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The Family Trade (Merchant Princes 1) (Paperback)

by Charles Stross (Author) "Ten and a half hours before a mounted knight with a machine gun tried to kill her, tech journalist Miriam Beckstein lost her job ..." (more)
3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Tor (2 Nov 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0330451936
  • ISBN-13: 978-0330451932
  • Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 11 x 1.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 20,638 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #21 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Fantasy > Contemporary

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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
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The Family Trade (Merchant Princes 1)
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Average Customer Review
3.2 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars A more thoughtful fantasy, 18 Mar 2005
This review is from: The Family Trade (The Merchant Princes) (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.

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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars A disappointment after singularity sky, 8 Jun 2005
By A. J. Sudworth "tonysudworth" (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
This review is from: The Family Trade (Merchant Princes) (Mass Market Paperback)
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 seems a bit more formulaic and it spends a lot of time looking at culture shock rather than getting on with the story. Sorry , but I cannot recommend this
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Better at science than people, 5 Feb 2006
By A Customer
This review is from: The Family Trade (Merchant Princes) (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!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Proof once again that there's no real difference between sci-fi and fantasy
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 5 months ago by D. R. Cantrell

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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
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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
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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... Read more
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3.0 out of 5 stars 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
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2.0 out of 5 stars 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
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4.0 out of 5 stars 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 22 months ago by Jerome Grasdyke

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