The decline and fall of Rome in the Stars
A classic of the genre, but quite idiosyncratic. We have an interstellar civilisation, one so far advanced they have forgot about Earth, unknowingly teetering on the edge of collapse. And one man, an unlikable one at that, has foresaw the fall, mathematically no less. His plan is to make the coming dark age shorter, a novel idea versus trying to stave off the danger.
The book is wise on how and why collapse happens, or happened for Rome at least! Squabbles on the periphery devoid of hegemonic power, a bloated core regressing steadily but not immediately. Mentioning that future historians wont even agree on a single date or event. How very true!
The story is clever, both conceptually and with the political machinations that play out in each stage, I was consistently surprised as we go on a tour of the history of power, in space - raw power - religion - capitalism and financial domination - really just like Rome and the West. Mary Beard writes of this today, how Rome traded in armies and land Empire for control of peoples souls, all roads still lead to Rome, but it became administered by bishops not legions.
The vision of the future is quaint by todays standards, with nuclear power ruling all, and some stuff we have today outstripping their millennia advanced tech - but i mean its from the 50s no hard feelings :)
The story itself has great twists, its exciting and fun. It jumps about in time quite a lot, with little continuity - there is no time to really get to know any of the characters (almost all of whom are men, i think a woman makes a single speaking role as a traded wife!).
The middle sections are well thought out and follow a nice structure, however i must sat the beginning and end are weird. The beginning has a quite silly introduction to the new planet, ending in a chase and arrest within a few hours, seems out of pace with the rest of the story. The end is abrupt - I know there are following books - but it as if they chopped a single work and the end of a chapter.
Will read on!