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lbrunner.net · @lbrunner.net@bridge.neodb.net

Rated The Collapsing Empire 8/10

So I ended up reading this book in 24h, which is a bit out of the ordinary for me. It's just a very easy, interesting and captivating read.



It weirdly reminded me of Dune and Imperial Radch, due to the imperial structure combined to a merchant republic dynamics. The world building is good, the plot and many, many twists are good, the characters are good... it's a good book!



My only gripes (which made me go from 5 to 4 stars even though I feel I might be a bit unfair):

* Characters feel a bit too 2-dimensional/stereotypical/archetypical, it's not a massive issue, but Marce for example always looks smart and grin, he is a bit frightened sometimes but keep his composure. All characters are overall pretty smart, cunning, strong backed, etc, it just feels a bit "unhuman" sometimes. Cardenia feels the most relatable and human in face of grief and the pressure of the Emperox-ship

* The plot is convoluted, full of schemes, double agents, triple betrayals, all the good stuff. But it kinda always <spoiler>ends well? Apart from House Nohamapetan potentially holding End at the end (given Count Claremont not keeping Ghenri under control) then the "good" guys won? Parliament needs to be convinced and End secured but otherwise, crisis mitigated and humanity lives on? In any case, it's not like a massive issue but it feels a bit too "care bear", just a little bit</spoiler>.

#book

Published 2020-07-18 13:17 UTC · bridged from Atmosphere