The Collapsing Empire

 

The Collapsing Empire

Author: John Scalzi

Genre: sci fi

Number of pages: 333

First published: 2017

Setting: Interdependency empire

Rating: 4 stars

First sentence: The mutineers would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for the collapse of the Flow.

One sentence comment: The book's standout concept is its Flow and Interdependency System.

 

It depicts a future where humanity, after losing Earth a millennium ago, relies on a vast network of planets connected by faster-than-light pathways known as "the Flow." However, a scientist uncovers the Flow's imminent collapse, threatening to isolate star systems and trigger a civilizational collapse due to most systems' lack of self-sufficiency.

 

This narrative strongly resonates as a political allegory. It mirrors contemporary geopolitical anxieties, much like the global economic system's vulnerabilities exposed in the 2010s. For decades, the world has operated as a US-led interdependent system, with China supplying a majority of products, from household items to industrial components. However, China's economic success from global trade has fueled its transformation into a formidable military power.

 

The potential invasion of Taiwan, often seen as America's outpost against China, directly threatens the US, leading it to identify China as a primary adversary. In the event of a conflict with China, the US recognizes the critical need for self-reliance. Recent US policies, such as advocating for foreign investment within the country and implementing high tariffs to deter Chinese products, are all methods to reduce its dependence on Chinese goods. This urgency intensifies, paralleling planet End's desperate search for independent survival as its support from other planets dwindles.

 Just like the book's title, The Collapsing Empire, the US-led economic system is now striving to sever unfavorable connections. This strategic decoupling aims to prevent the "head of the empire" from being burdened and ultimately destroyed, a fate common to historical empires.