Book Summary and Reviews of The Infinite State by Richard Swan

The Infinite State by Richard Swan

The Infinite State

Book One of The Decurion Saga

by Richard Swan

  • Publishes:
  • Aug 4, 2026, 416 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

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.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"The Infinite State is science fiction at its finest, doing what sci-fi does best: showing us how to build a better future. This book is a reflection of our times, and for our times." ―Sunyi Dean, bestselling author of The Book Eaters

"The Infinite State is the kind of future that's so horrific you hope in your heart it will never exist. But Richard Swan has made it believable." ―Peter F. Hamilton, New York Times bestselling author of Exodus

This information about The Infinite State was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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More Information

Richard Swan is a critically acclaimed British genre writer. He is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Empire of the Wolf and Great Silence trilogies, the Decurion Saga, as well as fiction for Black Library and Grimdark Magazine. His work has been translated into nine languages. Swan is a qualified lawyer, and before writing full time spent ten years litigating multimillion-pound commercial disputes in London. He currently lives in Sydney with his wife and three young sons.

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