A dissident faction of the Clan, the alternate universe group of families that has traded covertly with our world for a century or more, have carried nuclear devices between the worlds and exploded them in Washington, DC, killing the President of the United States. Now they will exterminate the rest of the Clan and keep Miriam Beckstein alive only long enough to bear her child, the heir to the throne of their land in the Gruinmarkt world.
The worst and deepest secret is now revealed: behind the horrifying plot is a faction of the US government itself, preparing for a political takeover in the aftermath of disaster. There is no safe place for Miriam and her Clan except, perhaps, in the third alternate world, New Britain--which has just had a revolution and a nuclear incident of its own.
Charles Stross's Merchant Princes series reaches a spectacular climax in this sixth volume. Praised by Nobel laureate Paul Krugman as "great fun," this is state of the art, cutting edge SF grown out of a fantastic premise.
From Booklist
The latest Merchant Princes novel shows trouble intensifying in all three alternate universes accessible to the worldwalking Clan. A dissident Clan faction has nuked Washington, killing the president, and plans on exterminating the rest of the Clan. Moreover, a dissident U.S. government faction hopes to use the disaster to seize power and destroy the Clan’s world, Gruinmarkt, with more powerful nukes. The few with any sense, including Miriam, who is bearing the heir to Gruinmarkt’s throne, seek refuge in the third world, just finished with a nasty war. With lots of action in a very grim plot, this should please Stross fans and anyone else interested in Dr. Strangelove scenarios. --Frieda Murray
Review
Praise for the novels of The Merchant Princes:
“[These books] are, first and foremost, great fun.” --Paul Krugman, New York Times bestselling author of *The Great Unraveling
“If imagination is the key to success for a writer, Charles Stross has it in spades.” --The Times* (London)
“A good deal of fun. Fans of this series should find this conclusion satisfying and chilling.” --RT Book Reviews on *Trade of Queens
“Stross effectively builds tension as the clock ticks down toward a hopeless confrontation between the Clan and its superpower opponent. . . The conclusion brings events in these three universes together successfully. . . This all makes for a more than satisfactory close to [the] series.” --Strange Horizons
"The world-building in this series is simply superb, in other words—it is engaging, crystal-clear and disturbingly real. . . . The Merchants' War is fast-paced and engrossing and will leave readers ravenous for the next installment.” --SciFi Weekly
"These books are immense fun, a sort of 21st-century version of the solid, thought-out costume sword-and-spaceship fiction that provided the enduring spine of science fiction entertainment .” --Locus on The Hidden Family*
Description:
A dissident faction of the Clan, the alternate universe group of families that has traded covertly with our world for a century or more, have carried nuclear devices between the worlds and exploded them in Washington, DC, killing the President of the United States. Now they will exterminate the rest of the Clan and keep Miriam Beckstein alive only long enough to bear her child, the heir to the throne of their land in the Gruinmarkt world.
The worst and deepest secret is now revealed: behind the horrifying plot is a faction of the US government itself, preparing for a political takeover in the aftermath of disaster. There is no safe place for Miriam and her Clan except, perhaps, in the third alternate world, New Britain--which has just had a revolution and a nuclear incident of its own.
Charles Stross's Merchant Princes series reaches a spectacular climax in this sixth volume. Praised by Nobel laureate Paul Krugman as "great fun," this is state of the art, cutting edge SF grown out of a fantastic premise.
From Booklist
The latest Merchant Princes novel shows trouble intensifying in all three alternate universes accessible to the worldwalking Clan. A dissident Clan faction has nuked Washington, killing the president, and plans on exterminating the rest of the Clan. Moreover, a dissident U.S. government faction hopes to use the disaster to seize power and destroy the Clan’s world, Gruinmarkt, with more powerful nukes. The few with any sense, including Miriam, who is bearing the heir to Gruinmarkt’s throne, seek refuge in the third world, just finished with a nasty war. With lots of action in a very grim plot, this should please Stross fans and anyone else interested in Dr. Strangelove scenarios. --Frieda Murray
Review
Praise for the novels of The Merchant Princes:
“[These books] are, first and foremost, great fun.”
--Paul Krugman, New York Times bestselling author of *The Great Unraveling
“If imagination is the key to success for a writer, Charles Stross has it in spades.”
--The Times* (London)
“A good deal of fun. Fans of this series should find this conclusion satisfying and chilling.”
--RT Book Reviews on *Trade of Queens
“Stross effectively builds tension as the clock ticks down toward a hopeless confrontation between the Clan and its superpower opponent. . . The conclusion brings events in these three universes together successfully. . . This all makes for a more than satisfactory close to [the] series.”
--Strange Horizons
"The world-building in this series is simply superb, in other words—it is engaging, crystal-clear and disturbingly real. . . . The Merchants' War is fast-paced and engrossing and will leave readers ravenous for the next installment.”
--SciFi Weekly
"These books are immense fun, a sort of 21st-century version of the solid, thought-out costume sword-and-spaceship fiction that provided the enduring spine of science fiction entertainment .”
--Locus on The Hidden Family*