The Clan Corporate (The Merchant Princes, Book 3) by Charles Stross Search Amazon for other books by or about Charles Stross. Rating: Reviewed by: John Walsh

In the first two books of this series, The Merchant Princes, Miriam Beckstein discovered that she is related, Chronicles of Amber-style, with the ruling families of a previously unknown parallel world. Somewhat appalled by the uses to which her family elders have put their world-walking abilities to so as to generate power and wealth for themselves while leaving the poor to fend for herself, Miriam resolves to create the conditions for an economic revolution. Having discovered a third world, in which what is in our world the eastern portion of the USA is controlled by the British Empire and is firmly located in the steam age, she established a manufacturing company with a view to trading in information rather than drugs. Alas, in this third volume of the series (which has already spread to four or possibly five books), the forces of conservatism strike back. Not only does Miriam find herself manoeuvred into compromising her own position by under-estimating the forces ranged against her but the ruling elites demonstrate the power of violence that can wielded by the state to strike savagely against the arriviste "tinker" clans. Meanwhile, back in our world, so to speak, the US government employs covert and military means to discover what is going on in what they term "Fairyland" both as a means of combating the illegal drug trade and also with a firm view to exploitation of the parallel sources of "black gold."

Clearly, when the stakes are as high as they are here, political elites have strong incentives to ignore personal rights and liberties and some people are going to get badly squashed. Since most of the action takes place in an environment in which twentieth century technology is only available to a minority, then most of the victims of military force are other military personnel (it is, alas, characteristic of modern warfare that it increasingly kills civilians rather than the military). However, unaccountable and undemocratic factions acting in a society where there is no transparency in governance (i.e. dark things are done in secret) can resolve to commit atrocities against civilian non-combatants as a matter of expediency. Miriam is, as ever, at the centre of most if not all of these events and it is her character which continues to propel the narrative. Stross continues with the relentless pace and drive of the narrative in this book and prefigures what is likely to follow in the next. Characters previously in the background take their turn on centre stage and the nature of the various societies concerned is revealed in subtle but damning fashion. Stross also has a winning way with background humour that appears now and again.

Although the author takes some effort to bring the newly-arrived reader into the heart of the unfolding saga (through personal choice or at the urging of an editor?), it would surely be very difficult for anyone to appreciate the various relationships based on previous events and the power structures already described by launching in media res. Readers are recommended to begin with the first book and, if that one is enjoyed, continue to work through the subsequent volumes. They are quite likely to enjoy the very well-imagined background, intelligent plotting and vivid characters.