Dark State: A Novel of the Merchant Princes Multiverse (Empire Games, Book II)

Charles Stross

Jan 2018 · Empire Games Book 2 · Sold by Tor Books

About this ebook

Hugo Award-winning author Charles Stross dives deep into the underbelly of paratime espionage, nuclear warfare, and state surveillance in this provocative techno-thriller set in The Merchant Princes multi-verse

Dark State ups the ante on the already volatile situations laid out in the sleek techno-thriller Empire Games, the start to Stross' new story-line, and perfect entry point for new readers, in The Merchant Princes series.

In the near-future, the collision of two nuclear superpowers across timelines, one in the midst of a technological revolution and the other a hyper-police state, is imminent. In Commissioner Miriam Burgeson’s timeline, her top level agents run a high risk extraction of a major political player. Meanwhile, a sleeper cell activated in Rita's, the Commissioner's adopted daughter and newly-minted spy, timeline threatens to unravel everything.

With a penchant for intricate world-building and an uncanny ability to realize alternate history and technological speculation, Stross' writing will captivate any reader who's a fan hi-tech thrillers, inter-dimensional political intrigue, and espionage.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Ratings and reviews

This book continues the Family Trade series that's been going on for a couple of books. The premise is that there are multiple parallel universes and certain people can transfer between them. Over time the US government learns of the ability and hilarity ensues. The books follow the protagonist and her extended family through the years and multiple worlds. This book is a high point in the saga. A couple of intertwined storylines develop and are quite thrilling to read. I found myself never bored and the writing is quite good. Charlie seems to have found a few new words that he really likes, like ablutions. The one thing that bothers me is that this book is like a TV series. It starts in the middle of the story. In the previous story grandpa was going to have the Wolf Orchestra play one more time, and this books doesn't really explain what that is supposed to mean. The book ends abruptly before two-three storylines become resolved. I really want to see next week's episode, but the next book is scheduled to arrive in January 2019. That's like years away.

Amazing jaunt into paratime adventures.

12$ for a book really guy's

About the author

CHARLES STROSS was born in Leeds, England, in 1964. He has worked as a pharmacist, software engineer and freelance journalist, but now writes full-time. To date, Stross has won three Hugo Awards and been nominated twelve times. He has also won the Locus Award for Best Novel, the Locus Award for Best Novella, and has been shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke and Nebula Awards. His books include Empire Games, Dark State, The Merchant Princess series, the Laundry series, and several stand-alone novels including Glasshouse, Accelerando, and Saturn's Children.