This was a disappointing read. Alastair Reynolds came up with an interesting setting but forgets to tell a real story. The characters stay flat and are pushed like pawns from left to right - it's all show with nothing behind.The novella can also be found in the anthology [b:Galactic Empires|3124442|Galactic Empires (Hardcover)|Gardner R. Dozois|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1224608430s/3124442.jpg|3155787]. ( )

This was a disappointing read. Alastair Reynolds came up with an interesting setting but forgets to tell a real story. The characters stay flat and are pushed like pawns from left to right - it's all show with nothing behind.The novella can also be found in the anthology [b:Galactic Empires|3124442|Galactic Empires (Hardcover)|Gardner R. Dozois|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1224608430s/3124442.jpg|3155787]. ( )

The Six Directions of Space is a new novella from Subterranean Press. It's set in an alternate future in which the Mongols have an interstellar empire, a result of their discovery of a mysterious alien interstellar network. The Mongol future adds an interesting spin to an idea that's been done before - Andrew M Stephenson's Nightwatch, William Barton & Michael Capobianco's White Light, and Sean Williams' Geodesica duology, all leap to mind. Having said that, The Six Directions of Space then takes off in an unexpected direction. ( )