Most of humanity has ceded control of superhuman/posthuman power and/or technology to a select group of families.

The main character in this book is the youngest in the Chamberlain family, and he becomes involved in the machinations of his older siblings. Older, meaning millenia older. His sister Alice contacts him and tells him to seek out one of his brothers.

Despite the superhuman powers these people still screw up, and when one of their experiments starts destroying large swathes of space including many populated planets Ord's family becomes reviled.

Sister Alice : 1 Sister Alice [short story] - Robert Reed
Sister Alice : 2 Brother Perfect - Robert Reed
Sister Alice : 3 Mother Death - Robert Reed
Sister Alice : 4 Baby's Fire - Robert Reed
Sister Alice : 5 Father to the Man - Robert Reed

Young posthuman conflict training.

4 out of 5

Two of the oldest of a family of superhuman overlords of the galaxy have plans for their youngest sibling. With stellar screwups.

4 out of 5

Blow up huge chunks of a galaxy, people will want to punish you.

3.5 out of 5

Godlike types chasing each other around.

3 out of 5

Family conflict and universe making.

3.5 out of 5

After meeting his brother Perfect he begins to act in opposition to his family and the other families. Part of his mission is to stop the galaxy destroying mistakes caused by the others of his clan. This is the part where it goes wide-scale in a big way.

http://superprose.blogspot.com/2007/01/sister-alice.html ( )

http://www.leftfield.org/~rawdon/book... ( )

Set in the far future, 'Sister Alice' portrays a galaxy where a small sect of humans have amazing powers. God-like in their abilities, they change and mould the universe as they see fit. Formed into 1,000 "families" future humanity is set to try one last fatal experiment.

This book is fun to read. Sister Alice maintains suspense and has excellent characters: the mysterious Sister Alice; mocking Brother Perfect; peaceable Ord; sly Xo and furious Ravleen. It is well written (more artful than his other work, 'Marrow') and full of suspense; combined, this makes it difficult to put down and I got through the book in a few days.

This suspense has a flaw - its conclusion, which is unsatifying. Having painted a huge stage, filled it with grandiose characters and hinged the very universe on the plot the final few scenes fail to live to their billing.

However, after such a good read quibbling over a final few paragraphs is minor criticism. ( )