Empire by Orson Scott Card is a novel set in a near future USA in most respects much like the current USA. In Card's novel the assassination of the President and Vice-President lead to the conservative Speaker of the House assuming the Presidency as next in line of succession. You might say “Wait! What! Assassinations?” Yes, assassinations. You see this novel is supposed to be a thriller.

The first chapter takes place outside the USA and is designed to introduce one of the main protagonists to the reader. It seems written in order to engender feelings of respect and affection for the protagonist, Captain Malich; promoted to Major by chapter's end. But this attempt at emotional manipulation is so blatant that the effect is lost. The development of Malich continues when he is in graduate school at Princeton taking classes from the renowned professor Averell Torrent.

In chapter three we are introduced to Captain Coleman, the other half of this dynamic duo through most of the rest of the book. We then meet Malich's blunt and impassable secretary, DeeNee Breen, then shortly thereafter Malich's virtually perfect wife.

When Malich and Coleman finally meet, the action heats up with the aforementioned assassinations. From then on the readers get some standard thriller fare with lots of weapons and action and intrigue and some extras that I discuss below. Some very odd plot twists follow, and of course, New York City with the 9/11 allusion plays a part.

New York City is invaded and taken over by a bunch of mechanical weapons devices and some troops in advanced body armor. The mechs rampage through New York City using loudspeakers to proclaim that they are there to protect New York City from the “unconstitutional government” in Washington DC and that everyone should stay off the streets in order not to be hurt. All the while these mechs are shooting at anything in a uniform, even an apartment building doorman. The mechs also shoot at our “Dynamic Good Guy Duo,” who just happened to be in New York City because they decided to drive from New Jersey to go visit Ground Zero very early on Sunday morning; the traffic will be light and they can get back to New Jersey in time to go to church.

There is very little description of the mechs but what is given does not sound particularly plausible. We are told that the mechs are fourteen feet high, have two legs, are impervious to small arms fire and have enough space in the ball for a human operator. And the mechs can run, turn and shoot. There is little or no discussion of details, such as how they are powered, what kind communications they have or how they stay stable. At fourteen feet tall if half of the height is legs then there is a seven foot diameter ball on top of the legs. But it supposedly runs well and chases Malich and Coleman down the street. The discussion of “first responders” covers one group of police who are dead and another group that our Dynamic Duo team up with. This group is able to bring down one of the mechs and disable it. Then this group makes it to the Holland tunnel where they kill the “Bad Guys” and make their escape. The scene in New York City is just one example where the reader is hard pressed to decide if it is science fiction, thriller, political rant, or sermon. Or an unintentional parody of them all.

The novel continues with a group called the Progressive Restoration announcing they are behind the New York City takeover and proclaiming the Progressive Restoration as the legitimate national government. Soon the New York City Council has announced it recognizes the Progressive Restoration as legitimate. Shortly thereafter some other cities and states do the same and you now have the split necessary for a civil war. But wait, there is more. While all of this has been going on, one of the “good guys” is being set up to take the fall for the assassinations and the “bad guys” have infiltrated the Pentagon. Thus the race is on for the good guys to clear their names, to find and defeat the bad guys and save the USA all while reflecting on sacrifice, honor, family, and other topics.

One thing which is obvious in this novel is it has a “Message” to preach. Many novels have messages and points of view and often writers can convey an idea or even sets of ideas and messages while keeping the reader engaged. Unfortunately this novel does not do well in handling messages. The messages in this novel lay heavily upon an already weak narrative pulling it down even farther. There is a lack of intellectual sophistication and an over-reliance on emotionalism.

As I mentioned previously, this novel has a major problem in that it is not clear if it is science fiction, thriller, political rant, or sermon. Mechanical weapons attacking a city are a science fiction trope with a long history; however, they need to be well thought-out and presented in a manner that does not cause the reader to stop and ponder how implausible is the scene they are reading. And if it is a thriller then why weigh down the action with the sermonizing? If it is a political rant or a sermon then have some clue about how to present those kinds of ideas without relying on stereotypes and clichés.

Unfortunately, this novel has a lot of clichés where it should have characters. The “Bad Guys” are portrayed particularly simplistically. For example, consider the rebel captured in the “Bad Guy” stronghold. He is portrayed as a weak and uninteresting character whose primary function appears to be supplying dialog as springboards so we can hear more from the “Good Guys.”

Important ethical and moral questions can be considered in a worthwhile manner in a novel. But it is wise to present them in a well-written manner. It is not an attack on the ethical and moral questions when one points out how poorly they have been presented in a novel. And presenting them poorly is not a way to encourage their consideration. This novel ends with enough open and unresolved bits that a sequel is possible. And since this novel was part of an entertainment business plan, a sequel is quite likely. I do not look forward to the sequel.

This brings us to the question of how I rank this work as compared to the other 2007 Prometheus Best Novel finalists. To be even minimally qualified for the Prometheus Best Novel award I feel a novel must have high quality as a work of fiction and also do well in handling libertarian themes. This novel does not even come close to meeting the first part of that test because it is such a weak novel. And as far as libertarian themes are concerned, they are generally lacking.