Now that I've finished the first six books, I've got to wonder if Stross lives in a world where: 1. Everyone whistles tunelessly. Everyone smiles humorlessly. Everyone is constantly fighting an internal war with their own bile. Everyone always seems like they've might have grown a second head. Sep 22, Jonathan Lupa rated it liked it. Glad I read the series, but it wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be after book 1.
When I read a book, and something happens, I consider that event from the point of view of the characters and the point of view of the author. Why are these Characters doing what they are doing?
What is the author thinking? In Stross's books, it seems a lot of things happen for no good reason whatsoever. Events are chronicled that do not follow from the past, nor feed into the future. As such, they are somewha Glad I read the series, but it wasn't as good as I was hoping it would be after book 1. As such, they are somewhat frustrating to me. That it doesn't measure up isn't really that surprising; And honestly, Stross brings his own "hard SF" vision to everything he touches.
It's probably very hard for him to write a relaxed enjoyable story as he is always tied up in the 'what-if's' which are the hallmark of the good SF writer. Without a full review or a lot of spoilers, it's hard to explain why I liked this so much less than the previous volumes in the series.
I'll just say two things: 1 I don't think this provides a satisfying wrap-up for most of the story lines started in the earlier books, but the acknowledgements in the front make it clear that there won't be another book to tie things up. Oct 08, Tom Rowe rated it really liked it Shelves: audiobook , science-fiction , fiction , hoopla , Stross really hates the Bush administration.
It's a good book, but it still leaves a lot of questions unanswered. This volume of the story doesn't focus on characters like past volumes which I thought was the strong point of the series. It does spend a lot of time turning conservatives and members of the Bush administration into cartoon super villains. I really think that if Stross had gone less evil super villain and presented those characters more sympathetically, it could have really been an Stross really hates the Bush administration.
I really think that if Stross had gone less evil super villain and presented those characters more sympathetically, it could have really been an effective exploration of the morality of using nuclear weapons. Instead, it was too cartoony. Still, it's a page turner. I finished it on one day. I recommend this series. Aug 17, Michael Hirsch rated it liked it Shelves: science-fiction. This series is too long and really went no where. It was a good concept, but should have been one novel instead of 6.
If it had, then I would be excited to read the next novel, but not the next series. That said, Stross is always a good read. These books are written in his most pedestrian style, but that's still pretty good. May 11, Jeremy rated it it was ok. The series doesn't end so much as it just stops.
Probably for the best, given Stross' increasing ranty tone. Jul 11, Debra Scott rated it it was ok. Im sorry this last in the series was confusing. Start to end. And the ending left so many questions unaswered. Apr 26, Jon added it. A friend of mine once commented on a novel, saying in effect "The Dungeon Master is tired and wants to go to bed, so everybody dies".
I get a little bit of that feeling after reading Stross' latest - and last - book in the Merchant Princes series. If you haven't been following the series, it's an alternate universe tale. On a planet Earth that physically resembles ours, but in which the industrial revolution never happened, there's a family of people who have the natural ability to "world walk".
They focus on a special symbol and their brains take them from their world to ours. Since none of the geopolitical boundaries in our world exist in the one next door, they're able to make their fortunes mainly by smuggling goods without ever crossing a border checkpoint. In their business, they've developed some interesting ties with organized crime and organized government.
As a bit of insurance against one of their employers, who has become the vice president of the U. Just as the previous novel ended, the Clan was involved in a massive civil war between its progressive and conservative factions, and the conservative faction somehow decided it would be a good idea to demonstrate to the U.
As this novel begins, that faction sends three nukes to Washington DC, detonating two of them successfully, destroying the White House and killing the president. In the meantime, the heroine of the series, Miriam, a woman raised from birth in the U. In earlier novels, she discovered a third alternate Earth, where the Revolutionary War never happened, and the Americas are still ruled mostly by a British king.
She had been involved with the resistance movement there, and her contacts are now people in power after a semi-successful modern revolution. Meanwhile, back on Earth, the U. Murder, vengeance and mayhem abound, and very few live happily ever after. Stross claims in the forward that he's done with the series, but he may have left the door open a crack for later stories in this alternate universe universe, should his publishers make him an offer he can't refuse.
If you've been following this series, you've gotta read it for that sense of completion, but don't expect a great deal of satisfaction at the wrap-up. Sep 15, Graham rated it it was ok. This book is the last in The Merchant Princes series, originally 6 books later republished as three larger books encompassing pairs of the originals.
I generally hate series where the individual books have no real endings — or worse still cliffhanger endings. However, I would be prepared to make an exception for this series because for me it was a terrific story that was hard to put down.
BUT — a long series of 6 original books has got to have a great ending, tying up all the threads. As I got to the latter stages of this final book I could see that this was not happening. Instead it finished with many threads unresolved. Moreover — spoiler alert - since it is very relevant to my big complaint, I need to explain that the book ended with a very long and tedious description of the US sending a mass of planes to carry out a carpet bombing with hydrogen bombs of the alternate world.
It was a pointless, massive overkill of a mainly peasant population, carried out it seemed — with no real explanation of the rationale — as a fit of pique by an arrogant recently promoted US president. And there, in the main, the story just stopped, with no exploration of the consequences, or effect on the protagonists, who were the unfair targets of the bombing but who escaped it, though with negative consequences.
So for me at least, this great series was ruined by lack of a proper ending and a hugely over-the-top climax that almost seemed to be intended mainly to make some political point rather than finish the story. Jul 06, Cale rated it really liked it. This series goes out with a bang. A lot of them, actually. There were times where I was seriously concerned for the main characters.
Miriam takes center stage again, as the factions of the Clan battle each other and America, and it really doesn't go well for anyone involved. Miriam is left to pick up the pieces from all the various fall-outs as she takes the leadership role that has been pushed toward her. But that's all kind of secondary to the world-building or perhaps world-destroying might This series goes out with a bang.
But that's all kind of secondary to the world-building or perhaps world-destroying might be more appropriate , which is brutally detailed in several places. It's all too believable, as well, as people make bad decisions, and others start to consider the ramifications, and betrayals play out in increasingly larger waves of consequences. It's fascinating and frightening. One thing I will mention - this book is very much set in Mid's America, which means parts of it won't age well.
Using real world characters is always a double-edged sword, and I think it will hurt this book and series in the long run, even if it adds to its impact for those who remember the era. This book leaves things in a decent place, even if it doesn't tie up all the loose ends, and I find that I really enjoyed the series overall. The focus on Economics and politics is an interesting approach for what is ultimately something on the border between fantasy and science fiction, and this series serves to be a unique concept, well explored, while still leaving much to be gone into in the future.
Jun 24, Ashish rated it liked it Shelves: adventure. So finally done - it was a pretty decent series. It was a tragic ending - one group instigates a war, the other group responds with madness, and the simple general population So finally done - it was a pretty decent series. It was a tragic ending - one group instigates a war, the other group responds with madness, and the simple general population of the world - who never asked for the war, the world-walkers, the games they played - pays the price in a nuclear winter while the guilty parties escape scot-free.
It's left the door open for sequels, but I'm not sure where it can go from here without a whole new series. The best part of the whole concept - applying economics, engineering and political science to magic - was the single most unique, impressive, and stand-out part of this series. Apr 05, Leonardo Etcheto rated it liked it.
Series ends with a bang — medieval world gets a taste of thermonuclear warfare and a lesson that no-one is alive to learn. The clan change worlds again, but changes are they will just screw it all up again by being greedy and selfish.
The youth are in control and are wanting freedom from the old rules, but have no new scheme to put in place so who knows how it will end. A world full of Series ends with a bang — medieval world gets a taste of thermonuclear warfare and a lesson that no-one is alive to learn. A world full of promise since you start fresh, but very few revolutions end well. Kind of sad overall, but in a way very realistic. Everyone had massive goals and pie in the sky ideas and in the end it is back to the day to day business of survival and work.
Start over hopefully with lessons learned. Kind of dissapointed more did not get resolved. I have to look, series may continue or have prequel or sequels or who knows. Aug 27, Paul rated it really liked it Shelves: fiction , scifi , fantasy.
This is an interesting world and the plots are cool, but the entire series feels a bit disjointed. Search Queens Public Library's Catalog or browse one of our vendors' websites below. Digital books are the digital versions of print books and include books for on-screen reading. By clicking on "Browse Titles," you will be taken to a site where you can browse, checkout, and download through Queens Public Library items from one of the largest collections of audiobooks, eBooks, music, and videos.
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