The End of All Things / John Scalzi

The End of All Things
by John Scalzi

science fiction, short story series

copyright 2015
read in September 2016

rated 6/10: read to pass the time

First, that "short story series": The book contains several short stories (or novellas) which follow a single plot. Follow loosely, that is. The stories add up to a "complete" novel. And I put complete in quotes because, well, as a novel it is lacking.

The stories are a sequence of events, snapshots of a future history. At a higher level -- two star-faring civilisations in conflict -- there is continuity. Individuals, however, come and go. Well, okay, many individuals are in each story. None are key characters throughout. This makes it difficult to see the book as a novel.

Each story is fun, sort of. Cunning humans, likeable aliens, conflict, a cunning plan, conflict resolution. I find it very hard to sympathise with the humans.

The humans are cunning, dishonest and cruel. Their "civilisation" is a cruel regime with absolute centralised power and no allowance for dissent. In the third story the author seems to recognise this:

The ruling group exercises its absolute power, there is a series of violent repressions. Some characters provide light relief, with suggestions that maybe this is not a good way to rule. Finally, one character makes a minor statement of disagreement. I guess that this represents a gradual shift of public opinion, away from the status quo.

Finally, a form of democracy is forced onto humanity. Not chosen, forced. Either democracy, or "the end of all things". Which is a rather melodramatic title.

It's either this, or "the end of all things". Where "the end" is, it seems, space war which is likely to destroy both human and alien civilisations. That's back to a barbaric square one. It's not the end of all things. Just the end of a nascent United (Alien) Nations group and the end of the human space empire.

The human space empire exercises absolute central power to crush independence movements. It uses guile, deception and brutality to defeat aliens. What's worth saving?!

And then there's the final, "alternate" version of the first story. It's the author padding this book with a story which he earlier rejected. I started to read it and gave up... Perhaps it would have been more interesting nearer the front of the book. Before I had developed such a strong dislike of the human characters.

Oh well.

Wham, bam. Humanity uber alles aliens.

It's entertaining.

It also leaves an unpleasant taste in the mind.

21mar18: Re-read it -- it's easy enough to read.

Agreed with my earlier review.

24jun20: I read it again. A similar opinion: still entertaining but still a somewhat unpleasant view of humanity, still leaves me with a somewhat unpleasant feeling in my mind..

This time, however, I read the full "alternate beginning". The published beginning is much better.

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Dr Nick Lethbridge / Consulting Dexitroboper
Agamedes Consulting / Problems? Solved.
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"New experiences lead to new questions and new solutions ! Change forces us to experiment and adapt ! That's how we learn and grow !" … Calvin, to Hobbes