- Hardcover: 303 pages
- Publisher: St Martin's Press (14 Dec 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0765309297
- ISBN-13: 978-0765309297
- Product Dimensions: 24.4 x 16 x 3.3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,040,254 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
The Family Trade (Merchant Princes 1)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"The Family Trade is one of those rare delights--a book that is fun, intelligently written, and which leaves a reader breathlessly wondering what will happen next." -- David Farland
Review
""The Family Trade" blows away any preconceptions with the introductory paragraph, and keeps the surprises coming to the very end. Fortunately, this is just the first book in what promises to be a very entertaining and tantalizing series. . . . Stross has created a world readers can believe in and a woman they will root for. She's tough, but compassionate. Brave, but not foolhardy. . . . Fantasy fans are going to eat this series up. With Stross's strong plotting and wonderful mingling of cultures, "The Family Trade" is poised to be a modern classic. Its fast, almost breathless, pace creates a rip current that submerges the reader in a world unlike any other and completely irresistible."-"Black Gate"
"Charles Stross's "The Family Trade" is an inventive, irreverent, and delightful romp into an alternate world where business is simultaneously low and high tech, and where romance, murder, marriage, and business are hopelessly intertwined -- and deadly."-L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
""The Family Trade" is one of those rare delights--a book that is fun, intelligently written, and which leaves a reader breathlessly wondering what will happen next. Readers Beware: Stross weaves a tale that continually builds to an engrossing climax. Once you get into this, you'll find yourself hooked."-David Farland
""The Family Trade" show that Charles Stross is no longer a beginner to watch, but a star to watch."-Mike Resnick
"At last, a story in which a character from our world is plunged into another, and doesn't act like a complete idiot. Miriam Beckstein is sharp-witted enough not to waste time trying to pretend that she can avoid the dilemmas that have been forced on her, while being human enoughto let her emotions guide her into risky territory."
"Stross not only creates an alternate world that is fascinating and original, he even does the unheard of, for a fantasist: His depiction of our world is deep and real. Many a fantasist is able to create, or at least borrow from Tolkien, a reasonably interesting milieu in which the characters can cavort, but when they try their hand at showing something from the real world, like, in this case, the society of high finance, they embarrass themselves by revealing how little they know."
"No such problem with Stross. He knows this world backward and forward, and seems to have thought of everything. His characters behave in ways that make sense. They know all the things they should know, and don't know the things they shouldn't. The result is that we readers can trust this author completely, dive into this story and let it carry us wherever the current flows."
"Not to mention the fact that it's simply a great adventure, full of danger, of plots within plots, of forbidden love and political murder. Science fiction is in good hands with Charles Stross here to lead the new generation."-Orson Scott Card
"Quirky, original, and entertaining. "The Family Trade" could be the "Godfather" of all fantasy novels."-Kevin J. Anderson
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
"Charles Stross's "The Family Trade" is an inventive, irreverent, and delightful romp into an alternate world where business is simultaneously low and high tech, and where romance, murder, marriage, and business are hopelessly intertwined -- and deadly."-L. E. Modesitt, Jr.
""The Family Trade" is one of those rare delights--a book that is fun, intelligently written, and which leaves a reader breathlessly wondering what will happen next. Readers Beware: Stross weaves a tale that continually builds to an engrossing climax. Once you get into this, you'll find yourself hooked."-David Farland
""The Family Trade" show that Charles Stross is no longer a beginner to watch, but a star to watch."-Mike Resnick
"At last, a story in which a character from our world is plunged into another, and doesn't act like a complete idiot. Miriam Beckstein is sharp-witted enough not to waste time trying to pretend that she can avoid the dilemmas that have been forced on her, while being human enoughto let her emotions guide her into risky territory."
"Stross not only creates an alternate world that is fascinating and original, he even does the unheard of, for a fantasist: His depiction of our world is deep and real. Many a fantasist is able to create, or at least borrow from Tolkien, a reasonably interesting milieu in which the characters can cavort, but when they try their hand at showing something from the real world, like, in this case, the society of high finance, they embarrass themselves by revealing how little they know."
"No such problem with Stross. He knows this world backward and forward, and seems to have thought of everything. His characters behave in ways that make sense. They know all the things they should know, and don't know the things they shouldn't. The result is that we readers can trust this author completely, dive into this story and let it carry us wherever the current flows."
"Not to mention the fact that it's simply a great adventure, full of danger, of plots within plots, of forbidden love and political murder. Science fiction is in good hands with Charles Stross here to lead the new generation."-Orson Scott Card
"Quirky, original, and entertaining. "The Family Trade" could be the "Godfather" of all fantasy novels."-Kevin J. Anderson
--This text refers to the Paperback edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
Ten and a half hours before a mounted knight with a machine gun tried to kill her, tech journalist Miriam Beckstein lost her job. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
Ten and a half hours before a mounted knight with a machine gun tried to kill her, tech journalist Miriam Beckstein lost her job. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Stross' latest work takes a bit of a step from his usual hi-SF prose, and moves over to the fantasy genre. Stross has taken a dollop of Zelanzy and a pinch of Beam Piper, to create a fantasy world that's not exactly like anything you'll have ever read before.
The protagonist - a thirty something reporter - finds that she can walk between worlds; our modern world of the 2000's and another, nearly identical world, that is still ruled by a feudal system and is technologically stunted. Soon she finds that she is the classical long lost family member, of a family that is anything but loving and more reminiscent of a world domineering mafia.
Intregue, plots, murder and romance follow - all with an underlying mystery that begs to be solved... Can Miriam change the way this new world works, can she survive the murderous intent of the other Families, her supposed close relatives (including possibly her newly discovered grandmother) and a mysterious third faction? And finally, will she be able to continue her secret affair in public, without fear of recrimintation!?
Not to move too far away from what we've come to expect from Stross, he still shows his panache for political thought and find that earth's alternate world is a boiling pot of politcs. Its also refreshing to see that the fuedal system is described the way it would really be, and not some fairytale of lords and ladies. Nor should you expect tales of heroic knights on horseback.
The only knights you'll meet in this fantasy setting have glocks and Sub-machine guns.
The story itself is part of a larger series, and if the book itself feels a little stunted and sudden - it is. Originally this and book two were meant to be a single volume, so the ending is a cliffhanger even though it feels a little wrong.
The overall series looks to be a really exciting departure from your standard fantasy faire, and book two far more of an in depth tale now that book one has the intro's and explanations out of the way.
If you're looking for something a bit different in the fantasy isle, or are already a fan of Stross' in depth writing, then this is definaly one for the wish list.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I shouldn't expect an author to keep on churning out the same type of book over and over again - but having read Atrocity Archive, Jennifer Morgue and Halting State in quick succession, and being avid for more, I was desperately disappointed to come across what reads like a Jackie Collins airport novel, written by someone who's just finished a housewives' creative writing course. The first person narrative of some of his other novels feels a lot more direct and interesting than the rather mechanical progression through scene setting and character development that you get in the first few pages of Family Trade. I should also add that the feisty American who just happens to be able to move to different worlds has been done before, repeatedly.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Lured by Mr Stross's wonderful, eccentric later works of inspired 'hard' science fiction, I thought I'd have a go at this. Not as truely bad as some of the reviews I read insist - let's be kind and say a journeyman piece. Anne McCaffrey does it better, but some nice ideas... and hey - I'm buying book 2!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Season 1 'Lost'?
This is not a standalone book in any sense. It does not come to a satisfactory conclusion at all. It reads like the synopsis for a TV series that desperately wants to be... Read more
Published 17 days ago by Rob
Good, but could have been better.
I like this, read it first as a library book, and have now bought it for a second read. That's despite its obvious flaws. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Robert Brenchley
excellent introduction to a new series
I've read other stories by Charles Stross and enjoyed them. This is a very enjoyable fantasy, albeit with only a very small piece of magic - the bulk of the story is firmly based... Read more
Published on 1 Dec 2009 by Nick
Proof once again that there's no real difference between sci-fi and...
The cover of my copy says it's a fantasy, despite the crucial points all stemming from technological differences between worlds, demonstrating once again that there's no real... Read more
Published on 2 Jun 2009 by D. R. Cantrell
comic-book developmental socio-economics
Oof. I bought this because Paul Krugman - of all people - personally recommended it, and my first reaction was that Paul should be a bit more careful with his endorsements. Read more
Published on 20 Feb 2009 by S. Matthews
Sorts of the strangest sorts...
Every time I read a new Charles Stross book, I find a novel that quickly becomes a favourite, and always for different reasons each time. Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2008 by Christopher Halo
An entertaining light read
This book is a little different from the other Charles Stross books that I have read, being a fantasy novel. Its an easy read, rather light, but very entertaining. Read more
Published on 13 April 2008 by Mr. Philip Relph
Starting to get a little tired...
I'm a big fan of Charles Stross's other works, but I'm really struggling with this series. What started out as a fun read has ended up being another fantasy soap opera. Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2008 by Mr. Wayne Pascoe
A promising start...
When a book jacket states that there's world travel involved and it's dedicated to (amongst others) Roger Zelazny, you kinda know what's coming. Read more
Published on 11 Jan 2008 by Kerome
A disappointment after singularity sky
This was a clever idea but I've read it done a lot better. Its not a patch on the Recluse series and I was disappointed after first coming across Stross with Singularity Sky - this... Read more
Published on 8 Jun 2005 by A. J. Sudworth
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Fantasy > Contemporary
- Books > Fantasy > Epic
- Books > Fiction > Contemporary Fiction
- Books > Science Fiction > Adventure
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
