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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
I was suspicious that Scalzi would be able to end this satisfyingly and he did, so 4 stars it is. With that said, the end did feel a bit rushed. I wouldn't be surprised if he wrote further books in this universe.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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:
No
Okay, yes that was a well written story. Yes, I loved the writing and the characters. Yes, it was a satisfying ending.
But WHY did that one death have to be a real death??? I’m not over it. I will probably never be over it. Argh.
Well done, Scalzi. Well done.
But WHY did that one death have to be a real death??? I’m not over it. I will probably never be over it. Argh.
Well done, Scalzi. Well done.
Laughed out loud several times. Almost cried too.
Loved the Acknowledgments--those also made me laugh. Thankfully not cry.
Loved the Acknowledgments--those also made me laugh. Thankfully not cry.
Solid ending to a fantastic trilogy. Scalzi is such a riot to read.
The conspiracy that was about to topple Emperox Grayland II has been defeated and the conspirators punished, but with the end of the Interdependency now inevitable, it's only a matter of time before the Emperox's rule is threatened again. And with such a threat, the hope that all of humanity will survive the collapse of the Flow, instead of the 1% of rich House leaders. Grayland, Lady Kiva and Lord Marce have a lot to fight against and a lot to fight for.
I think I have to again damn this with faint praise: it's competent, interesting, but not exciting, and the whole thing feels really light. But that's been a common failing of the series. This one though, is probably the worst, in that the clever parallels with things like governmental and societal response to climate change all fall a bit flat when a sudden technological solution saves the day.
I don't think we'll be seeing one of those in the real world.
I think I have to again damn this with faint praise: it's competent, interesting, but not exciting, and the whole thing feels really light. But that's been a common failing of the series. This one though, is probably the worst, in that the clever parallels with things like governmental and societal response to climate change all fall a bit flat when a sudden technological solution saves the day.
I don't think we'll be seeing one of those in the real world.
Good, solid ending to this trilogy. I always enjoy Scalzi’s writing and characters. I did not predict the ending either.
I can't believe the ending, so unexpected, I'm still thinking why those decisions were made. I loved the way the perspective of that future fictional civilization worked, the profiles of the citizens, the explanation about why the Guilds came to exists and the relationship why they had so much power, the genetic explanation about the crops, the surprising twist around AI. The previous book introduced a French character, if you read it your mind will be blown about the discoveries he makes in this book. I still love Kiva Lagos, she is really amazing, so natural, so profane. Not sure if this was the final book, some doors were left opened to new adventures. I really loved the 3 books of The Interdependency, I believe you won't be disappointed reading any of these, totally recommended!
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Damn you Scalzi! You did it again. You wrote a book that managed to break my heart while being humorous and thrilling all at the same time. How dare you?
The desperate logistics of planning for the end reach their climax in the conclusion to a space opera trilogy that began with The Collapsing Empire (2017) and The Consuming Fire (2018) in The Last Emperox. Without giving too much away, Time is running out for Cardenia Wu-Patrick, aka Grayland II, emperox of the planet-spanning Interdependency. We follow Cardenia as she struggles with a plan to save the billions who will suffer and starve in the wake of the collapse of the Flow, the extradimensional network connecting the planets of her far-flung empire, while her nemesis, Lady Nadashe Nohamapetan, continues to scheme against her. Meanwhile our favorite foul mouth lady Kiva Lagos is also still getting herself entangled with the affairs of various houses. How does this play out for her you ask? Read the book to find out for yourself.
I will say, how things eventually play out for Cardenia is shocking. The Last Emperox is full of twists and turns that were certainly a surprise. The way the story resolves itself to give almost everyone in The Interdependency a chance to survive the eventual collapse of the Flow readers will certainly find painful yet engrossing. With the end, there is hope of a new beginning.
The Last Emperox while being a bit bitter sweet—is fast-paced and fun, and will leave space opera fans thoroughly entertained. The book is tIerily timely as well, an exploration of how mercantile self-interest can drive some to view the death of millions as an acceptable loss (cough cough - reminds me of a certain current administration of country that should remain nameless - cough). Scalzi pulls off the perfect ending and conclusion to a beloved trilogy, with room left to still explore the universe of the Inter dependency. Kuddos!
For fans of: Game of Thrones, Space Opera, Iain Banks, Dune, Badass Women.
The desperate logistics of planning for the end reach their climax in the conclusion to a space opera trilogy that began with The Collapsing Empire (2017) and The Consuming Fire (2018) in The Last Emperox. Without giving too much away, Time is running out for Cardenia Wu-Patrick, aka Grayland II, emperox of the planet-spanning Interdependency. We follow Cardenia as she struggles with a plan to save the billions who will suffer and starve in the wake of the collapse of the Flow, the extradimensional network connecting the planets of her far-flung empire, while her nemesis, Lady Nadashe Nohamapetan, continues to scheme against her. Meanwhile our favorite foul mouth lady Kiva Lagos is also still getting herself entangled with the affairs of various houses. How does this play out for her you ask? Read the book to find out for yourself.
I will say, how things eventually play out for Cardenia is shocking. The Last Emperox is full of twists and turns that were certainly a surprise. The way the story resolves itself to give almost everyone in The Interdependency a chance to survive the eventual collapse of the Flow readers will certainly find painful yet engrossing. With the end, there is hope of a new beginning.
The Last Emperox while being a bit bitter sweet—is fast-paced and fun, and will leave space opera fans thoroughly entertained. The book is tIerily timely as well, an exploration of how mercantile self-interest can drive some to view the death of millions as an acceptable loss (cough cough - reminds me of a certain current administration of country that should remain nameless - cough). Scalzi pulls off the perfect ending and conclusion to a beloved trilogy, with room left to still explore the universe of the Inter dependency. Kuddos!
For fans of: Game of Thrones, Space Opera, Iain Banks, Dune, Badass Women.
I have loved this series from the first word to the last. This was by far my most anticipated book in 2020 and... I have some very conflicted feelings about it. First of all: I loved it. I screamed, laughed until I cried, cried a bit, giggled so hard my husband got worried about my sanity, and whooped loud enough to scare my cat all the way across the room.
It was exactly what I come to expect from an author whose prose I enjoy, whose characters I love, whose humor I aspire to, and who has solidly cemented himself in my top five favorite authors of all time.
That said: complicated feelings.
I will try not to stray into the realm of spoilers, but here goes. The Last Emperox, in my inexpert opinion, was TOO perfect. Not perfect as in 'flawless' but perfect as in 'perfectly Scalzi.' I kept scratching my head and saying: "I love this plot twist, but didn't we see it before in Android's Dream? Or Redshirts? Or Old Man's War?"
Cardenia's plotline, in particular, left me fulfilled yet strangely hanging, waiting for the: and now what? It's not that any single piece of this even bordered on bad, but I think my expectations were so high that I wanted MORE. I wanted something as different as the endings of those earlier books were to everything else I've read.
In short: I think I'm spoiled. I've been on a Scalzi re-read kick for months, and so this just felt like: more Sclazi. Which it is. Which is the point. It was brilliant, and funny, and fast-paced, and wonderful.
So now, a challenge to myself: go read some other authors for a change, and then re-read the Last Emperox when I'm fresh. I expect I will enjoy it just as much, and not be nearly so conflicted. It's a great book, and the whole of the Interdependency series has become so much of a favorite that I can't play those 'let predictive text fill in the blank' because it ALWAYS suggests 'the Interdependency.'
I only have one actual gripe, and it is 100% still in jest: Dear Mr. Scalzi, HOW DARE YOU do the thing? You know what thing! I spent a whole two or three chapters biting my nails and screaming, wondering what had happened to my favorite fucking character of all time. *Insert long and creative string of curse words that Goodreads wouldn't like*
Alright. That is all. Long live the Last Emperox.
It was exactly what I come to expect from an author whose prose I enjoy, whose characters I love, whose humor I aspire to, and who has solidly cemented himself in my top five favorite authors of all time.
That said: complicated feelings.
I will try not to stray into the realm of spoilers, but here goes. The Last Emperox, in my inexpert opinion, was TOO perfect. Not perfect as in 'flawless' but perfect as in 'perfectly Scalzi.' I kept scratching my head and saying: "I love this plot twist, but didn't we see it before in Android's Dream? Or Redshirts? Or Old Man's War?"
Cardenia's plotline, in particular, left me fulfilled yet strangely hanging, waiting for the: and now what? It's not that any single piece of this even bordered on bad, but I think my expectations were so high that I wanted MORE. I wanted something as different as the endings of those earlier books were to everything else I've read.
In short: I think I'm spoiled. I've been on a Scalzi re-read kick for months, and so this just felt like: more Sclazi. Which it is. Which is the point. It was brilliant, and funny, and fast-paced, and wonderful.
So now, a challenge to myself: go read some other authors for a change, and then re-read the Last Emperox when I'm fresh. I expect I will enjoy it just as much, and not be nearly so conflicted. It's a great book, and the whole of the Interdependency series has become so much of a favorite that I can't play those 'let predictive text fill in the blank' because it ALWAYS suggests 'the Interdependency.'
I only have one actual gripe, and it is 100% still in jest: Dear Mr. Scalzi, HOW DARE YOU do the thing? You know what thing! I spent a whole two or three chapters biting my nails and screaming, wondering what had happened to my favorite fucking character of all time. *Insert long and creative string of curse words that Goodreads wouldn't like*
Alright. That is all. Long live the Last Emperox.