John Scalzi’s Interdependency series (The Collapsing Empire, The Consuming Fire) has given us some of the most enjoyable space opera of the last few years. Scalzi has taken the premise of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series and given it a seriously modern twist. Peopled with flawed characters facing the potential end of their civilization and the political and social machinations surrounding this impending disaster, the story feels relevant whilst also often being irreverent.
In the opening Scalzi once again shows why he is the master of exposition that does not feel like exposition. And even if it has been a couple of years since the second book in this series, readers will be back up to speed with all of the main characters relatively quickly without feeling like they’ve been subject to a recap. The plot picks up directly after the end of The Consuming Fire. The end of the Interdependency is still inevitable as the “flow” that joins disparate parts of the Empire and ensures the survival of far flung colonies continues to slow down. While Cardenia aka Emperox Grayland II continues to find a way to save the billions of people who would otherwise be trapped by the collapse of the flow, the forces that have tried to assassinate her twice regather and start to plot again. There is still only one planet, End, on which humanity might survive following the collapse and the heads of the wealthiest trading houses have decided that by getting rid of Grayland they can save themselves, travel to End and leave their populations behind.
And so the scene is set for another round of political manoeuvring, reverses, schemes foiled and succeeding, historical reveals and desperate plans to save the Interdependency involving the use of maths. While all of the main characters get some great moments once again the star of the book has to be the foul-mouthed Kiva Lagos, who found love in the previous book and has become integral to Grayland’s plans but finds herself in trouble early on. But there is no trouble that Kiva cannot scheme her way out of. But all of the players get a chance to shine, the moustache twirling (if she had one) Nadashe, Grayland’s scientist lover Marce and Grayland herself, trying to thread a various precarious needle while constantly under threat, the solution to which being both shocking and somehow inevitable.
Again, the parallels between the fate of the Interdependency and the global threat of climate change are just below the surface. In this case, the response of the wealthy, those who could do something about the problem if they thought globally rather than personally is thrown into sharp relief.
The Last Emperox is a great conclusion to a great space opera series. Another rattling tale full of very human characters dealing with an unprecedented challenge, told with verve and style. Although this is officially the end of the series, the door is left open to more stories in this universe, with even a possible expansion into new territory. Any of which would be welcome.

John Scalzi proves he's a seasoned writer with the chops to tell a good tale. It seems like the more successful a writer becomes, the less that editors are willing to alter their work. For some authors, that leads to bloat. For others, that leads to poorly executed or thought out ideas. Either Scalzi's editor doesn't fall for that trap (and since he's got one of the most well known editors in the business, I suppose he doesn't) or Scalzi himself is good enough to not fall into the trap that creates.

The Last Emperox is a well-done end to the Interdependency trilogy. It certainly wraps up the story begun with The Collapsing Empire and the story of Emperox Grayland the Second. It does feel like a couple of the other characters that made this series fun get fewer scenes and less development, but Grayland, Kiva Lagos, and Nadashe Nohamapetan get a chance to shine.

I do feel like the story could have been longer with more challenges and development, but the real test of a conclusion is how well it pulls together the loose threads. This story does so, but leaves enough open questions that we can imagine for ourselves how it will proceed from here.

Scalzi, as ever, writes another quick enjoyable read with characters and dialogue that are witty and sarcastic. A perfect fit for me. His personalities seem well defined and realistic, if maybe a smidge coarse (which I love). Since he knew he was writing a trilogy from the get go, the overarching plot is tight and works out with nice twists.

To the women who are done with other people's shit.


The collapse is coming, and with Flow streams disappearing left and right, no one can deny it. And yet, while Grayland II does her best to mitigate disaster and shepherd what she can of humanity towards salvation, her enemies have plans to overthrow her—to ensure that their interests are served.

It's the end of civilization as we know it. And it's going to be great for business.


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Really this gif is pretty much all I want to post as a review for this book, but I suppose that you might get annoyed by that.

But really, that heavily breathing cat was me throughout 98% of the book.

Then the end happened, and this was me:

That first 1%:

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As far as Kiva could tell, whenever selfish humans encountered a gut-wrenching, life-altering crisis, they embarked on a journey of five distinct stages: Denial. Denial. Denial. Fucking Denial. Oh shit everything is terrible grab what you can and run.


Then that last 1%

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And I can't even put the quote in there that had me fucking bawling then and in literal tears right now, a week after finishing this book because IT'S A MASSIVE DAMN SPOILER.

Lemme just say, it rivals when I read "Albus Severus Dumbledore" for emotional punch (fuck Always).

Anywho, moving on from that trauma.

This book is fucking amazing, because it speaks to truths about humanity and because the main characters are funny as fuck, and because fucking jailbreak music (my kink is definitely smartass, supremely peppy motivational tablets), conspiracy theories and politics about how to save as many people as possible in the event of a slow-moving disaster.

The one thing that would have made it more amazing would have been if Vrenna Claremont had her own POV, because I want more of her (and I hope that she gets her own book one day) and she got criminally no page time whatsoever except in passing, and instead I got Ghenri the fucking false duke of End. Although at least Jameis gave him the most condescending and sarcastic put down in the history of the world, all while reading A Count of Monte Christo in front of his captor while literally being imprisoned after being accused of a murder he didn't commit.

Anywho, this is a book of rage, of vengeance, of justice, and of moving on and moving forward. Because the fate of civilization depends on everyone.

Oh, I'm sorry—I talked about literally nothing in specifics? You learned little about what this book is about?

Guess you'll just have to read it yourself.

Enjoy the tears 😈

A series’ ending might probably be one of the most difficult tasks an author faces: readers’ expectations, narrative twists and resolutions, characters’ paths - it all must come together at the end, and I also imagine it might not be easy to let go of a world that one has so carefully built over time. Well, The Last Emperox turned out to be a very satisfactory ending to the Interdependency series, and did so by also being a compelling and fun read from the very start, where it offered a sort of recap of what went before by observing a character’s thoughts as his ship comes under attack. Not only did this choice avoid any dangers of info-dumping, it also managed to turn into entertaining recollections what could very well have been the last, terrified considerations of an endangered individual. After all, this is a work from John Scalzi, and one must expect some playful rule-breaking…

So, the Interdependency is a galaxy-spanning civilization whose settlements are connected by the Flow, a system of wormhole-like paths that allow ships to cover vast distances in a relatively short time. The Flow has been in operation for centuries, but recently scientists have discovered that the whole system is going to collapse, therefore isolating these far-flung settlements and very likely dooming the inhabitants to death, since only one planet in the whole confederation is able to sustain life in an Earth-like environment and all the others are artificial habitats depending heavily on Flow-driven commerce. Such catastrophic news brings out the best and worst in humanity, as it’s wont to do: some of the great merchant Houses try to speculate by amassing even more riches and power, others try to help in maintaining a level of civilization and the newly elected Emperox, Grayland II, finds herself dealing with a difficult situation, several attempts on her life and the conflicting agendas of various Houses.

Despite the light, playful tone, this series deals with several quite serious subjects, like the way people react when confronted with an imminent catastrophe - considering the moment in which I read this book, with humanity facing a worldwide crisis, I thought it was very spot-on and I was glad for the author’s trademark lightness because observing the various fictional players it was impossible not to make disheartening comparisons with actual events. The series, and The Last Emperox in particular, shows how personal advantage is paramount for power-hungry individuals and how sowing distrust and misinformation helps drive their agendas, while the general population is divided between the few who plan in advance against a worst-case scenario and those lulled into the complacent belief that those in power will find a solution before the inevitable becomes a reality.

Where I found the second book in this series, The Consuming Fire, somewhat uneven in pacing due to the shift between the quicker-flowing sections and the long chunks of exposition dialogue, this final installment turned into a swift, riveting read as the antagonists’ plots battled against the Emperox’s and her allies’ countermeasures, generating a constant race against time, fueled by shrewdness and political expediency that kept the story lively and the tension high. Most of this narrative tension rests on the three main characters: Grayland II, whose desire to be a good and just ruler needs to be balanced against the challenging decisions she must take in the face of the forthcoming Flow collapse; Nadashe Nohamapetan, the very embodiment of the evil lady, the dastardly plotter whose ambitions are surpassed only by her ruthlessness; and Kiva Lagos, the foul-mouthed, crafty ally of the Emperox who remains my favorite character and one of the best sources of humor in the whole series.

It’s worth noting how these three women are not only at the very center of things, but also the most striking figures among the various personalities peopling this series: for example, if Nadashe is a vile adversary who stops at nothing to fulfill her goals, she ultimately does not come across as totally bad, if that makes any sense. As I saw her labyrinthine plans taking shape, I was torn between wanting them to fail and at the same time feeling sorry if they didn’t: in a way I ended up envisioning her as poor Wile E. Coyote, who concocted equally convoluted and far-reaching plans to win over Road Runner, only to be always spectacularly defeated in the end - and that never failed to elicit some form of sympathy from me. On the other hand, there was no ambiguity in my cheering for Kiva’s success, and although at some point she managed to set in motion a series of events whose serendipity might appear totally unbelievable, it all worked within the over-the-top setup of her character, making it easy to suspend my disbelief and equally easy to observe her antics with an amused smile. Grayland looks less intense in comparison with these two formidable figures, her apparent candor masking instead a firm determination and a core of integrity that seems to be sorely lacking in the Interdependency, and that’s the main reason I was surprised - or rather stunned - at her unexpected choice for solving the quandary and giving her subjects a new direction and a hope for the future. I must say I did not expect the direction the story took and that in this instance the author managed to drop a very unpredictable twist on me here.

Where The Last Emperox draws all the narrative threads of the series to a good close, I find myself sorry to have to leave this universe, and I hope that John Scalzi might decide in the future to return here, maybe to show us how the former Interdependency fares in a post-collapse of the Flow future.


(4 & 1/2 stars rating)

A reenactment of me reading the last bit of The Last Emperox:

NO WHY DID THAT HAVE TO HAPPEN I DON’T LIKE THIS BOOK ANYMORE IF THIS IS HOW IT’S GOING TO END.

*reads a bit more*

YAS QUEEN MY EMPEROX YOU GO GIRL!!! GO SAVE THAT EMPIRE!!!!

If my reenactment of reading the ending to The Interdependancy Trilogy doesn’t tell you enough all you need to know, let’s go over a few things.

First, this is book three in the trilogy. The final act. The one where it all comes together. If you haven’t read the first two books, please do so before reading this one.

Second, I was about 80% done with the book when stuff really started to go down. I was hopping mad. Surely Scalzi wasn’t just going to throw everything these characters had worked for out the window?? I was so stressed out. If I hadn’t been reading the book as an eARC on my iPad, I’d have probably tossed the book down in frustration before picking it back up to read the ending.

But then at the eleventh hour, it all came together. And boy, was it ever satisfying! All the stress and nail biting and being upset was WORTH IT. Nothing turned out how I expected, yet it all worked out just how it needed to, and I was thrilled.

(Also if you don’t like Kiva Lagos you are wrong and you cannot be my friend).

So to sum up this review, thanks Scalzi for stressing me out with your wild ride of a trilogy and for proving just how good you are at writing and characters. Not just anyone can have me this upset over fictional characters, and then turn it back around in the same book, all in the best way possible.

Definitely read The Last Emperox, and y’know, now more than ever, go support your local bookstore.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this book as an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another fun installment of Scalzi's <i>Interdependency</i> series. The Flow, the space time mechanism that keeps planets and billions of people connected -- is failing and various pieces of the universe are becoming permanently disconnected from the rest of humanity. This story follows the possible collapse of the empire as those within continue to deny and / or profit from the collapse. Sound familiar? That's the beauty of science fiction -- our modern problems hidden inside stories of alien worlds. With the wit and sass we've come to expect from Scalzi, this is a fast, engaging, edge-of-your-seat read.

Discussed on the Maine Beacon podcast: https://mainebeacon.com/maines-pandemic-recession-will-be-fastest-deepest-in-modern-history/

The first book of the Interdependency, The Collapsing Empire, was one of my best NetGalley 'finds'. It surprised and delighted me, and I've been looking forward to continuing to the end of the trilogy while at the same time a big sad that it's over.

Usual warning - if you haven't read the first two books, put this review down and go start at the beginning before talking about the third book gives earlier plot spoilers!

The full scale of the catastrophe of the collapsing flows is now a reality for Emperox Grayland II, but her attempts to save billions of lives is distracted by repeated assassination attempts. Can she best the scheming Nadashe Nohamapetan? Can science beat the end of this amazing civilisation spread across galaxies of space habitats? 

Really, it was just a joy to be back in this universe and catching up with all the characters, but with the added bonus of bringing all those threads of story together. I loved the character arcs for Cardenia, and was delighted that Kiva - my favourite foulmouthed hedonist - got a bigger part again after being very slightly sidelined in book 2. And it's fabulous to see morally corrupt characters that aren't just pantomime baddies - but I'll leave it to the reader to find out if any of them get their just comeuppance! ;)

Alongside the fun, though, I did think there was something quite timely about this book. Collapse of civilisation, you say? Characters willing to see billions die as long as they can still turn a profit? I mean... ouch o.O

This was just the perfect end to a brilliant series. There is SO much fun, but also a lot of heart - I dare you not to be 'hit in the feels' by at least one part. Very recommended - as long as you can cope with the swearing ;)

Everything is all wrapped up by the end of the book. The ending is nice and neat even if the journey is messy. All the main characters reappear and play important roles. While the ending makes sense in context I am not sure I like where at least one of the characters ended up. Still a fun read with the trademark snark still in place.

This third volume in Scalzi's epic trilogy does not disappoint. Political intrigue and Machiavellian machinations persist unfettered. The fate of humanity remains in jeopardy! The multiple star systems composing the Interdependency Empire are in danger of extinction . The interconnecting Flow streams are collapsing and threatening their permanent separation. The interstellar habitats are not self sufficient and are eventually doomed. The present Emperox Grayland II, the 88th in a centuries long line of succession, is the supreme leader, and head of both Church and State. She has already survived two attempted assignations mitigated by leaders of the entrenched megacorporations run by century-old families that have controlled the mercantile economy, who thirst of even greater wealth. While Grayland II and her science officers are desperately attempting to find a solution to this overwhelming dilemma, the opposing families are concerned about profiting from the impending chaos and continue with attempts at another coup.
John Scalzi continues to astound while weaving another narrative brimming with twists, turns and exceedingly unexpected events culminating in an exhilarating denouement. His snarky humor enhances his world building and characterization skills. His escalating pace drives the reader to a frenetic speed to arrive at a complex conclusion. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor / Forge for providing an electronic uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review. ( at readersremains.com )

Loved this trilogy, and this book was an extremely satisfying conclusion. Unpredictable twists and some amazing plot moments. (Maybe a little too real in spots when it came to commentary on the haves vs. have-nots during times of crisis - it was hard to separate the fiction from our current times..) I also appreciate that this was a definitive trilogy with a beginning, middle, and end, and not just a setup for a nebulous ongoing series. All in all - highly recommended.

Well. Well then. That sure was one hell of an ending to this series. Ever since book one, The Collapsing Empire, I wondered how a world with this setup, and these implications, with these characters, and this society could possibly ended satisfactorily.

Scalzi pulled it off.

I just had so much fun reading The Last Emperox. It started off well. By making me laugh. And laugh. And laugh some more. Which is good. You need those laughs to carry you all the way through the entire book, since it does get heavy. Also, even though I read books one and two months ago, I fell back into the world effortlessly.

The Consuming Fire left us in a good spot. The Interdependency has finally admitted that there is a problem with the Flow, their method of travel between the stars. This means that billions will die if nothing is done. And the panic is starting to set in. Also, Emperox Grayland II has thwarted a coup against her.

There is the opportunism, too. The elite don't care about the people of the Interdependency. Only Emperox Grayland II does. She has become something of an icon for the everyday person, and she really does care about them. She wants to make certain that everyone will get out of this alive. Or at least as many people as can be saved, there will be casualties involved, always.

The Last Emperox is an interplay between the Elite who want to take everything for themselves and screw the little man, and the Emperox that wants to make certain everyone will get out of this that can be saved. And there is very little time to save everyone until everything collapses. Months for some, years for others. And there is bureaucracy involved, which slows everything down to a crawl. This is a completely Scalzi classic.

The ending to this series was amazing. I can't say I saw the ending coming, as it happened. I'm not exactly certain how I was expecting this to end, because I couldn't foresee how any of it was possible. I'm completely happy about it, though, and enthusiastic to be able to talk about it to others when this releases!

ARC received from Tor Books Books on Netgalley. This did not affect my review. Thank you!

Thanks to Tor for giving me a free digital galley of this book in exchange for feedback.

So, I'm reading "The Last Emperox" at the end of March 2020, which means I'm reading it while starting my third week of "social distancing" to try to slow the growth of a pandemic that is getting worse every day.

That means two things.

One, it's the right time for a book about how powerful people behave in the face of an unavoidable disaster, and how some of them maneuver to take personal advantage of human suffering, while others do the right thing and work to find ways to help. As I watch the same drama take shape around me in real time, it's interesting to reflect on which characters in the book remind me of which people in the news.

But maybe, no matter when I read this book, there would always be wealthy and powerful people who are purely self-interested, and some sort of disaster for them to take advantage of. This is kind of a special moment in world history, but neither disasters nor rich, awful people are especially rare.

And, two, it's the right time for an escapist space opera, with chases and daring rescues and True Love and heroism and funny profanity. This is a good, entertaining book, maybe the best of the three, and a good conclusion to the series. I enjoyed reading it, and it was the right book for the right time for me.

Wow - Scalzi’s The Last Emperox is everything you could want in a conclusion. You keep thinking you know where his characters are going, but there’s no way you’ll guess this ending. Their growth from book one to book three is amazing; their choices and actions clearly lead their decisions and fate, while the universe continues to unfold around them. Scalzi’s trademark humor helps buffer the tragic and overwhelming situations faced by his protagonists; allowing the reader to laugh and even cry with them. This trilogy will definitely stay atop my list of fantastic SF; often defined by Old Man’s War, I expect this trilogy to eventually overshadow even that masterpiece. Read from book one, and I guarantee you will not be able to put these books down.

The Last Emperox is a perfect conclusion to The Interdependency trilogy and a very Scalzian addition to an already stellar catalog. No one mixes humor, intrigue, human emotion, and wit like John Scalzi does and "The Last Emperox" is overflowing with all of them.

Wrapping up the story of Cardenia Wu-Patrick, Kiva Lagos, Marce Claremont, and Nadashe Nohamapetan, Scalzi uses books 3 to continue to worldbuild (impressively as interesting, maybe more, in book 3 than the previous 2) and to wrap the court drama surrounding Emperox Grayland II and her court. Scalzi wastes no time in getting to the action and allows the reader to fill in the blanks in the most efficient and sound way that I've read. There's plenty of intrigue in this book, but you're never tipped off to what's about to happen and never quite sure what to expect.

I'd like to take a moment to talk about Kiva Lagos, my favorite literary character from the past few years. Her wit and "I don't give a fuck" attitude is special and rare in fiction today. She's a fully realized, eminently empathetic character, wrapped up in a vulgar, impulsive, sexual shell. She's perfect and I will miss her dearly.

If you're a fan of Scalzi, this is a must read, a perfect conclusion to a wonderful trilogy, and a space opera that is exactly the kind of thing that you can never have enough of.