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Merchant Princes #05: The Revolution Business

by Charles Stross

Merchant Princes #05: The Revolution Business Cover

ISBN13: 9780765316721
ISBN10: 0765316722
Condition: Standard
Dustjacket: Standard
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Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Things are going badly for the Clan in this SF novel of the Merchant Princes, the immensely popular series by Charles Stross. Locked in a vicious civil war for control over the kingdom of Niejwein, their army is bottled up inside a fortress under siege in two parallel universes at once. Duke Angbard, the Clans leader, has been laid low by a stroke: plotters are already conspiring in readiness for the deadly dance to come.

Miriam, rescued from a tight spot in New Britain, finds the hopes of the young, progressive faction focused on her. But do they want her as a leader or a figurehead? She soon finds herself thrown into a desperate struggle for power. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the Clan, researchers working for the US government have achieved a technological breakthrough.

Review:

"Stross's disorganized fifth Merchant Princes story (after 2007's The Merchants' War) continues the adventures of hapless Boston journalist Miriam Beckstein. Newly free of political imprisonment, pregnant and on the lam, she finds herself at the center of a desperate power grab as political instability rocks the mafia-like Clan Corporate, who are magically able to cross between parallel worlds. When world-walkers steal nukes from a U.S. installation, it's a race against time to find out who has them, and why, before they can be deployed. The U.S. is also close to discovering a technological method of world-walking, rendering the clan both vulnerable and obsolete. Stross pays heartfelt homage to Roger Zelazny and Lois McMaster Bujold, but with too many characters and too little focus, this novel fails to match their achievements." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Synopsis:

The world-building in this series is simply superb, in other words--it is engaging, crystal-clear and disturbingly real . . . ["The Revolution Business"] is fast-paced and engrossing--SciFi.com.

Synopsis:

The fifth novel in the continuing saga of the Merchant Princes—SF adventure at its finest!

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About the Author

CHARLES STROSS lives in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
Jvstin, July 7, 2009 (view all comments by Jvstin)
The Merchant Prince series, about Miriam Beckstein, is the series that got me into the works of Charles Stross.

The Revolution Business is the fifth in this series. It follows off of the explosive ending to the fourth novel, where the machinations of several parties, ranging from the Clan to the U.S. Government, to the political enemies of the Clan in the Gruinmarkt, all fall against each other, inadvertently messing up each other.

Even more important is Miriam, our central character. In the novel, she quickly finds herself thrust into politics of the Family in a way that she could not imagine even in previous novels. Her previous efforts are nothing compared to the cut and thrust of politics now, in the wake of the deadly politics in the Gruinmarkt. And then there is the technological breakthrough of the US Government in terms of worldwalking, and the Clan's very personal approach to their feud with the US Government...

About the only fault I have in the novel is that we don't get enough of the third world, the New Britain world. It suffers a bit in comparison to events in our world and the Gruinmarkt. With that aside, though, this novel continues to build on the previous four novels of the series. Stross has managed this series, its worlds and assumptions, with enviable and undeniable skill. His skill in developing believable and complex characters, having them grow and change (and in some instances, kill them off) is admirable.

There is one more novel planned in the sequence, and Stross ends this book with an explosive cliffhanger that will make you want to read the sixth book all the more. I know that I certainly do!
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780765316721
Subtitle:
Book Five of the Merchant Princes
Author:
Stross, Charles
Publisher:
Tor Science Fiction
Subject:
Fantasy - General
Subject:
Merchants
Subject:
Family Relationships
Subject:
Science Fiction - Adventure
Subject:
Science fiction
Subject:
Fantasy fiction
Subject:
Science / General
Copyright:
2009
Edition Description:
Mass market paperback
Series:
Merchant Princes
Series Volume:
05
Publication Date:
20100202
Binding:
Electronic book text in proprietary or open standard format
Grade Level:
General/trade
Language:
English
Pages:
368
Dimensions:
9.54x6.30x1.06 in. 1.17 lbs.
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Related Aisles

Merchant Princes #05: The Revolution Business Used Hardcover
0 stars - 0 reviews
$12.50 In Stock
Product details 368 pages Tom Doherty Associates - English 9780765316721 Reviews:
"Publishers Weekly Review" by , "Stross's disorganized fifth Merchant Princes story (after 2007's The Merchants' War) continues the adventures of hapless Boston journalist Miriam Beckstein. Newly free of political imprisonment, pregnant and on the lam, she finds herself at the center of a desperate power grab as political instability rocks the mafia-like Clan Corporate, who are magically able to cross between parallel worlds. When world-walkers steal nukes from a U.S. installation, it's a race against time to find out who has them, and why, before they can be deployed. The U.S. is also close to discovering a technological method of world-walking, rendering the clan both vulnerable and obsolete. Stross pays heartfelt homage to Roger Zelazny and Lois McMaster Bujold, but with too many characters and too little focus, this novel fails to match their achievements." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)
"Synopsis" by , The world-building in this series is simply superb, in other words--it is engaging, crystal-clear and disturbingly real . . . ["The Revolution Business"] is fast-paced and engrossing--SciFi.com.
"Synopsis" by ,

The fifth novel in the continuing saga of the Merchant Princes—SF adventure at its finest!
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