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The Collapsing Empire by John Scalzi

The interstellar empire runs on a web of shifting space—until the routes start to collapse. A newly crowned leader, a rogue scientist, and a reluctant smuggler race to outmaneuver catastrophe—and each other. The Collapsing Empire delivers witty politics, big-idea science fiction, and propulsive fun.

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In The Collapsing Empire, did you enjoy ...

... imperial court chess, where a suddenly elevated leader must outmaneuver conspirators to stabilize a fragile empire?

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

If you loved how Emperox Grayland II has to think three moves ahead of the Nohamapetan schemers while the Flow threatens to strand entire planets, you’ll dig the deft politicking in A Memory Called Empire. Ambassador Mahit Dzmare navigates Teixcalaan’s glittering court as coups simmer and hidden factions pull strings—much like Grayland’s balance of candor and guile in the Interdependency. The way official ceremony masks razor‑sharp power plays will feel right at home after watching Grayland parry assassination attempts and legal traps.

... snappy, sardonic diplomacy and blackly comic firefights in interstellar politics?

The Human Division by John Scalzi

Enjoyed Kiva Lagos’s weaponized sarcasm and the breezy, razor‑witted dialogue that punctuates crises in The Collapsing Empire? The Human Division brings that same Scalzi snap to a mosaic of diplomatic disasters and close‑calls. You’ll get quippy negotiators trying to hold coalitions together the way Grayland II juggles fractious Houses, plus missions that go sideways with the same mix of gallows humor and last‑second cleverness that saved Marce Claremont more than once.

... a sprawling, system‑wide crisis that snowballs from a few bad decisions into an existential threat?

Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey

If the Interdependency’s looming collapse—triggered by the Flow’s instability and compounded by House plots—hooked you, Leviathan Wakes offers that same runaway escalation. As in the scramble around Grayland II, small‑scale schemes spiral into solar‑system‑level peril. Holden and Miller’s investigation, like Marce’s discovery at End, uncovers a truth that threatens established powers, forcing uneasy alliances and bold gambits reminiscent of the Emperox’s high‑stakes moves.

... interlocking POVs—politicians, soldiers, and schemers—driving parallel crises toward a shocking convergence?

Velocity Weapon by Megan E. O'Keefe

If you liked how Grayland II, Marce Claremont, and Kiva Lagos each push different fronts of the Interdependency’s mess—courtroom maneuvers, scientific revelations, and corporate sabotage—Velocity Weapon delivers that same ensemble snap. Sanda Greeve wakes to a geopolitical nightmare while politicians and operatives pursue agendas that collide in twisty reveals, echoing the way Nadashe Nohamapetan’s plotting slams into the science of the Flow and the Emperox’s reforms.

... society‑shaping, quasi‑mystical technology whose rules dictate warfare and power?

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

Hooked by how the Flow functions like a capricious, almost magical medium that props up the Interdependency’s trade—and how its collapse unravels everything? In Ninefox Gambit, calendrical tech turns math and belief into battlefield reality. Like Marce’s dread when he realizes the Flow lanes are shifting, Cheris learns that the very framework of their universe can be weaponized or fail catastrophically. The strategic mind games will also scratch the itch left by Grayland II’s calculated risks.

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