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Empire's Corps #3
When the Bough Breaks
“When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall,
“And down will come baby, cradle and all.”
The Galactic Empire is dying. In their high towers, the Grand Senators plot and struggle to grasp a larger share of power while on the streets, the poor struggle to survive just one more day. Chaos and anarchy are running through the megacities of Earth, while giant corporations tighten the screws and colony worlds plot to declare independence and escape the Empire’s increasing demands for resources. Centuries of mismanagement are finally catching up with the human race. The end cannot be long delayed.
Specialist Belinda Lawson, a Marine Pathfinder who survived the fighting on Han, is assigned to serve as a bodyguard to the Childe Roland, the Heir to the Imperial Throne, and attempt to prepare him to be Emperor. But Roland is a puppet and a spoilt brat – and, perhaps, the only hope of saving the Empire, if he can be redeemed in time.
And yet, as shadowy figures prepare to make their final bid for apotheosis – or nemesis – it may be all she can do to keep her young charge alive.
“And down will come baby, cradle and all.”
The Galactic Empire is dying. In their high towers, the Grand Senators plot and struggle to grasp a larger share of power while on the streets, the poor struggle to survive just one more day. Chaos and anarchy are running through the megacities of Earth, while giant corporations tighten the screws and colony worlds plot to declare independence and escape the Empire’s increasing demands for resources. Centuries of mismanagement are finally catching up with the human race. The end cannot be long delayed.
Specialist Belinda Lawson, a Marine Pathfinder who survived the fighting on Han, is assigned to serve as a bodyguard to the Childe Roland, the Heir to the Imperial Throne, and attempt to prepare him to be Emperor. But Roland is a puppet and a spoilt brat – and, perhaps, the only hope of saving the Empire, if he can be redeemed in time.
And yet, as shadowy figures prepare to make their final bid for apotheosis – or nemesis – it may be all she can do to keep her young charge alive.
499 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 12, 2013
181 people are currently reading
260 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
April 25, 2018
After two books centered on Stalker's Marines far far away from Earth we go back to Earth actually, to witness the last days of the Empire.
It explains how it happened and paves the way for future developments. The plot is decent but certainly not original and depicted with many broad strokes on the verge of caricature. A bit more finesse would have been appreciated here and there.
It also takes some time to gain momentum and feels a bit rushed up in the end. It almost looks like the Empire crumbled in a few hours!
Nuttall should also take care of not being too often repetitive and not to over-explain things.
Let's be honest, the characters aren't too subtle either- Prince Roland, Amethyst...- but not to the point of being insufferable so I'll give it a pass.
And most of all there is Pathfinder Belinda Lawson, a.k.a. Drill Sergeant Nasty Bitch (I'm not even making that one up! It's in the book!)
Belinda Lawson is a pure wet dream if you're into dominatrixes in uniform. Hardcore bitch in a blonde bombshell, isn't she a peach? Of course she's a caricature too but she's somehow fun that way. She made me think of Sergeant Calhoun in Wreck-it-Ralph. And you won't believe where she can hide a knife!
So, the weakest of the series so far but not too unpleasant to read as an interlude before going back to Avalon with Stalker's Stalkers.
It explains how it happened and paves the way for future developments. The plot is decent but certainly not original and depicted with many broad strokes on the verge of caricature. A bit more finesse would have been appreciated here and there.
It also takes some time to gain momentum and feels a bit rushed up in the end. It almost looks like the Empire crumbled in a few hours!
Nuttall should also take care of not being too often repetitive and not to over-explain things.
Let's be honest, the characters aren't too subtle either- Prince Roland, Amethyst...- but not to the point of being insufferable so I'll give it a pass.
And most of all there is Pathfinder Belinda Lawson, a.k.a. Drill Sergeant Nasty Bitch (I'm not even making that one up! It's in the book!)
Belinda Lawson is a pure wet dream if you're into dominatrixes in uniform. Hardcore bitch in a blonde bombshell, isn't she a peach? Of course she's a caricature too but she's somehow fun that way. She made me think of Sergeant Calhoun in Wreck-it-Ralph. And you won't believe where she can hide a knife!
So, the weakest of the series so far but not too unpleasant to read as an interlude before going back to Avalon with Stalker's Stalkers.
July 23, 2014
This one takes place on Earth after the exile to Avalon of our heroes and shows the brutal and swift end of the empire
Commando Belinda Lawton is sole survivor of mission gone bad so in a last authority act the marine commander assigns her as personal bodyguard to spoiled teen Roland Childe who is the puppet heir of the throne marked for slow death by substance abuse by the wheelers and dealers of the senate
Again not unexpected or unusual stuff - the teen gets a spine but has not enough power in time while treachery abounds - but great mixing of the ingredients and lots of narrative energy
Commando Belinda Lawton is sole survivor of mission gone bad so in a last authority act the marine commander assigns her as personal bodyguard to spoiled teen Roland Childe who is the puppet heir of the throne marked for slow death by substance abuse by the wheelers and dealers of the senate
Again not unexpected or unusual stuff - the teen gets a spine but has not enough power in time while treachery abounds - but great mixing of the ingredients and lots of narrative energy
August 25, 2015
I'm flying through this series so far and I'm torn.
This book is a departure, as it's about what's happening on earth and how the empire falls, while the gang on Avalon does it's thing. I was disappointed at first because I'd hoped I'd get some insight into Stalker or the others from the series. This book doesn't give that, but it helps flesh out the politics of the empire on earth and how and why it falls; and therein lies my problem.
I am newish to hard military sci-fi or whatever we call this sub-genre but I enjoy it and Nuttall's world appeals to me. I can put aside my more liberal leanings and kind of gloss over his conservative worldview here (the earth described in book 3 is like some politically correct dystopia as I imagine conservatives imagine it - too many examples to go into: mandatory plastic surgery so no one feels badly about themselves, universities no longer grading with rigor, free love, drugs etc.) I can put this aside largely because the characters are compelling and the story moves at a good clip, I get good action to balance out the political asides, which are really quite subtle but still clear enough for me to take notice. I can get past it as I said, but I find myself stopping to counter his point, which I guess means I'm into the story. On the upside, there are several strong female characters and none feel gratuitous, they belong, they're tough as hell an integral to the story. I think this is a good example of how to write complex, nuanced women. However, there is a lot of rape in the series, and it's troubling. I know rape is a part of war, and when societies as are stratified as the colony worlds described it makes some kind of sense how sexual violence would pervade and how women would become demeaned. But Nuttall keeps throwing in rape after rape and it doesn't add to the story, it doesn't have much to do with the narrative. I don't mind that he discusses rape, none of which are too graphic, but they're pointless, Nuttall doesn't get into why women would become sexually victimized, there's no commentary on how and why this happens so often. The rapes come of as lazy filler, and it kind of sucks that Nuttall's using rape as a cheap trick to move the story. I think he could find other ways to discuss social collapse, or portray people as violent, falling back time after time on rape really isn't working for me in the series, it doesn't add to how I mentally shape these worlds and the chaos in the empire's collapse.
I'll keep reading, but I don't know how much more I can invest if Nuttall keeps using rape as cheap filler in this story.
This book is a departure, as it's about what's happening on earth and how the empire falls, while the gang on Avalon does it's thing. I was disappointed at first because I'd hoped I'd get some insight into Stalker or the others from the series. This book doesn't give that, but it helps flesh out the politics of the empire on earth and how and why it falls; and therein lies my problem.
I am newish to hard military sci-fi or whatever we call this sub-genre but I enjoy it and Nuttall's world appeals to me. I can put aside my more liberal leanings and kind of gloss over his conservative worldview here (the earth described in book 3 is like some politically correct dystopia as I imagine conservatives imagine it - too many examples to go into: mandatory plastic surgery so no one feels badly about themselves, universities no longer grading with rigor, free love, drugs etc.) I can put this aside largely because the characters are compelling and the story moves at a good clip, I get good action to balance out the political asides, which are really quite subtle but still clear enough for me to take notice. I can get past it as I said, but I find myself stopping to counter his point, which I guess means I'm into the story. On the upside, there are several strong female characters and none feel gratuitous, they belong, they're tough as hell an integral to the story. I think this is a good example of how to write complex, nuanced women. However, there is a lot of rape in the series, and it's troubling. I know rape is a part of war, and when societies as are stratified as the colony worlds described it makes some kind of sense how sexual violence would pervade and how women would become demeaned. But Nuttall keeps throwing in rape after rape and it doesn't add to the story, it doesn't have much to do with the narrative. I don't mind that he discusses rape, none of which are too graphic, but they're pointless, Nuttall doesn't get into why women would become sexually victimized, there's no commentary on how and why this happens so often. The rapes come of as lazy filler, and it kind of sucks that Nuttall's using rape as a cheap trick to move the story. I think he could find other ways to discuss social collapse, or portray people as violent, falling back time after time on rape really isn't working for me in the series, it doesn't add to how I mentally shape these worlds and the chaos in the empire's collapse.
I'll keep reading, but I don't know how much more I can invest if Nuttall keeps using rape as cheap filler in this story.
February 15, 2015
Christopher Nuttall has impressive collection of books he's written, and some day I'll get a handle on his other series. But now I'm determined to find out how the fall of the empire turns out. Will petty dictators win the war? Will freedom persevere? Is human nature rife with flaws that will result in our demise? Nuttall takes on major themes and infuses them with stories of regular people. He has a great storytelling style that keeps me wanting to plow through his stuff like he's Asimov or Heinlein and I've got nothing else better to do than stare at a book, or in this case e-book. In "When the Bow Breaks," he treats the reader to an inside look at the empire through the exploits of marine Belinda Lawson, who's assigned as a special envoy to the young and completely useless emperor, the Childe Roland on the Imperial Throne. Everybody wants something. Power jockeying within the Imperial Senate is a full-time job, and destabilizing the Empire is the current task at hand. Unfortunately, for the conspirators their exploits are too effective. Belinda, meanwhile, has to figure out a way to save Roland, who she's whipped into shape. She is a great character I'd like to see again. But will she survive when all around her spirals into destruction?
December 12, 2014
This is book three in the Empire series. It appears this book is being used as background filler about the decay of the Empire. Avalon and the Rim colonies are not part of this story.
Instead we have Marine pathfinder, Specialist Belinda Lawson who survived the fighting on Hon, and is now assigned to serve as a bodyguard to the child Roland, the heir to the Imperial throne. Nuttall portrays him as a puppet and a spoiled brat and a possible drug addict. Roland is starting to realize the Empire is collapsing but is he too late and too little power to change things? The Grand Senators plot and struggle to gain more power, mega corporation tighten their grips on power, the Empire is corrupt and falling apart. A plot is discovered to assassinate Roland can Lawson protect him?
The author appears to be creating a world of good guys and bad guys. The character development in this episode is poor. What is going to happen to the Marines? What is going on at Avalon? Guess I will have to listen to next book to find out. I read this as an audio book downloaded from Audible. Jeffrey Kafer narrated the story.
Instead we have Marine pathfinder, Specialist Belinda Lawson who survived the fighting on Hon, and is now assigned to serve as a bodyguard to the child Roland, the heir to the Imperial throne. Nuttall portrays him as a puppet and a spoiled brat and a possible drug addict. Roland is starting to realize the Empire is collapsing but is he too late and too little power to change things? The Grand Senators plot and struggle to gain more power, mega corporation tighten their grips on power, the Empire is corrupt and falling apart. A plot is discovered to assassinate Roland can Lawson protect him?
The author appears to be creating a world of good guys and bad guys. The character development in this episode is poor. What is going to happen to the Marines? What is going on at Avalon? Guess I will have to listen to next book to find out. I read this as an audio book downloaded from Audible. Jeffrey Kafer narrated the story.
December 12, 2014
Another enjoyable read, in a very good series.
August 9, 2022
This is as much a geo-political thriller as it is a continuation of the Space Marine series. In this book Nuttall takes a step back after the first 2 books and leaves Stalker, his marines and the population of Avalon and turns his focus on Earth. Readers of the first 2 books will know that Avalon has heard of the collapse of the Empire and how the out rim worlds have all been abandoned. In this book Nuttall essentially provides the details of the final collapse. Personally I think this works better than trying to provide this detail as aside/back story information in another story, which would only have had the result of slowing down the main story and by necessity being light on details.
The book has 2 principal story arcs, one follows a Belinda a marine pathfinder tasked with being the crown prince's bodyguard. Taking her job seriously she sets out not only to protect the prince but to turn him from the foppish. spoilt brat that he is into a man for who is able to take on the role of being a crown prince. The 2nd follows the students at the university who start to realise the nature of the empire and start to protest. These protests soon turn to violent clashes and the rest is history.
One fascinating thing about the story is that you can see the fall of real empires /societies mirrored in the fiction (Roman, British and even Communist Russia). The Empire becomes too big to effectively manage, those in power are more interested in keeping their power than governing so appointments are made due to who would benefit their power base rather than someone with the skills to do the job. The system is already collapsing but the elite isolated from the lot of the majority are unaware /or taking care not to be aware and only when things start to affect them to the take notice. By this time of course its too late.
Thoroughly enjoyable read and can't wait to see where the series goes next.
The book has 2 principal story arcs, one follows a Belinda a marine pathfinder tasked with being the crown prince's bodyguard. Taking her job seriously she sets out not only to protect the prince but to turn him from the foppish. spoilt brat that he is into a man for who is able to take on the role of being a crown prince. The 2nd follows the students at the university who start to realise the nature of the empire and start to protest. These protests soon turn to violent clashes and the rest is history.
One fascinating thing about the story is that you can see the fall of real empires /societies mirrored in the fiction (Roman, British and even Communist Russia). The Empire becomes too big to effectively manage, those in power are more interested in keeping their power than governing so appointments are made due to who would benefit their power base rather than someone with the skills to do the job. The system is already collapsing but the elite isolated from the lot of the majority are unaware /or taking care not to be aware and only when things start to affect them to the take notice. By this time of course its too late.
Thoroughly enjoyable read and can't wait to see where the series goes next.
September 4, 2017
When I started this book, I was dubious about whether or not I would like it, as it went back to the beginning of the story. I have enjoyed all of the other books by this author and was not disappointed at all.
Begins a little slow with a lot of worldbuilding and character introductions, but gets roaring after about a third of the book. I quickly found myself cheering for Belinda and Roland.
Ending was a bit of a surprise, not quite what I was expecting after reading several of this author's works. Definitely left the story open for another book. I hope that the author does write more about Belinda and Roland. I hope that this is not the last we see of the pair.
Begins a little slow with a lot of worldbuilding and character introductions, but gets roaring after about a third of the book. I quickly found myself cheering for Belinda and Roland.
Ending was a bit of a surprise, not quite what I was expecting after reading several of this author's works. Definitely left the story open for another book. I hope that the author does write more about Belinda and Roland. I hope that this is not the last we see of the pair.
January 1, 2018
Deceiving your readers is not a practice which should be rewared.
When you buy a car, you expect a car not a bike.
This is a book in "The Empire's Corps" universe, but it is not what a reader would expect of book 3.
I guess it would be fine to call it something like 2.5, or better a story in "The Empire's Corps" 1.
I would not have bought this book if i had known it was a "scam"/lie.
Yes i could have investigated the book, to know better, but how many spoilers are there in the summaries?
I am sorry to be so harsh, but this horrible practice has happened too often.
If the book had a proper name, i would have given it 4 stars.
When you buy a car, you expect a car not a bike.
This is a book in "The Empire's Corps" universe, but it is not what a reader would expect of book 3.
I guess it would be fine to call it something like 2.5, or better a story in "The Empire's Corps" 1.
I would not have bought this book if i had known it was a "scam"/lie.
Yes i could have investigated the book, to know better, but how many spoilers are there in the summaries?
I am sorry to be so harsh, but this horrible practice has happened too often.
If the book had a proper name, i would have given it 4 stars.
December 18, 2018
Sci Fi Atlas Shrugs
Full of action and political intrigue, and showing the danger of an ineffective political and education system. It reminds me of Jerry Pournelles US in his condominium books.
There is a wonderful explanation of maintenance vs repair. The pot holed filled streets of Los Angeles are a somber Reminder of why maintenance is so important.
Full of action and political intrigue, and showing the danger of an ineffective political and education system. It reminds me of Jerry Pournelles US in his condominium books.
There is a wonderful explanation of maintenance vs repair. The pot holed filled streets of Los Angeles are a somber Reminder of why maintenance is so important.
February 25, 2024
So far so good
Some books should be standalone, others two is enough. After reading the third in this series it shows what a great writer Christopher G. Nutall is and that this is shaping up to be a fantasy series of epic proportions. Lots of new characters and some old, with a move into the civilian populace Andy political hierarchy of the Empire. Well worth reading.
Some books should be standalone, others two is enough. After reading the third in this series it shows what a great writer Christopher G. Nutall is and that this is shaping up to be a fantasy series of epic proportions. Lots of new characters and some old, with a move into the civilian populace Andy political hierarchy of the Empire. Well worth reading.
November 10, 2019
Best of the series in my opinion
Excellent . The more I read the better it got. This author is rapidly rising to the top of my favorites list. Warning, he might make you think. To seriously consider our own times.
Excellent . The more I read the better it got. This author is rapidly rising to the top of my favorites list. Warning, he might make you think. To seriously consider our own times.
April 14, 2022
excellent real world parallels
C.Nuttall has very engaging characters you want to know how the story goes. And fantastic real world afterwards that should be taught in every middle school.
C.Nuttall has very engaging characters you want to know how the story goes. And fantastic real world afterwards that should be taught in every middle school.
June 26, 2017
Excellent story
and a glimpse of the future if we don't set limits now on the ever expanding government. how the majority can be so blind is beyond me.
and a glimpse of the future if we don't set limits now on the ever expanding government. how the majority can be so blind is beyond me.
January 25, 2018
Great Story
The story lines are great!! The writer parallels his story with what is it has happen in history. Bravo bravo!!
The story lines are great!! The writer parallels his story with what is it has happen in history. Bravo bravo!!
February 11, 2019
I really like how he has created everything. New worlds, the trouble about food and space on earth. really also like how he shows how it goes with other people besides Stalker´s stalkers.
April 5, 2019
Excellent
A little bit boring at times... But still a read worth the money. And the good news for the author is...I'll be buying the next in the series.
A little bit boring at times... But still a read worth the money. And the good news for the author is...I'll be buying the next in the series.
November 9, 2020
Good Read
For a fan of military sci-fi if contains all the technology and battle one could desire. The prescient part is how today’s politics could lead to our total downfall.
For a fan of military sci-fi if contains all the technology and battle one could desire. The prescient part is how today’s politics could lead to our total downfall.
August 11, 2022
Not a very plausible action plot (too much hinges on the Uber soldier) but an excellent! treatise on the political situation. Bravo.
August 2, 2023
Superb sequel
This installment explains the downfall of the Empire and why it totally fell apart. Sets the stage for the 20 volumes.
This installment explains the downfall of the Empire and why it totally fell apart. Sets the stage for the 20 volumes.
December 19, 2024
The story was great, however, the racist political views made this a difficult read.
November 14, 2023
Probably one of the better books in the series so far. Definitely one of my personal favorites.
January 27, 2015
I had to force myself to finish this book and I did this only after I had made sure it would not be the way the series went from there on. I will admit I was sceptical before even starting, because I wanted to know what happened after the second book, not some new character that has no connection to the other books. But there was the hope it would serve as exposition to the universe and so I began to read. The book fails on almost every level:
The characters are flat and uninteresting, every one of them. Our hero is a Pathfinder, an elite Marine, who has exactly as much depth as the Marines in the first book. But while they are part of a larger group they can get away with being flat, here we have (soon literally) one lone marine. There is no motivation, no backstory, no character. The one piece of information we are given is so utterly superfluous it might as well have been given in one sentence instead of the whole prologue it got. And all it does in the end is serve as a cheap image during the final pages.
Some of the antagonists get more character, but in the end they also remain flat and uninspired. Unfortunately they are all too stupid to actually be more than evil, which is especially bad for the main antagonist. Here we have a supposed cunning schemer, who has reached what he reached through cunning, manipulation and amorality, but he is shown more often than not being baffled by something he himself or one of the exceedingly rare opponents has done. In the end I was shocked there was no better antagonist, especially since this one actually did something to reach the goal the protagonists tried to reach as well.
The supporting characters do get a bit of development, but in the end this development felt either rushed or was forgotten once it served its purpose to the plot.
The plot itself is another big problem. With the conclusion in a major point predetermined and any last bit of doubt erased in the beginning of the second chapter there is no suspense. We know the hero will fail and nothing happening in this story will change this. In itself this is not necessarily bad, a good heroic struggle might have made the book and its universe more interesting, but nothing is there. With our faithful oracle blathering about what we are going to read we slog through the story. And yet despite many, many monologues and speeches there is a strange lack of information that fails in fleshing out the universe.
There is one actually moving scene, which tells of the near future of Earth. It actually manages to create an image of what will happen and for a brief moment the implications become clear. The book may have worked on the back of that few sentences, but they are at the end, where they cannot help the mess that preceded them.
Ultimately, I was disappointed. The story seems to be as finished as it can be and I hope something like it will not turn up again. It is a book in a series of military science fiction, yet the only actually military involvement is marginal at best. It tries to be a story of intrigue and schemes that threaten empires and make evil tyrants, but the contender is too stupid and the other parties failed to show up. It wants to shed light on a pivotal point of the universe, but it utterly fails to do so, instead regurgitating what was already mentioned in the first book.
For me, this book should never have been part of the series. It may have worked as a standalone or companion piece, but the placement in the series implies it is part of the overarching plot. Instead in the beginning of the fourth book we are actually told, that rumours of the events of this book started leaking out. I wish I had skipped it.
The characters are flat and uninteresting, every one of them. Our hero is a Pathfinder, an elite Marine, who has exactly as much depth as the Marines in the first book. But while they are part of a larger group they can get away with being flat, here we have (soon literally) one lone marine. There is no motivation, no backstory, no character. The one piece of information we are given is so utterly superfluous it might as well have been given in one sentence instead of the whole prologue it got. And all it does in the end is serve as a cheap image during the final pages.
Some of the antagonists get more character, but in the end they also remain flat and uninspired. Unfortunately they are all too stupid to actually be more than evil, which is especially bad for the main antagonist. Here we have a supposed cunning schemer, who has reached what he reached through cunning, manipulation and amorality, but he is shown more often than not being baffled by something he himself or one of the exceedingly rare opponents has done. In the end I was shocked there was no better antagonist, especially since this one actually did something to reach the goal the protagonists tried to reach as well.
The supporting characters do get a bit of development, but in the end this development felt either rushed or was forgotten once it served its purpose to the plot.
The plot itself is another big problem. With the conclusion in a major point predetermined and any last bit of doubt erased in the beginning of the second chapter there is no suspense. We know the hero will fail and nothing happening in this story will change this. In itself this is not necessarily bad, a good heroic struggle might have made the book and its universe more interesting, but nothing is there. With our faithful oracle blathering about what we are going to read we slog through the story. And yet despite many, many monologues and speeches there is a strange lack of information that fails in fleshing out the universe.
There is one actually moving scene, which tells of the near future of Earth. It actually manages to create an image of what will happen and for a brief moment the implications become clear. The book may have worked on the back of that few sentences, but they are at the end, where they cannot help the mess that preceded them.
Ultimately, I was disappointed. The story seems to be as finished as it can be and I hope something like it will not turn up again. It is a book in a series of military science fiction, yet the only actually military involvement is marginal at best. It tries to be a story of intrigue and schemes that threaten empires and make evil tyrants, but the contender is too stupid and the other parties failed to show up. It wants to shed light on a pivotal point of the universe, but it utterly fails to do so, instead regurgitating what was already mentioned in the first book.
For me, this book should never have been part of the series. It may have worked as a standalone or companion piece, but the placement in the series implies it is part of the overarching plot. Instead in the beginning of the fourth book we are actually told, that rumours of the events of this book started leaking out. I wish I had skipped it.
December 4, 2015
Ranking Clarification: 3.5 Stars
I have to admit to mixed feelings about this book. Nuttall refocuses his Empire Corps series away from abandoned Marine force on Avalon and chooses instead to focus upon Earth's final days and the final days of the Empire. Nuttall's protagonist is a Marine Pathfinder who has been given the task of guarding the foppish and morally repugnant crown prince Roland and it is through her eyes that we watch the final crisis that eventually overcomes and destroys earth leaving it a sterile and shattered ruin.
While I enjoyed this book I can't help but think that Nuttall is using his fiction as a social commentary on the here and now. Each chapter is preceded by and excerpt from a book written by Professor Leo Caesius who we were introduced to in the first volume of this series. When one reads these missives and their criticisms of the evils of nepotism, bureaucracy, and the general decline of Imperial society and government one cannot help but wonder if the book is an exercise in fiction or rather a criticism of the current state of our democracy. His conclusion leaves no doubt that the Empire was destroyed but forces that are at work in the here and now.
While I am somewhat uncomfortable with this underlying political theme the book does fill a gap in the "Empire's Corps" series in that we see the events that overwhelm the empire soon after the departure of Avalon's Marines, but which have up until this point remained hidden to us as our view point has, up until this point, been limited to the planet Avalon and surrounding stellar neighbourhood. "When the Bough Breaks" can leave the reader with no doubt that the sudden and complete destruction of Earth and the equally quick but predictable dissolution of the Empire will have a pronounced impact upon Colonel Stalker and his Marine detachment along with his Avalonian allies. The chaos of Earth's destruction and the Empire's fall acts as a foil against which the reader must consider the state of affairs on the rim, in particular on Avalon and through which further books, which I gather will include the creation of a new Commonwealth, should be viewed. It is as if Issac Asimov chose to examine what impact the downfall of the Empire in Foundation novels might have had upon the Imperial Captial as well as on smaller settlements on the rim of civilized space.
For this reason I will continue to read this series and will view "When the Bough Breaks" as a necessary transition from the first part of Mr Nuttall's narrative to the next.
J
I have to admit to mixed feelings about this book. Nuttall refocuses his Empire Corps series away from abandoned Marine force on Avalon and chooses instead to focus upon Earth's final days and the final days of the Empire. Nuttall's protagonist is a Marine Pathfinder who has been given the task of guarding the foppish and morally repugnant crown prince Roland and it is through her eyes that we watch the final crisis that eventually overcomes and destroys earth leaving it a sterile and shattered ruin.
While I enjoyed this book I can't help but think that Nuttall is using his fiction as a social commentary on the here and now. Each chapter is preceded by and excerpt from a book written by Professor Leo Caesius who we were introduced to in the first volume of this series. When one reads these missives and their criticisms of the evils of nepotism, bureaucracy, and the general decline of Imperial society and government one cannot help but wonder if the book is an exercise in fiction or rather a criticism of the current state of our democracy. His conclusion leaves no doubt that the Empire was destroyed but forces that are at work in the here and now.
While I am somewhat uncomfortable with this underlying political theme the book does fill a gap in the "Empire's Corps" series in that we see the events that overwhelm the empire soon after the departure of Avalon's Marines, but which have up until this point remained hidden to us as our view point has, up until this point, been limited to the planet Avalon and surrounding stellar neighbourhood. "When the Bough Breaks" can leave the reader with no doubt that the sudden and complete destruction of Earth and the equally quick but predictable dissolution of the Empire will have a pronounced impact upon Colonel Stalker and his Marine detachment along with his Avalonian allies. The chaos of Earth's destruction and the Empire's fall acts as a foil against which the reader must consider the state of affairs on the rim, in particular on Avalon and through which further books, which I gather will include the creation of a new Commonwealth, should be viewed. It is as if Issac Asimov chose to examine what impact the downfall of the Empire in Foundation novels might have had upon the Imperial Captial as well as on smaller settlements on the rim of civilized space.
For this reason I will continue to read this series and will view "When the Bough Breaks" as a necessary transition from the first part of Mr Nuttall's narrative to the next.
J
July 18, 2014
Another reviewer on Goodreads wrote: “Christopher Nuttall’s writing is still as solid in this book as the previous two, so it pains me to only give it 3 stars…”. I share the same sentiment. If I were a 100% objective and professional reviewer I would (should) give this book a higher rating but I am not a professional reviewer and my ratings do reflect my personal feelings about every book I review. I have to say that I, after reading the blurb and some of the reviews, was somewhat prepared not to enjoy this book as much as the other books from Mr. Nuttall.
As was written above, the writing is as solid as one would expect from Mr. Nuttall. However this book is somewhat of a detour from the story that started in The Empire’s Corps. Sure, it is in the same universe and describes an important part of the events that unfolds in that universe but it is not at all about Captain Stalker and his marines on Avalon. The main character, which I really liked by the way, is indeed a marine but that is about as much marines that we get in this book. I rarely like when a series makes us get to know a set of main characters and them jumps completely away from them like this.
The book is also very very depressing. As can be deduced from the book blurb this book is about the downfall of The Empire and it is not pretty. The book revolves a lot around political machinations, gross mismanagement and manipulation of stupid mobs of people. I found it very depressing and there are really not any glimpses of light in the story, not even the end. It is downhill all the way.
The book itself is actually very good, well written as always when Mr. Nuttall stands for the writing, but my enjoyment of the book is muted by these two facts that I mentioned above. As I wrote, the book describes important events in the universe of The Empire’s Corps and although one could probably sidestep this book and go straight to book number four in the series if one only wanted to continue the story of the marines stranded on Avalon I do not think that I would have wanted to miss this book, even though I struggled a bit with it.
As was written above, the writing is as solid as one would expect from Mr. Nuttall. However this book is somewhat of a detour from the story that started in The Empire’s Corps. Sure, it is in the same universe and describes an important part of the events that unfolds in that universe but it is not at all about Captain Stalker and his marines on Avalon. The main character, which I really liked by the way, is indeed a marine but that is about as much marines that we get in this book. I rarely like when a series makes us get to know a set of main characters and them jumps completely away from them like this.
The book is also very very depressing. As can be deduced from the book blurb this book is about the downfall of The Empire and it is not pretty. The book revolves a lot around political machinations, gross mismanagement and manipulation of stupid mobs of people. I found it very depressing and there are really not any glimpses of light in the story, not even the end. It is downhill all the way.
The book itself is actually very good, well written as always when Mr. Nuttall stands for the writing, but my enjoyment of the book is muted by these two facts that I mentioned above. As I wrote, the book describes important events in the universe of The Empire’s Corps and although one could probably sidestep this book and go straight to book number four in the series if one only wanted to continue the story of the marines stranded on Avalon I do not think that I would have wanted to miss this book, even though I struggled a bit with it.
November 20, 2016
An enjoyable series so far, but I felt that this volume suffered from the author belaboring his political beliefs to the point I was reading a SF morality play. I hope that as the series develops the characters will become more complex and less like representations of certain lifestyles, beliefs, et cetera, who act as object lessons for the good professor's (author's) book on how it all went so very wrong.
From Woody Allen's "Love and Death":
Gen. Lecoq: Now men, because you are all getting a three-day furlough before going into battle, we would like to show you this little hygiene play.
[the actors step forward and the play begins]
Woman: Goodbye. I hope you had a good time.
Soldier: I did. I had a good time. Oh, what's this sore on my lip? I better see the doctor.
[He steps to his right and another actor stands up]
Soldier: Doc, I have this sore on my lip.
Doctor: You have a social disease my friend.
Soldier: Oh my God!
Doctor: If you do not treat it, you will go blind... Or insane!
[Applause]
Gen. Lecoq: Well men, that is the end of the play. Have a good time on your furlough and take care of yourselves.
Soldier: Well, what did you think of the play?
Boris: Oh, it was weak. I was never interested. Although the part of the doctor was played with gusto and verve and the girl had a delightful cameo role. A puckish satire of contemporary mores. A droll spoof aimed more at the heart than the head.
Soldier: As for me I'm planning to spend the next three days in a brothel. Care to come with me?
Boris: No, I went to a brothel once in my life. I got hiccups you know, it was over like that.
From Woody Allen's "Love and Death":
Gen. Lecoq: Now men, because you are all getting a three-day furlough before going into battle, we would like to show you this little hygiene play.
[the actors step forward and the play begins]
Woman: Goodbye. I hope you had a good time.
Soldier: I did. I had a good time. Oh, what's this sore on my lip? I better see the doctor.
[He steps to his right and another actor stands up]
Soldier: Doc, I have this sore on my lip.
Doctor: You have a social disease my friend.
Soldier: Oh my God!
Doctor: If you do not treat it, you will go blind... Or insane!
[Applause]
Gen. Lecoq: Well men, that is the end of the play. Have a good time on your furlough and take care of yourselves.
Soldier: Well, what did you think of the play?
Boris: Oh, it was weak. I was never interested. Although the part of the doctor was played with gusto and verve and the girl had a delightful cameo role. A puckish satire of contemporary mores. A droll spoof aimed more at the heart than the head.
Soldier: As for me I'm planning to spend the next three days in a brothel. Care to come with me?
Boris: No, I went to a brothel once in my life. I got hiccups you know, it was over like that.
April 8, 2015
Great read! The known but hitherto untold in the series story of the Fall of Earth. Basically what happens to make the Capitol of the Empire collapse in on itself after centuries of increasing bureaucratic sclerosis. This one is also a stand-alone book; its characters aren't (so far) part of the wider series. But knowing how this happened also informs the events in the main storyline.
As an American, I found some of the descriptions of life among future Earth's underclass a bit baffling, until I realized that the author was, in some ways, extrapolating from trends in Great Britain, particularly in the cities (which are similar to, but not exactly like the problems that American cities face).
Anyway, you're allowed to peer at the sweeping events of the fall of the Empire, while still focusing in on a group of basically likeable central characters (though some of them have to do some growing up in the midst of the story). Could be extremely depressing, but there was at least a little good to come out of the ending. I'm personally interested, now, to see what happened to the established worlds near Earth, since the rest of the series is giving us a pretty good sense of what is happening on the Rim.
As an American, I found some of the descriptions of life among future Earth's underclass a bit baffling, until I realized that the author was, in some ways, extrapolating from trends in Great Britain, particularly in the cities (which are similar to, but not exactly like the problems that American cities face).
Anyway, you're allowed to peer at the sweeping events of the fall of the Empire, while still focusing in on a group of basically likeable central characters (though some of them have to do some growing up in the midst of the story). Could be extremely depressing, but there was at least a little good to come out of the ending. I'm personally interested, now, to see what happened to the established worlds near Earth, since the rest of the series is giving us a pretty good sense of what is happening on the Rim.
January 3, 2014
Christopher Nuttall's writing is still as solid in this book as the previous two, so it pains me to only give it 3 stars, but the story isn't nearly as engaging. This is partially because this book does not continue the storyline of the previous two and partially because, taken as a stand-alone book, it reads more as a series of short stories rather than a novel. It's hard to care about any of the characters and I found myself skipping pages at a time looking for something to sink my teeth into.
There are some fun moments in the book and the story revolving around the prince can be engaging at times, but by-and-large it's hard to see it as anything other than back-story filler for the first two books.
There are some fun moments in the book and the story revolving around the prince can be engaging at times, but by-and-large it's hard to see it as anything other than back-story filler for the first two books.
May 27, 2016
Galactic Empire, thousands of worlds colonized, and the earth so over-populated that people live in what end up being basically ant warrens. Bureaucrats and politicians who are so focused on their little fiefs that even when people realized that things are falling apart, the answer isn't to fix it, it's to punish the people who noticed that things were falling apart, in first place..
Not an easy book to read, in a lot of ways, but something that any of these terrified easily offended souls should understand, far better than they do.
On the down side, it seems like getting raped in this fictitious empire is pretty common, as it comes up all the time, and it's a little amazing that people would immediately descend into cannibalism so quickly.
Not an easy book to read, in a lot of ways, but something that any of these terrified easily offended souls should understand, far better than they do.
On the down side, it seems like getting raped in this fictitious empire is pretty common, as it comes up all the time, and it's a little amazing that people would immediately descend into cannibalism so quickly.
August 21, 2014
With this book, the author starts a really interesting pattern. From here on out, every even-numbered book deals with the Terran Marines on Avalon. Every odd-numbered book (this is number three in the series) deals with a story set someplace else in the Empire. Some of the things that happen do affect the Marines on Avalon eventually, but really these odd-numbered books could stand on their own. It's a really interesting idea, and well-executed. The author sees that a world with the depth and complexity of the universe he has invented must contain more than one interesting story in it, and he's letting us see some of those.
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