The Solar Union, where the story is set, contrasts sharply with the unrestrained anarcho-capitalism of New Mars. While Reed and his followers were busy on New Mars the people of Earth endured plagues, wars and attacks from the Jovians. While New Mars is ultra-libertarian, the Solar Union has been built around an ideology known as the true knowledge, a strange form of self-centred communism based on a mix of Marx, Nietszche and Confuscius. The most entertaining part of this book is the inevitable clash between the two vastly different civilisations as Macleod weighs up the advantages and disadvantages of both systems. However in spite of the book's interesting premise and the return of characters like Dee, Reed and Wilde it is easily the weakest in the series. Which isn't to say it's bad, it's just not as good as the other three. The first main flaw is the character of Ellen May. She is extremely difficult to sympathise with and frankly at times it's hard to care about what happens to her. The second is that the novel takes about a hundred pages to get going which is fairly atypical of Macleod. In spite of these minor criticisms I must say that this is a fine novel in the spirit of Ursula LeGuin's "The Dispossessed". Final Verdict: 8/10.
"The Sky Road" is the concluding part of the "Fall Revolution" saga and sees a return to the alternating chapter system of "The Stone Canal". Before I go on I should mention that "The Sky Road" is set in an alternative timeline to the previous two books and is not, as some think, set before the events in "The Cassini Division". That out of the way, I begin the review. "The Sky Road" is original, well-written, compelling and quite simply one of the best books I have ever read. The main plotline is set in Scotland in a strange low-tech future where wandering computer programmers are deeply mistrusted by the majority of society and where humanity is about to make their first attempt at space travel in centuries. The second plotline, focusing on Myra Godwin, a minor character from the earlier novels, explains how this strange future came to be. Both plotlines are helped by the presence of interesting and likeable characters. I should also mention that this book showcases Macleod's abilities as a writer of place and Macleod's descriptions of Scotland are stunning and evocative. This book is a fitting conclusion, tying up loose ends from previous books and the ending is as unexpected as it is poetic. Final Verdict: 10/10.Well that's it. Now, stop reading my blog and buy these bloody books.
