Review: When The Bough Breaks
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 23, 2013
I'd consider this to be part 3 of "The Empire's Corps", altho it is not sequentially numbered in that manner, just subtitled "The Empire's Corps". Altho this could be read either stand-alone, or even as a prequel to those books, there is much context to be gained from the first two. Much of the background in this book is presented in those first two books, and the storyline from this book can be wedged between those first two books.Yea, that's a long-winded way of saying, "read the first two first". Because when you start to read about Captain Stalker in this book, and wonder why he is mentioned with such prominence, you will better understand if you start from the start.So, since you did read those first two books already, you should know that those books were mainly focused on Stalker's exile and the eventual abandonment he is faced with when the Empire starts to collapse. Stalker is seeing the backlash of that collapse, while this book is a front-row seat to that collapse. The story takes place exclusively on Earth, where the Empire is starting to crumble under the weight of its own bureaucracy and corrupt government. And a spectacular collapse it is.Spoiler ahead.I quite enjoyed this volume, as well as the first two books, and think the author is doing a great job building a universe. I finished the book sort of trying to think ahead of the author, so it'll be fun to see where he drives the story next.One issue I do have with the story is during a riot where upwards of 10,000 individuals are killed or seriously wounded, the infrastructure cannot cope with this disaster: hospitals cannot house the injured or provide supplies to treat them. On a planet that is estimated to have a population between 70 to 100 billion, a disaster involving 10,000 should not bring the planet to its knees (emotionally, maybe; professionally, no). With this size population, it's easily imaginable that 10,000 (or more) injuries or deaths would happen on a daily basis. The riot mentioned is a catalyst in the story, and key to development, which is why I am mentioning it specifically.