Null States

If "Infomocracy" was about a hyper-connected cyber-enhanced global system, "Null States" is more limited -- and human -- in scope. The setting moves to central Africa, and while it's obvious that certain technological advancements have been made, in many ways, life in the DarFur centenals continues much as it always has. We see many of the characters we met in the first book of the Centenal Cycle complain about poor coverage, and while the author's silent on this point, the implicit critique is hard to miss. The Information workers here can come off as well as moneyed city slickers bemoaning the lack of cell phone coverage out in the sticks do in our world. Still, it gives the author -- who has apparently spent some time in Darfur -- a show more chance to show how the local remains local even in a tightly-knit globalized society. Here, family ties, long-established business practices, and religion still count for something, and system-wide corruption for personal gain is still very much a thing. The hybrids we see of this older way of life and the brand new technological world that the author presents in this series can be charming -- I particularly liked a public "news wall" that relates on whic local schoolchildren relate world events in a style that is unmistakably thiers. I wondered a little bit about how Islam had changed in the past century or so, but, other than confirming that it still exists and exerts influence, the author offers relatively few details here.

Older also gives herself some time to delve into her characters' personal lives. The book's most significant plot development is a murder, and Older doesn't neglect the grieving and shock that this event brings about: it seems that even in a technologically advanced society, death is still stubbornly difficult to process. Older also takes the time to follow a budding romance between Roz and a local power-broker and the story of Mishima and Ken's, whom we met in the series' first installment. I also liked the way she portrayed the friendship between the more gregarious and grounded Roz and Maryam, a highly skilled techie who's still licking her wounds in the wake of a high-profile relationship gone very wrong and is filled with self-doubt. While all of this is happening, Amran, a relatively inexperienced Information employee, does her best to carry out her professional duties while battling a number of mental health issues. While I'm not going to say that Jane Austen, for example, has much to fear from Malka Older, her decision to spend a considerable amount of time describing the progress of these relationships seems to fit with the larger theme of how the innately human can survive and persist in a highly technological world. If you liked "Infomocracy" for the fast-paced techno-oriented stuff, "Null States" still has Mishima, the closest this series has to a Mary Sue, and while she's still an alluring, impossibly fit, street-fighting super spy who gets a kick out of working deep undercover, in her quieter moments, even she spends time considering the fate of her relationship with the steady, likable Ken.

You could probably criticize "Null States for having some "Empire Strikes Back" issues: it's very obvious about setting up the series' final chapter, and its second and third books do seem like a piece. The Centenal Cycle remains a very readable take on an intriguing techno non-dystopia. Recommended to anyone who liked the first book. show less

absorbing near-future setting with a lot to say about creating a dynamic future with many choices of environment types and ideas. continuing the roller-coaster ride of momentum at the end of the first book of the Centenal Trilogy, now we see the downside of Information as a way to reorganize the politics of the physical world. but although the advanced state of information offers power, it interferes with personal autonomy because it lessens privacy, and this creates political problems. lots of action and interactions, and plenty of spywork and mysteries, and i enjoyed both the characters and the rapidly moving plot that crossed the world. best of all, the book's themes struck a chord with me as being Important to confront, and consider show more solutions. and so on to Book 3. show less

Thanks to Netgalley for the Arc!

When I read the first book in the series, Infomocracy, I loved it for the hardcore idea-based SF couched in a technothriller base, and Null States continues on in the same tradition.

Only, this next novel isn't all about a high-tech election based on micro-democracy with a mix of intrigue and corruption. Rather, it's about population areas outside of the Infomocracy and an assassination that grows ever more complicated as the novel progresses.

In a lot of ways, it's better than the first. I had some issues with the original in that we were steeped in political information and states and parties that meant very little to me until much later. This one was much more focused on specific and interesting show more locations. Plenty of mystery, plenty of interesting character development, and plenty of good futuristic technothriller.

The science isn't as interesting as the politics, however. There's plenty to say about possible modes of thinking and action and communication, all of which use hands-free instant communication technologies that veer deep into total computer tech, widely used across the board except for certain locations or differences of use. And that's where we get some of the most interesting sequences, in my opinion.

I love idea novels. :) This one should give us a lot of interesting avenues. Perhaps even some real dialogue on the intersections between emerging tech and how people will eventually get things done.

As for world-building, this is also top-notch. It's far enough away from us to have full freedom and near enough to us that we recognize everything. I can't complain at all. :)

I suppose my only complaint might be the fact that I sometimes got lost in locations and names, not being 100% conversant in all places or languages, but it wasn't bad at all. It just took some more effort.

Overall, though, I'm very happy to say this is continuing the story (and the original MC) in high form. show less

I gave the first book in this series 4 stars. I liked this second installment but, if I could, I would probably give 3.5 stars. The first book was a good blend of action set pieces, world building, and political discourse. I thought the action scenes were handled well. There is less action in Null States but the world building and political discussions continue full pace. The first book was mainly about Mishima, an operative of the world-wide Information, and Ken, a political operative of the government Policy1st. There were some secondary characters. In the sequel, Mishima is now a free-lance trouble shooter, and Ken works directly for a small government, Free2Be. A secondary character from the first book, Roz, steps up to be a main, show more maybe the main character, here.

It's two years since the near disastrous election which saw the previous government, Heritage, losing and charged with trying to fix the election. Roz is sent with a team to a small, newly formed government in Central Africa to meet with the newly elected head of government. On the way to the meeting he is killed in what appears, at first, to be an accident. Most of the book is about trying to unravel the mystery of the death and the possible world-wide implications. Much of the book actually takes place here, an area that is still poor but in which technology is trying to change. Roz is continually frustrated by the lack of video feeds and other Information infrastructure and the mistrust of the locals for an outsider.

In the first book, Older introduces the micro-democracy concept. The world is divided into centenals, population groups of 100,000. A government may consist of 1 centenal, or many spread around the world. It's only been 30 years or so since the system was established, and Older here explores the edges of the system. Places, like central Africa, where the centenal system is new and older, country based loyalities (like to Chad or Sudan) are strong. In another part of the world, central Asia, the centenal system is still being established. There is a war going on between several of these null states (areas still controlled by an old nation states) and Information is trying to find allies, especially among the various Chinese governments, 888, China1 and the remnants of the old nation of China to stop the conflagration.

One of my problems with the concept in the first book was how did such a governing system take hold in such a short time? Older seems to be trying to answer the question here by delving into the problems of the system and how it's going to have to change to meet those challanges. show less

I don't think "characters" as one of my reading appeals, but as I opened this, I hoped it would have the same cast as Infomocracy.

Middle books of trilogies always suffer from carrying the weight of introduced complications, but this is an enjoyable one. I like seeing how the happy outcome of Infomocracy doesn't quite reach expectations, all through the lens of a characters who are interesting enough to spend time with.

If you enjoy political thrillers, near future science fiction, or cyberpunk The Centennal Cycle is a series of books for you. Null States by Malka Older sees the infomocracy fraying at the edges, world peace threatened, and an assassination take place in a new micro-democracy.

If you want to catch up on the series or hear our thoughts on book one in the series, you can find our review for Infomocracy here.

Null States features a new main character. Here we follow Roz as she’s sent to DarFur after it joins the world government. While the vast majority of the book is told from her point of view, certain sections do follow Ken and Mishima, the protagonists from book one. The pair are only included later in the tale, brought on board by Roz show more for certain plot-relevant tasks. Ken and Mishima’s inclusion felt very organic, something which could have easily felt forced if left in another author’s hands.

Yet this novel is rather different from the first. Where Infomocracy followed a world election and was set on a global stage, this is the opposite. We find ourselves within a micro-democracy on the very outskirts of the Infomocracy. DarFur has only recently shed a dictator and become a micro-democracy. The threats to the area are very different than most of the rest of the world, hold outs from an earlier time. Battles are fought on the edges of the country, and full blown war remains a threat. The nationalistic attitudes which are largely unseen in this world still run strong here.

One of the aspects I found the most fascinating about this novel is how it deals with technology and the lack thereof. Because it is new to micro-democracy, Information is not a very big presence in area. People are still wary of technology at large and of Information in particular. The constant flow of information, the knowledge always at a person’s fingertips are simply not available here. This effects not only Roz and her team’s daily life, but the assassination investigation as well. It is fascinating to see an information driven, technical society with cyberpunk aspects from a place that is extremely tech-free. I really enjoyed the way this novel explored the constant struggle of ideals between characters, what is necessary for a micro-democracy in an information driven world, and how to cope with the lack of information during such a crisis.

The pacing in the novel isn’t something I would call fast, but it worked well for the tale being told. Fast pacing isn’t something I generally associate with anything remotely cyberpunk, and the Centennal Cycle books most definitely have a cyberpunk bend to them. The last few chapters did ramp up in terms of tension and action quite bit, with the pacing much more frantic towards the end.

Null States by Malka Older is a great second novel in a fascinating book. I eagerly await the third book in the series, State Tectonics, slated for release in the Fall of 2018.

This review originally found on Looking Glass Reads. show less

A decent book with some interesting ideas about what the future could look like, although it could have been a bit more critical of the permanent and ubiquitous surveillance the book is premised on. I don't know if this lack of critical reflection was a conscious style decision by the author or not, but it did not improve the book for me.