My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the third and final book in Scalzi’s Interdependency trilogy. The affiliated planets and habitats of the Interdependency are just that- interdependent on each other for trade, goods, and survival. Key to the continued existence of it all is the Flow, the lanes flowing through space that make interstellar flight quick and convenient. But the Flow is collapsing and the individual parts of the Interdependency face becoming isolated from each other permanently. None of the pieces are suited to the continued survival of their human occupants except the planet End, and End can’t host all the citizens of the rest of the empire. Emperox Grayland II is left with the impossible task of trying to figure out what to do. Things are not helped by the intrigues of the noble houses, particularly House Nohamepetan, who are more interested in making sure they and their interests are the ones to survive than on working for the common good.
I will admit upfront that I am a Scalzi fan. I like his books, his stories, and his writing style. So, it was not a surprise that I thought this to be a very nice conclusion to this trilogy. It is, perhaps, a bit less action-oriented than the first two, and concentrates more on the intrigue and machinations of the competing factions. It can seem a bit slow in spots, I suppose, but I found myself wanting to keep reading, and trying to pick apart the plot intricacies along the way. There are a few twists and surprises that I did not expect. The ending, while not a neatly tied up solution to all the problems of the entire series, was satisfying. Characters are typical Scalzi- in turns intelligent, manipulative, cunning, sassy, and, of course (especially in the case of Kiva Lagos) rather foul-mouthed. But they are also people- real, dimensional, and flawed, even the good guys.
This trilogy is scifi space opera at its best. It combines an intricate plot, believable characters, and some really good action scenes into a story that hits all the points to make it a quite enjoyable read.
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The Demon’s in the Details, the third story in my urban fantasy series the Yo-Yo Files is now available.
Urban fantasy like the above not your thing? Well, I have science fiction and more traditional fantasy stories available, as well. Look here for all the deets on the above series and the rest of my published stories.
And So On... 