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titusfortner's review against another edition
4.0
An excellent continuation of this series, and I'm very excited to see where the story goes next.
tonyh0612's review against another edition
3.0
Overall, I enjoyed the book, but it took a long time for things to really get going. Once they finally did, the book ended abruptly on some huge cliffhangers. As a reader, this is incredibly frustrating as nothing was really resolved despite the fact that I just read a 300+ page book.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
A bit confused. Too many story-lines and not enough progress on any of them nor enough depth. And in the end nothing was resolved. But lots of potential. I wish we got to know the pov characters more. The next book looks pretty set up though so might be quite a bit better. 3.5 of 5.
davidscrimshaw's review against another edition
4.0
For a Charles Stross book, I was finding this slow going until near the end when the pace picked up and the plot started to get interesting.
And then it was over.
With a long historical essay that I skimmed through.
Stross has done enough things I love that I'll keep reading everything he publishes. I just hope he gets back to having more fun with things.
And then it was over.
With a long historical essay that I skimmed through.
Stross has done enough things I love that I'll keep reading everything he publishes. I just hope he gets back to having more fun with things.
thearbiter89's review against another edition
5.0
I will be honest. I furiously sped-read Empire Games and this book over a three day period in the December holidays and therefore my memory of the books is basically a single jumble and at this point it's impossible to distinguish - also on account of the fact that I see the books less as three distinct entries in a trilogy and more like a single, on-running story chopped into three parts for commercial and editorial reasons.
In that sense, though, I feel like while my comments on Dark State echo that of the first book, I liked this better simply because while the first book was mostly setup, this middle book is the series running at full tilt, with some actual tentative interactions between the US and NAC characters mediated by Rita, who Stross has written to be more interesting than might have been expected from her archetype of shiftless post-millennial with parental abandonment issues. And, way out of left field, there are some tantalising space opera elements creeping in too...
I give this: 4.5 out of 5 Orion-class Space Dreadnoughts
In that sense, though, I feel like while my comments on Dark State echo that of the first book, I liked this better simply because while the first book was mostly setup, this middle book is the series running at full tilt, with some actual tentative interactions between the US and NAC characters mediated by Rita, who Stross has written to be more interesting than might have been expected from her archetype of shiftless post-millennial with parental abandonment issues. And, way out of left field, there are some tantalising space opera elements creeping in too...
I give this: 4.5 out of 5 Orion-class Space Dreadnoughts
johnday's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent continuation of the story of three timelines in secret (and sometimes overt) conflict. Can’t wait for the next volume- but will have to.
ctopherrun's review against another edition
4.0
The second in his trilogy of sequels to the Merchant Princes series. The world hopping Clan is now living in a world where the British monarchy fled to the New World, helping the new revolutionary democracy advance it's technology to defend itself against the United States, who has it's own world hopping spies. I enjoyed it, though it felt like little happened, instead setting up the pieces for the next book.
barryhaworth's review against another edition
4.0
The second book in the Empire Games series and the eighth overall in the Merchant Princes series, this book continues to build the face off between our world and the American Commonwealth, with a number of new threads and developments thrown in for good measure. My only gripe with this book is that I didn't realise when I started reading that it was not the end of the story, with at least one more book to come and (hopefully) resolve the different story lines.
rixx's review against another edition
5.0
Tremendous amounts of fun! We get all the things I hoped for: More cool grandpa, more cool Rose, more cool girlfriend, (also otherwise cool women, especially the Princess seems to rock), and more cultural juxtaposition. The evil guy within the Commonwealth isn't … openly evil? I'm not even sure which side of their story I beliefe yet. And then we get dropped a huge cliffhanger on us (Princess missing, Kurt about to visit the Commonwealth, Adam The First Man dead) that is straight up illegal in the EU. Good thing the UK is seceding I guess.
onceandfuturelaura's review against another edition
3.0
Continues Stross's economic-science-fiction-with-fantasy-trappings series. Feudalism vs. mercantilism vs. the surveillance state vs. creeping dominionism with just a pinch of "don't wake up the ancient security system." Most of the governments and economic systems are evil; most of the individuals within those governments and systems are trying hard to be do good. The Gunpowder Plot repeats with variations. Also Rumsfeld is president.
Maybe this series is too much like real life for me. I devour the Laundry Files book and am already mourning them drawling to an apocalyptic close. I like this book but they don't sing the same way. Too many princesses, not enough Ice Kings.
Maybe this series is too much like real life for me. I devour the Laundry Files book and am already mourning them drawling to an apocalyptic close. I like this book but they don't sing the same way. Too many princesses, not enough Ice Kings.