This was the first book of Ken Macleod's that I read, and it made a great impact. Macleod paints a vivid picture of a near-future London fragmented into city states with markedly separate laws (or lack of them), social and religious mores and financial systems, functioning overall in an extreme market-driven anarchy. There's computing, AI, networks and systems of trust woven into the technological mix. It's a fast-paced story which is fun and deals with serious issues in a light-hearted way. Macleod clearly has first-hand knowledge of fringe politics, computing and the areas he writes about. I lived for many years in the streets that form part of the setting of this novel and felt I was walking them with the characters.

I often don't enjoy fiction of the near future, but Macleod is streets apart from anyone else I've read who writes that. (I should note that the later novels in this series deal with issues that are in some cases much further in the future, although at least one contains some element of prequel.)

Macleod is good at escaping cliche; he can have armies without this being typical miltary SF, his characters are people you care about. Start here if you haven't encountered him before. ( )

Superb. Politically fairly complex unless you are a historian of communism.

Centred fairly loosely around three main characters: Moh a mercenary milita captain, defending institutions against attacks from both antitechnologists and prolife groups. Jaine is a researcher looking into pharamceutical neural modification in one of those facilities, and Jorden is a teenage athiest in a religious cult, employed as a sharebroker. The society is mid 21st century reflection of the 70s power struggles betwen east and west. The UK sided with the US in an anti EU position following an EU response to a Eastern european invasion. The limited Israeli nuclear response caused the UK government to fragment into FreeStates - community enclaves. Internally self policing, the US/UN Space Defense force ensures that limits on disruptive technology are maintained. Revolution is in the air, as Moh realises he's made a costly mistake in a dealing with another militia, and the ever present rumour / threat of finally having found a sentient AI makes life that much more complicated.

Apart from the odd bursts of political rambling which don't make much sense in today's geopolitical scene it is all very enjoyable. The society as a serie sof enclaves is well imagined and internally consistant the raised but not extreme level of technological penetration is well described without infodumps. The ending is somewhat sudden and slightly naive - which is curious considering the sophisticated political machinations of the other parts. What would be today's question: What about the influence of MegaCorps is not discussed at all, but it is an insightful look at how a technological progressive socialist UK might end up. Not likely perhaps, but possible. ( )

In this fragmented and fractured world artificial intelligence research is no-no, at least mostly, as far as the everyday people go.

A mercenary and a couple of others from one of these micro-organisations get involved in a plot involving some fancy financial software and other problems, not least of which is their own gear.

MacLeod's element of taking the piss is certainly in evidence here.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2007/02/star-fraction-ken-macleod.html ( )

http://www.amazon.com/review/R1IRH63A... ( )

An excellent novel - Ken MacLeod is generally very good and this is his best, without a shadow of a doubt. A politics and action packed thriller set in a dystopian near future, and with some utterly unpredictable twists and turns. The sory is gripping enough, but the questions it raises about technology and politics are just as fascinating. Brilliant. ( )