A transition book, put this series on hold for a decade

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	• The Merchants' War: Book Four of the Merchant Princes Charles Stross Tor Books, 2007 - 336 pages average customer review:based on 15 reviews view larger image
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A transition book, put this series on hold for a decade

This book is from a very good series but like the last two in the series is doesn't work as a stand alone. It takes up right after the last books action spends the majority of the book slowly building climax, adding an intiguing new twist to the series which isn't explored, and ends right when things just start getting good. This series will work best in ten years or so when he has written 2-4 more and finished the series. At that point when you get to the end of each book you can just pick up the next and continue.
The last page of this book might as well have the TO BE CONTINUED GRAPHIC from back to the future. Since this book has just been released don't expect it to be continued for at least 6-8 months and then that one will need to be continued in another 6-8 months until Mr. Stross decides to move on and then perhaps there will be some sort of ending.

In the meantime if you want to get caught up in interdimensional family drama that carries you along and keeps you coming back for more check out the Amber books by Roger Zelazney.

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Cliffhanger???

The other reviews cover what happens in the course of the book, I won't go into all that, I am here to issue a warning to other potential readers....

The bast... Er, that is, the 'Esteemed Author' does not end the book on what I would call a cliffhanger. No, the term cliffhanger implies that the reader still has the very edge of one pinky finger's nail still in contact with the crumpling lip of a precipice. That is not the case here. The story ends with the reader plummeting through thin air screaming in fear and fury, wondering if/when they will ever hit book five. So, if you have a strong heart, go ahead and read it. If, however, you have ever failed a stress test, wait until book five comes out to read this one - your cardiologist will thank you!

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Competent

The latest installment of a parallel worlds series. The basic idea, plotting, characterization, and quality of writing are competent. Nothing particularly original but done decently.

No more doubt: this is a serial novel series

The first two novels in this series had the feel of well contained (if short) novels, but the third novel leaves us with a cliff hanger that might as well finish, "Tune in next week to find out what happens to our dashing heroine." The fourth book also ends with a cliff hanger, in my opinion even more blatant than that of book three.

So, we are now firmly in serial novel territory, and I think that is a bad thing for several reasons. First, we devoted readers are forced to wade through the background information repeatedly, which is increasingly dominating these slender books. Second, the story is fragmenting to the point that it is a chore to follow the shifts among story lines that are now barraging us several times per chapter. Third, and related to the previous point, Miriam has been marginalized to a frustrating degree. In book three she becomes a self-pitying pawn, and in book four she does absolutely nothing of real interest for the entire book (and no new characters are developed with sufficient depth to be compelling).

As a science fiction reader, I actively seek out books that are based on original ideas. From that perspective I am still quite satisfied with this series. However, I would be much happier if it were comprised of three or four much more developed books, rather than an endless series that only slightly advances the story with each volume. Reading these books is starting to feel like work.

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Editorial oversight

There is an embarressing error in the book. At one point a few chapters into the book, all referrences to the LEE family suddenly become the WU family. This is made worse by the fact that there already IS a WU family in the series that serves a different role.

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