avoid letting this perfectly good crisis go to waste is the wonderful, inventive plot that makes the novel go. Along with the sparkling dialogue and wry wit for which Scalzi is rightly famous, it makes for a delightful read. The resolution of the conundrum at the center of the story is original and delightful.
Well done, once again, Mr. Scalzi!
Before I begin this review, however, a bit of a warning: if you are concerned about f-bombs and other profanity, be aware that The Last Emperox (and the entire series, for that matter) is more like an f-neutron bomb, a tidal wave of swear the likes of which has rarely been seen. Make no mistake, this is not some casual, off-handed use of words your mother would have washed your mouth out for; no, this is clearly an intentional, deliberate literary choice to use as much vulgarity as can be packed into one volume. And it's hilarious, if only in it's excess. But you have to be into that kind of humor. You have been warned.
The Interdependency is a coalition of planets joined by The Flow. These planets are not near each other, but The Flow, a sort of space/time shortcut, connects them in a way that makes trade between them possible. Which is a good thing, since all but one of them is inimical to human life without carefully constructed habitats to shield the delicate species. But each planet has it's own monopoly on manufactured or agricultural goods, so all of them are truly, as you might have guessed, interdependent.
Each planet is controlled by a single family, so not only do they own the monopoly rights to their particular goods, but also the workers who produce them. This is not as dystopian as it sounds, however, because it is in the best interest of the families to keep their workers happy and whole; they live is a controlled environment with them and unrest could have fatal consequences. So, it all works pretty well, even if it does depend on an elite exploiting the labor of the many (and I won't go into the obvious parallels to other governments one might name).
The problem is, The Flow is collapsing. As you might imagine, this is a problem for everyone. While there is one planet, End (guess where it's located) which can support life without external support systems, it is a bit of a backwater and couldn't, in any case, support the billions of people throughout the system who might flock there. It's a dilemma.
It is the job of one Cardenia Woo Patrick, aka Grayland II, the current emperox (a gender-neutral version of emperor) to figure out how to save all of the people in her realm. How she goes about that and the people around her who plot, scheme, connive, and assassinate to avoid letting this perfectly good crisis go to waste is the wonderful, inventive plot that makes the novel go. Along with the sparkling dialogue and wry wit for which Scalzi is rightly famous, it makes for a delightful read. The resolution of the conundrum at the center of the story is original and delightful.
Well done, once again, Mr. Scalzi!
I didn't dislike this, but I think it's my least favorite of the trilogy. Still, this was a very enjoyable trilogy overall, and I find Scalzi's writing very entertaining.
Spoiler
It may just be that I was disappointed about Cardenia actually dying. I mean, I know she lives on in the machine thing, but that's still not the same.
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes