It’s important to note that you don’t have to read the first book to enjoy this one; Scalzi does an impressive job of bringing the story up to speed in the first 20 or so pages ... It’s an interesting choice by Scalzi to explore how a religious organization could run a mammoth society—of course there is a great deal of corruption, backstabbing and other political games at play and really it’s the families who are in control. At times it reminded me of one of the great science fiction space operas, Dune. There is a similar sense of scale, not to mention the murky politics and family rivalries. The world-building is breathtaking, it’s almost impossible not to get drawn into this system of the far future. Scalzi avoids the trap that many science fiction writers fall into—that of techno-babble—and makes accessible this far future on a distant planet. A large part of that is due to the way he writes—a fierce intelligence combining a sharp, at times acerbic, wit. With a fluid style and an incredible imagination, his work often becomes compelling reading.
The Consuming Fire is the very best type of space opera that blends the inner workings of social groups with the broader mechanisms of power—along with a strong dash of social commentary. Scalzi’s unique tone shines strongly in this book, mixing far future societies with modern slang and syntax to create worlds that could be happening now ... His handling of POV shifts in a linear scale that moves the narrative forward is deft. Each chapter brings its own excitement, which leaves the reader eager instead of upset at losing the previous POV. Each character is distinct and three-dimensional, and the female characters, in particular, are exceptionally well-rounded ... The worldbuilding, in particular, strikes a perfect balance between the pacing required for standard space opera, and the needed relationship between reader and character. Metaphor is kept to a minimum and internal musings on world elements, such as statues and such, always serve the plot in delicious ways ... The book is quintessential Scalzi, with enough political commentary, social justice, pew-pew shoot-’em-up, space renegades, and underhanded maneuvering, that no reader will leave empty handed.
The Consuming Fire is the sequel to last year’s The Collapsing Empire, and on some level, it’s really easy to say that if you liked the latter, you’ll like the former ... it’s good to see that Scalzi does take some risks in his storytelling ... The narrator is casual, as in the first novel in the series, but it’s been taken to a new level in Fire, to the point where it almost feels as though I’m listening to someone in Buffy the Vampire Slayer talk. Whether or not this is a good thing is up for debate, particularly since it’s used during scenes that might not require that amount of levity. There are times where it does shine, but it still feels like it’s a touch overused ... However, overall, The Consuming Fire is just as fun of a ride as The Collapsing Empire was ... Kudos for Scalzi to getting all of this packed in.
With Scalzi...a tight plot is a given, as is sharp dialog and snappy sentences. With this book, however, a dependable system’s accurately predicated collapse maps nicely against our real-world changing climate—not in terms of the math but in terms of how people react to that fact. There is a welcome sharpness to this book and its lack of patience for those who can’t see beyond increasing their own profit, no matter how much suffering they cause. It’s a fun book, mind, but it’s also an angry one.
Sequels can be hard to pull off ... Luckily, The Consuming Fire does so beautifully with some excellent character introductions, universe expansion, and some great villainy ... I hope you love it. I sure did.
If you’re picturing a plodding tome about intergalactic politics, think again: Scalzi writes, as always, in a lively, occasionally flamboyant style, and his characters are, despite the fact that they live in the far-flung future, as real and human as anyone you’d meet in the here and now. Scalzi once again demonstrates why he is one of the most popular SF novelists currently writing.
Scalzi’s key players remain individually distinctive and delightfully outrageous in their interactions without becoming caricatured. A section about the exploration of a newly reaccessible world falls into a tired mode as old computers reboot and a meeting with a degraded remnant of the population feels like alien first contact, but the story brightens again when the shipbound avatar of an old king breezes in to do historical exposition. This novel sits perfectly in its second-book role, leaving the reader deeply invested in the developing story, with plenty left to tell.
