Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Time Warner Books Uk (1996), Edition: New Ed, 480 pages
Description
Britain in the 21st century is a Balkanized mess with an absentee-landlord Hanoverian royal family, and the US/UN acts as a repressive global police force. Moh Kohn is unaware that he holds the key to information which could change the world. Part of the 1995 Scottish Book Fortnight promotion.
User reviews
LibraryThing member RobertDay
Let's do a bit of time-travelling. In early 1990s east coast Scotland, two friends meet to discuss their efforts at writing a breakthrough science fiction novel. One is Iain Banks, already tipped as an up-and-coming, if controversial, young novelist, who is trying to sell a revised version of a
It is a cyberpunk take on factionalist Leftist politics in a balkanised 21st century Britain. In 1995, when the novel was published, this was still a possible future (though it would take a major leap of faith to imagine the fragmented far Left achieving the level of boots-on-the-ground presence that MacLeod imagines). Now, more than twenty years on, this reads more like an alternative history, where Tony Benn was a philosopher, not a politician, and a state of open - and semi-legal - warfare exists between the State, a revolutionary army deposed from power by a resurgent monarchy, various statelets and their organs of state control, the USA, the UN, and a patchwork of revolutionary militias and mercenaries. The main protagonist, for example, is a mercenary security operative for the Felix Dzerzhinsky Workers' Defence Collective; other organisations are equally appropriately named. In the 1970s, one British trade union was likened to Beirut; think of the Lebanese civil war and you will begin to understand the complexity of the world MacLeod has created. There are fundamentalist religious groups, political groups, anarchists, all the shades of Leftists you can imagine and special forces of all allegiances and none. Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, as someone once said.
The said protagonist carries a modified Kalashnikov for which the phrase "the gun spoke" is, for once, not a metaphor. He gets involved with a research scientist working on neural biochemistry. There are antiheroes and villains, AIs and love stories. It will help the reader if they have at least some familiarity with the British Left; not just the trade union movement and the Labour Party, but other groupuscules and parties, the iconographic texts of the Left and individuals such as Tony Cliff and John Pilger (just two of the journalistic icons namechecked in the book amongst many more). It helps if you know that in some circles, Leo Trotsky is (still) referred to as "the Old Man", or if you can sing the words to "Red fly the banners, O!"
Having said all that, the story itself is reasonably straightforward once you accept the premise of the balkanised Britain, can cope with multiple viewpoint characters, and are happy with what turns out to be a fairly standard cyberpunk plot underneath all the subversiveness. Technology is resolutely mid-1990s, extrapolated, but bears a strong resemblance to the earlier works of William Gibson. The text is riddled with allusions, puns and references. The pace is fast.
MacLeod's later novels calm down somewhat, and in those books he does not wear his political heart so much on his sleeve. But in this first outing, you get the unadulterated raw Left-wing spirit.
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science-fiction novel he wrote some time back. The other is Ken MacLeod, who has yet to make his first sale. Over a series of pints, sometimes in a pub in the shadow of the mighty Forth Bridge, they discuss publishing, writing, the awfulness of the Tory government, the possible future course of socialism, the role of 9-to-5 jobs in a modern post-industrial globalised economy and the state of science fiction. The author photograph on the dust jacket back flap of his first novel shows MacLeod as a typical Leftist rough-and-ready activist. And out of this fervent came that novel, 'The Star Fraction'.It is a cyberpunk take on factionalist Leftist politics in a balkanised 21st century Britain. In 1995, when the novel was published, this was still a possible future (though it would take a major leap of faith to imagine the fragmented far Left achieving the level of boots-on-the-ground presence that MacLeod imagines). Now, more than twenty years on, this reads more like an alternative history, where Tony Benn was a philosopher, not a politician, and a state of open - and semi-legal - warfare exists between the State, a revolutionary army deposed from power by a resurgent monarchy, various statelets and their organs of state control, the USA, the UN, and a patchwork of revolutionary militias and mercenaries. The main protagonist, for example, is a mercenary security operative for the Felix Dzerzhinsky Workers' Defence Collective; other organisations are equally appropriately named. In the 1970s, one British trade union was likened to Beirut; think of the Lebanese civil war and you will begin to understand the complexity of the world MacLeod has created. There are fundamentalist religious groups, political groups, anarchists, all the shades of Leftists you can imagine and special forces of all allegiances and none. Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, as someone once said.
The said protagonist carries a modified Kalashnikov for which the phrase "the gun spoke" is, for once, not a metaphor. He gets involved with a research scientist working on neural biochemistry. There are antiheroes and villains, AIs and love stories. It will help the reader if they have at least some familiarity with the British Left; not just the trade union movement and the Labour Party, but other groupuscules and parties, the iconographic texts of the Left and individuals such as Tony Cliff and John Pilger (just two of the journalistic icons namechecked in the book amongst many more). It helps if you know that in some circles, Leo Trotsky is (still) referred to as "the Old Man", or if you can sing the words to "Red fly the banners, O!"
Having said all that, the story itself is reasonably straightforward once you accept the premise of the balkanised Britain, can cope with multiple viewpoint characters, and are happy with what turns out to be a fairly standard cyberpunk plot underneath all the subversiveness. Technology is resolutely mid-1990s, extrapolated, but bears a strong resemblance to the earlier works of William Gibson. The text is riddled with allusions, puns and references. The pace is fast.
MacLeod's later novels calm down somewhat, and in those books he does not wear his political heart so much on his sleeve. But in this first outing, you get the unadulterated raw Left-wing spirit.
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LibraryThing member reading_fox
Superb. Politically fairly complex unless you are a historian of communism.
Centred fairly loosely around three main characters: Moh a mercenary milita captain, defending institutions against attacks from both antitechnologists and prolife groups. Jaine is a researcher looking into pharamceutical
Apart from the odd bursts of political rambling which don't make much sense in today's geopolitical scene it is all very enjoyable. The society as a serie sof enclaves is well imagined and internally consistant the raised but not extreme level of technological penetration is well described without infodumps. The ending is somewhat sudden and slightly naive - which is curious considering the sophisticated political machinations of the other parts. What would be today's question: What about the influence of MegaCorps is not discussed at all, but it is an insightful look at how a technological progressive socialist UK might end up. Not likely perhaps, but possible.
Centred fairly loosely around three main characters: Moh a mercenary milita captain, defending institutions against attacks from both antitechnologists and prolife groups. Jaine is a researcher looking into pharamceutical
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neural modification in one of those facilities, and Jorden is a teenage athiest in a religious cult, employed as a sharebroker. The society is mid 21st century reflection of the 70s power struggles betwen east and west. The UK sided with the US in an anti EU position following an EU response to a Eastern european invasion. The limited Israeli nuclear response caused the UK government to fragment into FreeStates - community enclaves. Internally self policing, the US/UN Space Defense force ensures that limits on disruptive technology are maintained. Revolution is in the air, as Moh realises he's made a costly mistake in a dealing with another militia, and the ever present rumour / threat of finally having found a sentient AI makes life that much more complicated.Apart from the odd bursts of political rambling which don't make much sense in today's geopolitical scene it is all very enjoyable. The society as a serie sof enclaves is well imagined and internally consistant the raised but not extreme level of technological penetration is well described without infodumps. The ending is somewhat sudden and slightly naive - which is curious considering the sophisticated political machinations of the other parts. What would be today's question: What about the influence of MegaCorps is not discussed at all, but it is an insightful look at how a technological progressive socialist UK might end up. Not likely perhaps, but possible.
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LibraryThing member isabelx
Norlonto had the smell of a port city, that openness to the world: the sense that you had only to step over a gap to be carried away to anywhere. (Perhaps the sea had been the original fifth-colour country, but it had been irretrievably stained with the bloody ink from all the others.) And it had
I've read this author's "Engines of Light Trilogy" on a book ring, and very much enjoyed them. "The Star Fraction" was his first novel, and the first book of a quartet. The next book in the series, "The Stone Canal" is already on my TBR pile and I don't think it'll be long before I get round to reading it and acquiring the other two.
"The Star Fraction" is set in a near-future Britain that split into a patchwork of small states, but overshadowed by the power of the US/UN, whose Space Defence system allows them to prevent states such as Norlonto from realising their ambitions to expand their activities into space. The mini-states are controlled by different political factions, and their convoluted alliances, both overt and covert, mean that you have to pay careful attention to what is going on; you can’t let your attention wander while reading this book. Once I got the hang of the splintered left-wing factions that the hero of this novel navigates with ease, and the various entities and programs running on the net, I found it really exciting, and it had a strong ending unlike a lot of other books in the cyberpunk/post-cyberpunk genre.
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also the feel that the world had come to it. In part this was illusory: most of the diversity around them had arrived much earlier than the airships and space platforms, yet her and there Kohn could pick up the clacking magnetic boots, the rock-climber physique, the laid-back Esperanto drawl or the orbital labour aristocracy. Men and women who'd hooked a lift on a re-entry glider to blow a month's pay in a shorter time, and in more inventive ways, than Khazakhstan or Guiné or Florida could allow.I've read this author's "Engines of Light Trilogy" on a book ring, and very much enjoyed them. "The Star Fraction" was his first novel, and the first book of a quartet. The next book in the series, "The Stone Canal" is already on my TBR pile and I don't think it'll be long before I get round to reading it and acquiring the other two.
"The Star Fraction" is set in a near-future Britain that split into a patchwork of small states, but overshadowed by the power of the US/UN, whose Space Defence system allows them to prevent states such as Norlonto from realising their ambitions to expand their activities into space. The mini-states are controlled by different political factions, and their convoluted alliances, both overt and covert, mean that you have to pay careful attention to what is going on; you can’t let your attention wander while reading this book. Once I got the hang of the splintered left-wing factions that the hero of this novel navigates with ease, and the various entities and programs running on the net, I found it really exciting, and it had a strong ending unlike a lot of other books in the cyberpunk/post-cyberpunk genre.
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LibraryThing member kevinashley
This was the first book of Ken Macleod's that I read, and it made a great impact. Macleod paints a vivid picture of a near-future London fragmented into city states with markedly separate laws (or lack of them), social and religious mores and financial systems, functioning overall in an extreme
I often don't enjoy fiction of the near future, but Macleod is streets apart from anyone else I've read who writes that. (I should note that the later novels in this series deal with issues that are in some cases much further in the future, although at least one contains some element of prequel.)
Macleod is good at escaping cliche; he can have armies without this being typical miltary SF, his characters are people you care about. Start here if you haven't encountered him before.
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market-driven anarchy. There's computing, AI, networks and systems of trust woven into the technological mix. It's a fast-paced story which is fun and deals with serious issues in a light-hearted way. Macleod clearly has first-hand knowledge of fringe politics, computing and the areas he writes about. I lived for many years in the streets that form part of the setting of this novel and felt I was walking them with the characters.I often don't enjoy fiction of the near future, but Macleod is streets apart from anyone else I've read who writes that. (I should note that the later novels in this series deal with issues that are in some cases much further in the future, although at least one contains some element of prequel.)
Macleod is good at escaping cliche; he can have armies without this being typical miltary SF, his characters are people you care about. Start here if you haven't encountered him before.
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LibraryThing member whitewavedarling
From the beginning, MacLeod's novel is bound up in political ideologies, philosophy, and various factions of rebels and idealists. And, at heart, this is the problem within the novel. More important than plot or character, it seems that MacLeod wants to explore ideas and logical progressions from
Was I entertained? At many points, I was, just as I was often impressed by the twists and turns MacLeod put together. But was I so engaged that I had to turn the page, or that I was anxious that a particular character triumph or discover some truth? No. And, sadly, I don't really feel the need to pick up the next piece in the series. I can acknowledge MacLeod's accomplishments in this piece, but for me, I desperately needed less theory and political argument, and a bit more development of the characters who might have made me care more about their ideals. Simply, I think that the book just took on too much in this first installment of the series.
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historical changes, as wrapped up in Marxist philosophy, socialism, and capitalism. Nothing works, and the characters and scientific developments along the way are alternately stuck in the middle or fighting multiple systems at once. While the ideas here, and many of the scenes and characters as well, are interesting and engaging, there's never enough focus on character or the plots of here-and-now (as opposed to historical or ideological or political, as the case may be) in the novel for readers to really gain a footing of interest.Was I entertained? At many points, I was, just as I was often impressed by the twists and turns MacLeod put together. But was I so engaged that I had to turn the page, or that I was anxious that a particular character triumph or discover some truth? No. And, sadly, I don't really feel the need to pick up the next piece in the series. I can acknowledge MacLeod's accomplishments in this piece, but for me, I desperately needed less theory and political argument, and a bit more development of the characters who might have made me care more about their ideals. Simply, I think that the book just took on too much in this first installment of the series.
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LibraryThing member paradoxosalpha
Having read a number of Ken MacLeod's more recent books, I've now gone back to his first novel The Star Fraction. Although the emergence of praeterhuman artificial intelligence is key to the plot, the book is far more focused on the political than the technological, and the few retrospective
The chief characters of the book are a "security mercenary" and a research scientist, and the setting is a balkanized England of "micro-states" subject to the US/UN after a Third World War of the 2020s. The story is fast-paced, with intrigue predominant over still-present sex and violence, but a prior appreciation of 20th-century revolutionary and imperialist projects is important for the reader's understanding. The villains are a little overdrawn in a way that sometimes verges on the comic, but they are often as absorbing as the protagonists.
This book is tagged as the first in "The Fall Revolution," a set of novels in a shared history, with varying timelines. It falls just a bit short of the work of MacLeod's I read in the "Engines of Light" series, or the standalone Newton's Wake, but it's still very good, and I'm sure I'll go on to read others in the sequence.
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technological clinkers (typical of the cyberpunk of the late 20th century) in no way dampen the political imagination and its relevance to readers more than twenty years after its original publication.The chief characters of the book are a "security mercenary" and a research scientist, and the setting is a balkanized England of "micro-states" subject to the US/UN after a Third World War of the 2020s. The story is fast-paced, with intrigue predominant over still-present sex and violence, but a prior appreciation of 20th-century revolutionary and imperialist projects is important for the reader's understanding. The villains are a little overdrawn in a way that sometimes verges on the comic, but they are often as absorbing as the protagonists.
This book is tagged as the first in "The Fall Revolution," a set of novels in a shared history, with varying timelines. It falls just a bit short of the work of MacLeod's I read in the "Engines of Light" series, or the standalone Newton's Wake, but it's still very good, and I'm sure I'll go on to read others in the sequence.
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LibraryThing member KidDork
A dense, often challenging book that required a bit of slogging to get through, but well worth the time. If you are not familiar with British politics, then much of this may soar over your head. Over all, though, I liked the world MacLeod created, and will seek out the other books in the 'Fall
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Revolution' cycle. Show Less
LibraryThing member macha
an ambitious and interesting book, about factionalism in political ideas, chaotic structures, the care and feeding of AIs, and suchlike stuff in the near future. first of a series. i wouldn't say it quite comes off: the author's reach in style sometimes seems to exceed his grasp, and some of his
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political projections on political factions seem to me a bit glib and even shaky. also his characters never really come to life. nevertheless i read in it echoes of Banks, and echoes of Dhalgren-period Delany, which is pretty good company to keep. plus it's an early book (1995), with a central concept that could be developed further into some fruitful territory, and so i quite look forward to reading the next one in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member daniel.links
An excellent novel - Ken MacLeod is generally very good and this is his best, without a shadow of a doubt. A politics and action packed thriller set in a dystopian near future, and with some utterly unpredictable twists and turns. The sory is gripping enough, but the questions it raises about
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technology and politics are just as fascinating. Brilliant. Show Less
LibraryThing member ricaustria
What was I thinking? Bought this on Audible but was extremely disappointed. Should have read all the Goodreads reviews. This was clearly not an (audio)book for me.
LibraryThing member gac53
The story was hard for me to follow. Don't know if it was the writing, the style or just hard for me to follow multiple characters.
LibraryThing member Kevin678
I give it a hour, couldnt read anymore. Very poor premiss.
Subjects
Awards
Arthur C. Clarke Award (Shortlist — 1996)
Prometheus Award (Nominee — Novel — 1996)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1995-09
Physical description
468 p.; 5.63 inches
ISBN
1857238338 / 9781857238334