The Collapsing Empire

I like Scalzi's style and characters in general, and this book was no exception. My issues were with the villains, specifically that they seemed both incompetent and yet managed to get their way almost despite themselves. Does Deus Ex Machina apply to villains? It appeared to in this story, and it pulled me out of the plot.

I'm still on board for the next book, tho. Hopefully the villains' actions make a little more sense.