The Collapsing Empire, by John Scalzi

Let me start by saying that this is very obviously the first book in the series and it ends without concluding anything major, and in fact the very end of the epilogue has a character realize an important thing and the narrative doesn't tell us what it is. And it's a new book so any sequels are not yet available to be read. So like, there's that.

But on the other hand I really thoroughly enjoyed this book! John Scalzi, whatever else one might to say about his writing, knows how to write a book that is fun to read. His dialogue, as usual, falls more on the side of "clever" than "realistic", and the narrative tone is lightweight, and the book clips along at a quick and immensely readable pace.

The characters aren't super deep, but I enjoyed reading about them. And there's fun politics, and interesting worldbuilding, and I really truly want to find out what happens next! But I'm left having to wait for the next book to get any kind of resolution. Or possibly several books down the road, depending on what happens next. Sigh.