STG's

The Last Emperox, by John Scalzi, is the last book in The Interdependency trilogy. The flow (the FTL of this universe) paths are failing, and civilization will suffer as a result. But the current Emperox and her boyfriend are working in the problem, trying to save everyone. Meanwhile, Nadashe and a lot of nobles are plotting to kill her, and only try to save the other nobles. Obvious trouble ensue. Scalzi recently posted a tweet that mentioned that people were swearing at him at a certain point of a book. I wondered which. After reading this, it is pretty obvious. Technically this is a spoiler. If you read the book, you too will know when you read it. Overall, pretty good, and the plot ends well (while it could still be milked for more books, it would be unnecessary). Very well worth reading the trilogy, I think it took me about a week and a half.

The Consuming Fire is the middle book in The Interdependency trilogy, by John Scalzi. Not a lot goes on, on a macro level - mostly more plotting against the Emperox, and an expedition to a planet that had fallen off the Flow, which does get important information and some important revelations - including about why the Flow is collapsing. Overall, very good.

The Collapsing Empire, by John Scalzi, is a SF novel. It is the first book in a trilogy, The Interdependency. This fictional universe has its own kind of hyperspace-like FTL - called the Flow, which starts to fail, which is obviously a big deal. Specially as their own imperial government, the Interdependency was designed so that every planet connected by the flow would have to depend on each other. Plus they mostly live in habitats, not planets, which are bound to fail if left alone. In something very relevant for the current days, everyone doubts the scientists that say their FTL is going to stop working (Scalzi nicely didn't have anyone saying "fake news" directly), which just like right now, adds to the disaster. Being an empire, it is not surprising that there is a lot of intrigue and several assassination attempts on the emperox. Overall, very entertaining. I'm already halfway into the second volume.

Lock In - by John Scalzi - is a SF book that takes place in a world where a disease (Haden) locked in millions of people inside their bodies. Technology was created that allows them to remotely control robot bodies or live in a VR world (there is a short prequel -  Unlocked: An Oral History of Haden’s Syndrome  - the writing style is unrelated to Lock in). I've read the novella, which had a teaser of this book. I remember being quite disappointed when I realized it was not available yet. It was as good as I thought it would be. What takes place is a series of murders, viewed through a Haden FBI agent, which just started on the job. Very much recommended for SF fans.

Human Division  , by John Scalzi is in an unusual category. It is a SF novel that takes place in the same universe as Old Man's War  but has a format that is similar to a TV series episode in length. And it is also to be released weekly every tuesday till april. Also, it is very cheap (US$0.99). The overall feeling is of a TV series episode. That does mean it doesn't have much depth to it, but (just like a SF series) it can still be a fun hour. In the first episode, a major problem makes a low tier Ambassador and their staff pick on a big negotiation. Trouble ensues, but their techie, Wesley, oops, I mean Lieutenant Harry Wilson (from Old Man's War) comes to the rescue to save the day (in a nicely thought out, somewhat gimmicky way that feels like a Star Trek episode, except that didn't make up any particle names). Light hearted SF fun, recommended. 7.5/10.

Old Man's War - by John Scalzi - is a SF military novel in the tradition of Starship Troopers or Forever War. The cute twist in the generic formula is that everyone on the CDF (Colony Defense Forces) is recruited from people about to be 75 years old. You see, no one on Earth has the technology to rejuvenate people, but they do, so many people reason that it is better to go fight for the CDF and be young again - even if there are high odds that you will die in combat. The rejuvenation process is kept secret, both on Earth and on the novel till it is actually done to the main character. Still, I imagine many SF readers will guess what they do when the preparation starts. And given the alternatives and their stated tech level, it is what makes most sense, except for the fact the memories are presumed to have a chemical nature. But you can't have everything. Travel between planets is done with the Skip drive. I won't explain how it works to avoid spoilers, but it behaves ...