Book Review: The Infinite State by Richard Swan

 First up, the customary plot: 

 In this blistering science fiction epic, international bestselling author Richard Swan presents a thrilling tale of survival and an eviscerating examination of totalitarianism.

THE INFINITE STATE begins at a flashpoint in the lives of a widowed party member, a disgraced investigator, and a hypersled pilot—entangled in a plot to escape the suffocating authority of a fascist state.

WHO GIVES YOU LIFE?
PATER AETERNUS.

Katherine Fuller’s husband is dead. As an esteemed member of Pater Aeternus—governing party of the fascist, galaxy-spanning Decurion Empire—he has left behind an estate of immeasurable wealth. And Katherine is going to inherit it.

WHO GIVES YOU PURPOSE?
PATER AETERNUS.

Life under the Eternal Father is rigidly stratified, surveilled, and controlled—each new day to be endured, not lived. But with Katherine’s newfound fortune, she is presented with a rare and dangerous opportunity: purchase a virgin world, and create a better, fairer society.

WHO GIVES YOU JOY?
PATER AETERNUS.

But the Empire cannot allow its wayward daughter to succeed. And as Katherine works in secret, recruiting allies she's not even sure she can trust, she will discover exactly how far Pater Aeternus is willing to go to stop her. Because Katherine is going to create something nobody has seen for many years.

A democracy.

My review:

This is an ARC that I received from NetGalley.  

At only 15% in, this book is giving me serious George Orwell's 1984 vibes. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not.  🤔

I'm not a fan of the Dystopian type of science fiction. But...this book is keeping me wanting to know what will happen to each of the main characters.

The story itself is quite fast paced. Not much of a slowdown at all. The world building is very good. The characters well developed. 

In Part II of the book, you get all of the main characters getting together in one place. How and why this happens gets explained as you continue. You find out that some of these characters were not exactly what they appeared to be when you first meet them. 

The action picks up even more, once you hit about the 75% to 85% place in the story. And boy does it ever surprise you. 

The one thing that I did not enjoy was the change of POV in mid chapter in the second half of the book. That has got to be one of my biggest peeves. Other than that, I did enjoy this book.

All in all, this was a very good book. A solid 4 stars (****).  It probably would have been 5 stars (*****), if it didn't have the mid chapter POV change. 

This is definitely a book/series that I will want to continue to read. I must know what happens next to these characters. 

Here's the cover: