Book Review: The Infinite State by Richard Swan

I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

The Infinite State by Richard Swan

Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Genre: Science Fiction

Series: Book 1 of The Decurian Saga

Publisher: Orbit (August 4, 2026)

Length: 416 pages

Author Information: Website

Richard Swan is apparently taking a break from his usual fantasy fare and heading into science fiction. And well, The Infinite State is definitely a different setting, but at the same time, it still feels unmistakably like his work. Even though it took me a while to settle in this sprawling dystopian story, I found myself increasingly drawn into it once the pieces started falling into place.

The story follows three very different people living under the thumb of the oppressive Decurion Empire. First, we have Katherine Fuller, a wealthy widow who, in a moment of clarity following the devastating loss of her husband and son, finds herself doubting the system she has unquestioningly accepted her whole life. With her massive inheritance, she decides to do something that could put her on the wrong side of the Empire by purchasing a planet and attempting to establish something unthinkable: a democracy. Elsewhere, Cyprian Reis is a disgraced investigator who now scrapes by in the Empire’s criminal underbelly, also feeling disillusioned with the status quo. But soon, he’s pulled into a murder mystery that places him in the crosshairs of powerful people who would rather see the case disappear.  Finally, there’s Julian Yashego, a rising star in the world of hypersled racing, one of the Empire’s most popular sports. An outsider, he had arrived expecting a chance to make a name for himself, only to get caught up in a political game he never expected to be part of.

At first, these three perspectives seem almost completely disconnected, and I’ll admit I wasn’t entirely sure where Swan was going to go with them. The early chapters spend a fair amount of time bouncing between the characters, and they all seem to find themselves in some variation of the same scenarios: secret meetings, getting threatened or beaten up, and being reminded exactly where they belong in the hierarchy of the almighty Empire. It made for a somewhat shaky, disjointed start. But thankfully, the story eventually finds its rhythm. As the separate threads begin to converge, the full picture finally comes into focus. I have always enjoyed watching Swan gradually bring everything together, as this is a structure I’ve noticed in his previous novels as well, where seemingly unrelated plotlines ultimately intersect in ways that make the larger story feel more cohesive.

The dystopian side of the book also worked surprisingly well for me. The Decurion Empire’s control has seeped into virtually every part of everyday life. People are monitored, expected to conform, and taught from birth that the system is not only necessary but desirable. Of course, none of these ideas are new or unique, but the book makes them feel genuinely unsettling, nonetheless. Just like good fantasy relies on convincing world-building, dystopian fiction has to make even its more extreme ideas feel believable. Here, there are details on how an authoritarian society might maintain itself, particularly the way people can become accustomed to this way of living when they are presented as simply the natural order of things. While the messaging isn’t exactly subtle, I thought it was effective.

The characters themselves were a bit more of a mixed bag. While each perspective brought something different to the table, I wouldn’t say I any one of them became a favorite. That’s not necessarily a bad thing though, as the author made each character a well-rounded person complete with a boatload of flaws. And indeed, none of them are straightforward heroes, victims of their circumstances and prone to make questionable decisions. Sometimes, they’re deep in denial. Sometimes, they make mistakes. For better or worse, it made them fun to read.

Overall, The Infinite State was a very solid start to what looks like an intriguing science fiction series. The story took its time to take off, but once it did, it became quite enjoyable. I’m definitely curious to see where Richard Swan takes this series next.