The Infinite State
The dystopian science fiction epic from the bestselling author of GRAVE EMPIRE
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- Published: Aug 06 2026
- Pages: 416
- 236 x 156mm
- ISBN: 9781399627733
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'Prescient, dark, and ultimately hopeful' PIERCE BROWN
'Excellent' PETER F. HAMILTON
'A menacing experience' FONDA LEE
'Science fiction at its finest' SUNYI DEAN
In this brand-new blistering science fiction epic, Sunday Times bestselling author Richard Swan presents a thrilling tale of survival and an eviscerating examination of totalitarianism.
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.
1984 meets The Man in the High Castle in gripping sci-fi The Infinite State from Richard Swan, which 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.
'A thrilling vision of resistance to dystopian fascism' J.T. GREATHOUSE
'Absorbing and thought-provoking' SCOTT DRAKEFORD
'Richard's writing is scapel-sharp' NICHOLAS EAMES
'Excellent' PETER F. HAMILTON
'A menacing experience' FONDA LEE
'Science fiction at its finest' SUNYI DEAN
In this brand-new blistering science fiction epic, Sunday Times bestselling author Richard Swan presents a thrilling tale of survival and an eviscerating examination of totalitarianism.
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.
1984 meets The Man in the High Castle in gripping sci-fi The Infinite State from Richard Swan, which 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.
'A thrilling vision of resistance to dystopian fascism' J.T. GREATHOUSE
'Absorbing and thought-provoking' SCOTT DRAKEFORD
'Richard's writing is scapel-sharp' NICHOLAS EAMES
Press Reviews
- Peter F. Hamilton, New York Times bestselling author of EXODUS: THE ARCHIMEDES ENGINE
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
- J. T. Greathouse, author of THE TOWER OF THE TYRANT
A thrilling vision of resistance to dystopian fascism in the intergalactic future, with an exactly perfect portion of sentient murder gorillas
- Sunyi Dean, Sunday Times bestselling author of THE BOOK EATERS
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
- Scott Drakeford, author of the AGE OF IRE series
Absorbing and thought-provoking. Quintessential Richard Swan
- Fonda Lee, author of THE LAST CONTRACT OF ISAKO and the GREEN BONE SAGA
A menacing experience in a despicable galactic empire. I had a great time
- Nicholas Eames, author of KINGS OF THE WYLD
This was excellent. Richard's writing is scalpel-sharp, and the future he envisions is so starkly relevant one hopes it isn't right around the corner. If you're looking for smart, sophisticated science fiction to fill the Iain Banks-shaped hole in your soul, this is it
- Pierce Brown, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of RED RISING
Prescient, dark, and ultimately hopeful, The Infinite State mauled my heart and kept me reading well into the winnowing hours of the night
- David Goodman, award-winning author of A RELUCTANT SPY
A compelling and original science fiction novel that shines a light into the darkness of space and the human spirit
- FanFiAddict
Riveting and utterly addictive. Sci-fi that demands and commands your attention from grim start to epic finish
- Publishers Weekly, starred review
Part scathing critique of fascism, part political science experiment, this page-turner is packed full of satisfying intrigue and game-changing reveals
- Booklist
A promising beginning to a saga of escaping the oppressive clutches of an imperial state
- Kirkus Reviews
This novel's attempt to construct a plausible defeat of a Big Brother-analog government is both interesting and hopeful
- Daily Mail
A masterclass in storytelling, Swan shifts seamlessly through the gears: it's a The Handmaid's Tale fascist nightmare with pod-racers; Blade Runner gloom pierced by shafts of light . . . gritty, unflinching and suffocatingly atmospheric
- Grimdark Magazine
A tour-de-force in science fiction storytelling that has me absolutely chomping at the bit for the rest of the Decurion Saga . . . Swan is a master at crafting a story that just keeps you turning the pages. Chapter after chapter he mixes in oppressive fear, excitement, twists, turns, and thoughtful and inventive SF writing with characters you just can't put down . . . the start of this new trilogy, The Infinite State, is going to have readers hooked