The Collapsing Empire was published by Tor Books in 2017, beginning a new trilogy unrelated to the Old Man’s War universe. Humanity has spread across dozens of star systems connected by the Flow — an extradimensional current that allows faster-than-light travel between specific points. The Interdependency is the political structure built on this network: an empire in which each world is economically dependent on others, ensuring cooperation through mutual necessity.
The novel opens with the discovery that the Flow is shifting — the routes that have sustained the Interdependency for a thousand years are closing. Within decades, most human worlds will be cut off permanently, unable to sustain their populations without trade. The new Emperox (ruler) Cardenia Wu-Patrick, thrust into power unexpectedly, must navigate a political system designed to resist change while the physicist Marce Claremont races to prove that the collapse is real and imminent.
Scalzi clearly intends the Interdependency as political satire: an empire of merchant houses jockeying for profit while existential catastrophe approaches, denial and self-interest preventing rational response — the parallels to climate change politics are unmistakable. The writing is brisk, funny, and profane (Scalzi’s characters swear enthusiastically), with the propulsive plotting of a thriller.
Collecting The Collapsing Empire
First edition (Tor Books, New York, 2017): Hardcover with dust jacket.
Market values:
- First edition, fine/fine: $20–$50
- Signed firsts: $40–$80