Empire, by Orson Scott Card, envisions a civil war that could come to be if the political left and right become increasingly pugnacious (a blanket summary). It actually started really well, but the second half found the reader further entrenched in a tension that was oversimplified. Human motivation and reaction also seemed to be grossly oversimplifed to make the plot possible. It lost it's appeal toward the end, and it concluded with a huge cliffhanger, which means I have to decide if I want to read the sequel (Hidden Empire) to finish the the plot line. As of now, I think I'm not going to bother with a sequel.
I feel like this isn't a great review, which is kind of sad because I started out loving this book! I think it just got too heady in the end, a sentiment I also felt about Card's work toward the end of the Ender branch of the Enderverse. I love his characters, his plots, and how intelligence is a note always played in his books. I don't regret reading it and it had its exciting parts. Unless I become compelled to read the sequel though, I probably won't think about it much again.
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