The Consuming Fire

Hard to rate the middle book of a series separately from the others. This instalment was just as fast-paced and complex as the first. The story does not skip ahead much, and is a direct continuation of where the previous one left off, seamless. I love the intricacies of the political system and economy in Scalzi's universe. They leave a lot of room for plotting and scheming, lots of differing perspectives and motivations to emerge.