Swan's 'The Infinite State': Inventive, Talky Sci-Fi
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- Richard Swan's 'The Infinite State,' published by Gollancz (UK) and Tor Books (US), is set in the Decurion Empire — a galaxy-spanning state governed by 'Pater Aeternus' that the reviewer likens to Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia and oppressive Rome, but with spaceships.
- The novel follows three protagonists: Katherine Fuller, a wealthy widow plotting to buy a far-flung planet and establish a democracy; Inspektor Cyprian Reis, a cop whose children are held hostage by the Party; and Julian Yashego, a hypersled driver imported from the distant planet of Trillia for unexplained reasons.
- The Decurion Empire keeps its subjects pacified with a futuristic racing sport called 'hypersledding,' while women are treated as second-class citizens valued primarily for fertility.
- Reviewer Emily H. Wilson singles out Jaroslav Droor, the minister of information, as a standout villain comparable to the torturer Sand dan Glokta in Joe Abercrombie's 'The Blade Itself,' calling the high-ranking Party members 'each viler than the last.'
- Wilson criticizes Katherine as 'strangely feeble in a crisis' and 'not much more than a pawn,' notes the book is 'very talky' with little sense of planetary physicality, and calls the ending 'a bit neat and sweet,' worrying readers won't feel compelled to continue the intended series.
- Wilson ultimately calls the book 'clever, inventive and satisfying,' praising 'plots nesting within plots, and machinations within machinations' and noting 'no loose threads,' while looking forward to 'more of the Decurion Empire's revolting offspring.'
Why it matters: Wilson's verdict positions 'The Infinite State' as a tightly plotted, talky addition to galactic-empire sci-fi, anchored by standout villainy — but her flag that the ending is 'neat and sweet' could blunt momentum for the series Swan clearly intends. For Gollancz and Tor, the review signals a promising debut that leans on conversation and scheming rather than world-building spectacle.
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