"The Star Fraction" is the first in the series and is admittedly a difficult book to get into. The reader is immediately thrown into the complicated world of mid 21st century Britain, where much of the country has been divided up into various mini-states and political factions all feuding with each other for power and influence while the US/UN maintains control through Space Defence, a system of space-lasers pointed at Earth. Infodumping is virtually non-existent here. The history and science of MacLeod's world is revealed as the book rapidly progresses and it's down to the reader to keep up. This approach has both advantages and potential pitfalls but amazingly (especially considering this was his debut novel), MacLeod pulls it off with gusto. Unfortunately this book's appeal is somewhat limited and the average reader can't honestly be expected to grasp in-jokes like Ted Grant and Tony Cliff following Trotsky through a forest, arguing furiously. Though much of "The Star Fraction" is fairly incomprehensible to anyone without an insider knowledge of far left politics, those who salivate at the thought of Trotskyist mercenaries, Space-Lasers and advanced AI will find an original, witty and exciting read, albeit with the rough edges to be expected of a debut novel. Final Verdict: 9/10 .
The second and arguably best in the series. "The Stone Canal" is set much further in the future than "The Star Fraction" and follows the trials and adventures of the newly resurrected Jonathan Wilde, whose last memory is of his own murder. The narrative is extremely clever and well executed. The chapters alternate between the present (er, future) and the past. The chapters set on New Mars deal with the main plot while the others, set mainly in the 20th and early 21st centuries, fill in many of the gaps regarding the ascendency of the US/UN and the aftermath of the events depicted in "The Star Fraction". This structure of alternating chapters works extremely well. The New Mars chapters introduce us to a strange and complicated future while the chapters set in the past explain how that future came to be. MacLeod uses this approach again in "The Sky Road" (and to a lesser extent in "The Star Fraction" and "The Cassini Division") and it is telling that these are the two best books in the series. "The Stone Canal" is brilliant for it's memorable main characters, particularly Jon Wilde, and interesting setting and unlike the first in the series doesn't require much knowledge of politics, meaning it is far more accessible. Final Verdict: 10/10.That's it for the first two books. "The Casini Division" and "The Sky Road" will be reviewed within the next few days.
