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The Cassini Division 136

Posted by timothy from the first-summer-weekend dept.
danny writes "Friends have been recommending Ken MacLeod's science fiction to me for some time, and I've finally read The Cassini Division. Read on for my review - and check out my other science fiction reviews." Nothing says the start of summer like some paperback science fiction.
The Cassini Division
author Ken MacLeod
pages 240
publisher Orbit
rating 7
reviewer Danny Yee
ISBN 1857237307
summary politics in the 24th century

At the beginning of the 24th century, the inner Solar System is dominated by the socialist Solar Union. Their front-line fighting force, the Cassini Division, defends against viral attacks from post-human Jovians and keeps careful watch on a wormhole. Ellen May Ngwethu, a member of the Division's Central Committee, travels to areas of Earth occupied by "non-cos", low-tech anarchists who still use such antiquated devices as money. Her goal is to find the physicist Malley, whose help is necessary to find a way through the wormhole. And after taking the losing side in a debate over whether to bomb the Jovians or to try to communicate with them, Ellen travels through the wormhole to ultra-capitalist New Mars.

After a slower opening, there largely to link back to earlier books set in the same universe, The Cassini Division rattles along at a good pace. It is not particularly compelling as a novel, however, with no characters that really come to life. Ellen has centre-stage throughout but remains something of a cipher, her dominant feature her dedication to "the true knowledge" on which the Solar Union was founded ("self interest") and her hostility to non-humans, both rooted in her personal history. And none of the other characters gets much play at all. Suze, for example, is a sociologist who joins Ellen early on in the story and has as high a profile in it as anyone else, but she could still have been trivially edited out.

The science is "space opera" style, deployed when necessary for the plot but otherwise passed over, and the intellectual interest comes from the politics. This takes the form of open discussions of political theory and depictions of different forms of social organisation in action, but it never becomes didactic or stodgy. MacLeod himself is a Trotskyist libertarian, a label which gives some feel for his eclecticism, and he depicts very different political systems working reasonably well -- though he often verges on parody. There are also plenty of little jokes, such as a statue of Mises in the Central Planning Committee building.

A significant factor is that aging has been stopped, so many people are centuries old and have political views formed in the 21st century. This makes the recurrence of current political ideologies three centuries down the road more plausible, but it is also a key stabilising factor. Whether in non-co areas of Earth, in the Solar Union, or on New Mars, to a great extent the system works because it's what people are accustomed to. And even the Jovian "fast folk", descendants of humans who moved into computers and experienced a kind of singularity, have some continuity with their past.

Overall? There's not much more to it, but The Cassini Division makes a decently entertaining action story, with plenty of ideas for anyone interested in political theory. I'm not going to rush off and buy Ken MacLeod's other books, but I'll keep an eye out for a chance to borrow them or scam review copies.

You can purchase the The Cassini Division from bn.com. Slashdot welcomes readers' book reviews -- to see your own review here, read the book review guidelines, then visit the submission page.
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The Cassini Division

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  • Well... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Gortbusters.org ( 637314 ) on Friday June 20, 2003 @11:03AM (#6254562) Homepage Journal
    Nothing says the start of summer like some paperback science fiction.

    I thought that comment was a little TOO geeky, but given the crazy rainy weather, I'd have to give some credit to it!
    • I was going to say it's comments like that that keep bringing me back to Slashdot, wondering what could possibly be next.
    • Memorial Day?
      Heat?
      Rain?(this year)
      Tank tops/short shorts? (Women in ..)
      White shoes?(for those sartorially challenged)
      Heat? (It deserves at least one other mention with Global Warming)
      Mosqitos/West Nile?(Something has to fill our post-SARS days with dread)

    • Aw, c'mon. (Score:5, Funny)

      by Faust7 ( 314817 ) on Friday June 20, 2003 @11:16AM (#6254695) Homepage
      I thought that comment was a little TOO geeky,

      There's no such thing as too geeky. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go polish my Star Trek figurines, attend to my X-Wing model, review my anime collection, dust my wallscrolls, order an Alienware case, muse over Kerouac, check the Slashdot front page again, write a new Linux text editor, submit an Amazon review for the latest Babylon 5 novel, put a P4 motherboard in a Commodore case, make a particle accelerator out of coffee grounds and tin foil, and post to sci.math and alt.tv.x-files. And recompile my kernel.

  • Anarchism in his work. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by readpunk ( 683053 ) on Friday June 20, 2003 @11:04AM (#6254575) Journal
    I love him simply because he understands anarchism. A rarity in any genre of literature these days. The Sky Road did an excellent job not only showing his ability to produce good hard SF but also his ability to understand the political issues that will be inherent in any future society.
    • i'll preface this by saying that my understanding of anarchism isn't too deep, but you might check out a short story or two (sorry, forget the names) by vernor vinge which touch on it.
      • Oh please don't think I consider that too "deep". I don't. It is just rare unless you read fictional independent books. Rare in the way of anarchist fiction per say as a genre. You should check out V for Vendetta which was an interesting comic mini series which more than touches on it but in a very original and admittedly strange way. It is a good break from Kropotkin and Malatesta anyway.
    • Anarchism? Is it anything like Somalia, or Chechnya? Cause if it's not it ain't real anarchy.

      • Re:Anarchism in his work. (Score:4, Interesting)

        by Doom Ihl' Varia ( 315338 ) on Friday June 20, 2003 @11:26AM (#6254800)
        There is a difference between anarchy and anarchism. Anarchy is chaos. Anarchism is removal of most law and government control. The idea is that you need little else besides contractual law.
      • This is a long and pointless holy war. If you like I will call it libertarian socialism. I prefer to let the people who defined and lived the political movements of the past to dictate what they mean. A society "without leaders" (that is the original meaning) isn't necessarily chaotic, though it can be. Similar to the way a society with leaders can be chaotic or not (although most anarchists would argue any society with leaders is inherently chaotic). Have you read anything by Kropotkin/Prouhdon/Bakunin/Gol

        • Re:Anarchism in his work. (Score:5, Funny)

          by RobotRunAmok ( 595286 ) * on Friday June 20, 2003 @11:45AM (#6254988)
          libertarian socialism

          That high-pitched keening sound you hear is Ayn Rand twirling about in her interment...

          • Re:Anarchism in his work. (Score:5, Funny)

            by Tackhead ( 54550 ) on Friday June 20, 2003 @11:59AM (#6255160)
            > > libertarian socialism
            > That high-pitched keening sound you hear is Ayn Rand twirling about in her interment...

            So? Wrap a few thousand turns of Rearden Wire around 'er, and hey, now we know how Galt's Gulch was really powered!

            In the esoteric version of the novel (in which the Oath was a trap to trigger the generator's self-destruct mechanism by causing Rand to stop spinning), John Galt's biggest complaint about Gulch life was having to say "libertarian socialism" three times a day just to keep Ayn spun up fast enough to power the city.)

          • Yes, it is so hilarious. It is impossible for people to be economically equal and have little to no government. For instance, the spanish civil war which saw much of spain collectived under an anarcho-syndicalist union (the CNT) never happened. Just like every non western example of large scale communes that had an ardent history of libertarianism also never happened.

      • Anarchism? Is it anything like Somalia, or Chechnya?

        No it is not like Somalia. Anarchy is no rulers ("No Gods, No Masters"). A load of warlords fighting over who gets to own the country sounds like rulers to me. One man robbing another at gun point or G. W. Bush, it is just a matter of scale, but the princple is the same. If you have hierarchical power relations based on force or the threat of force then it isn't anarchy. For future reference:

        Anarchy: No rulers or hierarchical social structures bas

    • What is "Anarchism?" Is it "anarchy, out-of-time?" A pipe-bomb throwing Roman Legionnaire? Martian colonists storming the Terran Governor's palace with torches and pitchforks?

      Help me out here...
    • Could you please explain what place currency has in an anarchy driven society?

      • Could you please explain what place currency has in an anarchy driven society?

        None. However Ken McLeod's books deal with many different political systems and mixtures thereof, not just anarchism. Things are also confused by the fact that there are many people today that call themselves anarchists, but are not. There are some people (mostly americans) who describe themselves as anarcho-capitalists, but the anarcho bit of it is at best an affectation and often just delusional. The state and capitalism ar

    • Re:Anarchism in his work. (Score:4, Interesting)

      by TheCrazyFinn ( 539383 ) on Friday June 20, 2003 @12:08PM (#6255223) Homepage
      He doesn't really understand anarchism. What he uses is really trotskyism, yeah it looks kinda like anarchism, but it isn't.

      His novels are interesting from a Political standpoint (Eric Flint being the only other significant Trotskyist author in SF today, and Flint's much less political in his writings). Unfortunately, he can't write a believable female character to save his life.

      But Ken MacLeod is a must read, just for writing a believable communist society that isn't hell or a utopia. This is certainly a rarity in todays world (Not that I'd want to live in his 4th International society, but that's personal taste, I wouldn't want to live in one of L. Neil Smith's Libertarian pipedreams either.)

      • Jesus fucking christ someone finally gets it. Was avoiding that depth because I figured if I even said Trotsky everyone would knee-jerk on me like they have with "libertarian socialism". Anyway I agree completely.
      • From my reading of his work, I think he's sympathetic to Trotskyism and friends of his who are Trotskyists, but he has issues with it now. So he tends to give it some credibility in the future he depicts, while advocating libertarianism. Note how sometimes the Trotskyists "go bad" from one character's viewpoint, eg Dave Reid, or they have to face up to losing their idealism when forced to make compromises for the greater good in an imperfect world.
        • PS, I forgot - even if you don't like his politics, you have to give him credit for making Slashdot a part of one of his futures - middle of page 33, Chapter 2 in the UK paperback of Cosmonaut Keep if you're browsing in the bookshop.
        • Well, of course, as usual, human beings change their ideas over time. Someone can start out dyed-in-the-wool communist, then turn anarchist, then switch to libertarian, then green, then back to a hybrid libertarian socialist view... The possibilities for personal belief mutation are endless.

          For evidence of this you need look no further than Ken MacLeod's own blog, http://kenmacleod.blogspot.com/ [blogspot.com] - Down in the end of the June 17th entry he writes: "However, the expose did give me something to throw in the
          • Speaking as someone unschooled in the respective anarchist, socialist, libertarian, communist dogmas, I found all of the political stuff in the other three Macleod books a painful muddle to get through.

            I enjoyed *The Cassini Division* because at least it went to the end-game and spelled out the 'what if' implications. In the other novels I simply wasn't interested in listening to various associates of Dave Reid argue about politics, or conspire to bring about whatever counter-counter-counter-revolution the

            • Speaking as someone unschooled in the respective anarchist, socialist, libertarian, communist dogmas, I found all of the political stuff in the other three Macleod books a painful muddle to get through.

              I'm in total agreement with you here - although there were some lovely hard sci-fi concepts and ideas, all the political stuff completely ruined it for me. I don't think anyone has mentioned Alastair Reynolds yet. He's a stunning space opera writer, although I think that's a little restrictive. Start with R

    • I agre about Ken. My candidate for best anarchist SF novel ever is Ursula K LeGuin's The Dispossessed. (Look at my website URL)
      • Wow, glad to see I am not the only one who has read that book. It is my favorite as well. I think I need to read again about Shevek and his adventures. Strange how LeGuin also wrote those books about that tiny cat (forgot the name) for very little children.

  • I beg to differ.... (Score:5, Funny)

    by tha_mink ( 518151 ) on Friday June 20, 2003 @11:05AM (#6254579)
    Nothing says the start of summer like some paperback science fiction.


    A two piece bikini says it much better than a paperback baby.
  • Nothing says the start of summer like some paperback science fiction.

    And nothing says the middle of winter like burning some paperback science fiction for warmth.

  • The best part of this book... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 20, 2003 @11:18AM (#6254715)
    ... is the clever use of nanotechnology. Ellen wears a smart suit composed of nanomachines that allow it to take any form. It even has a rudimentary intelligence.. at one point it morphs from a defensive suit of armor into a soft plushy comfortable garment suitable for lounging around a hi-tech spacecraft. Another highlight of the suit is a moment where Ellen blacks out and the suit forms microscopic tubules to inject oxygen directly into her system to keep her alive.

    Brilliant!
    • I remember she was at a party and fed the suit. Was it a wine glass she gave to the 'monkey' perched on her shoulder that was all part of the suit? That was cool.

      Anyway, I only read about a quarter of it before I got bored.

      Not a patch on the Hyperion cantos by Dan Simmons.

  • Skyshadow's Summer Reading Recommendations: (Score:5, Informative)

    by Skyshadow ( 508 ) on Friday June 20, 2003 @11:19AM (#6254725) Homepage
    While you're out buying the new Harry Potter (stop pretending it's for your nonexistant cousin, loser), I highly recommend picking up:

    Jennifer Government by Max Barry.
    Very near-future society where multinationals have been carried to their logical conclusion. Funny, interesting and thought provoking and highly reminiscent of Neal Stephenson's earlier work (in a good way).

    A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge.
    Entertaining story along with two extremely interesting concepts: the intragalactic usenet and well-executed small group-minded aliens. If you like it, A Deepness in the Sky by the same author is a definate next stop. Vinge reminds me a lot of Larry Niven, again in a good way.

    Harry Potter
    Just go ahead and buy it -- you know you want to. Don't let the disapproving looks from the book snob working the checkout counter at Borders deter you -- they're working at Borders, few chrissake, who are they to criticise? A little fluff reading never hurt anyone.

    Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
    A lot of people are crazy about American Gods, and I agree it's a good read. However, Neil Gaiman's real strongpoint is his short stories, of which this is a collection. "Murder Mysteries", "Only the End of the World Again" and "Don't Ask Jack" are my personal favorites, although there's really good stuff throughout.

    • "Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman
      A lot of people are crazy about American Gods, and I agree it's a good read. However, Neil Gaiman's real strongpoint is his short stories, of which this is a collection. "Murder Mysteries", "Only the End of the World Again" and "Don't Ask Jack" are my personal favorites, although there's really good stuff throughout."

      Better yet, pick up some of his Sandman trade paperbacks. Now that's geeky!
    • His stuff was written some time ago, before Spammers discovered the Usenet. More recently the discussion groups and the intelligences would have been more concerned about multi-species herbal viagra.

      Actually, I do agree he is a good read.

    • A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge.

      Entertaining story along with two extremely interesting concepts: the intragalactic usenet and well-executed small group-minded aliens. If you like it, A Deepness in the Sky by the same author is a definate next stop. Vinge reminds me a lot of Larry Niven, again in a good way.

      Yeah, it's fairly nice. Compares favorably to Niven's stuff, imo. No bolt-on-sex-scene-per-book to start with.. The concept of everything getting more stupid the closer you get into galactic ce

  • The last book of the newer "Engines of Light" trilogy was recently published too (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnI nquiry.asp?userid=69Y7O3S8XC&isbn=0765340739&itm=1 ). Similar themes in many ways, but the idea of a neo-communist Euro-Russian ressurgance explored in more detail. MacLeod is interesting, in that like Ian Banks (also Scottish incidently) he sees the future as deepest red - and all the better for that too.
  • I read the book, and enjoyed it though it didn't blow me away. I did like the political/social aspects of it. Even to the point where I've been trying to figure out what my political/economic views are since I really think the direction the US is taking these days is horrible.

    Ender

  • Previous works... (Score:4, Informative)

    by Dinosaur Neil ( 86204 ) on Friday June 20, 2003 @11:24AM (#6254780)

    I think this reviewer is missing out; reading this book by itself is kinda like watching Return of the Jedi without have seen the two previous parts. MacLeod's first work, The Star Fraction, is a good prequel (now available in the US), but to really grasp the setup for The Cassini Division, it is very helpful to read The Stone Canal first. (The Sky Road is a sequel to The Stone Canal as well, but the world described is mutually exlusive with The Cassini Division)

    Personally, I've enjoyed all of MacLeod's works (including the trilogy in progess that starts with Cosmonaut Keep). Part of that is the well paced/structured stories, the intriguing look at tech and/or politics, and especially the low-key humor that he works in. In The Cassini Division, the story is peopled with ber-socialists; guess what the euphemism, "Go employ yourself!" refers to...

    • The Cassinni Division and the Sky Road are set in the same 'world'. At the start Cassinni Division Jon Wilde is in a conversation with some of the Earth residents and is surprised that everybody follows the philosophies of a mystery friend. The Sky Road is about the Deliverance where Jon Wilde's lover Myra is revered as a great philospher. Wish he would go back to that universe and describe the events between the Sky Road and the Cassinni Division, but it looks as though he is working on a standalone call

      • The Cassinni Division and the Sky Road are set in the same 'world'.

        In the "introduction to the American Edition" for The Star Fraction, MacLeod states, "The four books can be read in any order, and the last two of them present alternative possible futures emerging from that mid twenty-first-century world I imagined at the beginning." In The Sky Road, terrestrial space travel had stopped for over a century after the "revolution", while it had continued for that time in The Cassini Division. Remember that

  • MacLeod's Weblog (Score:5, Informative)

    by Bogatyr ( 69476 ) on Friday June 20, 2003 @11:28AM (#6254821) Homepage
    Ken MacLeod keeps an active weblog at

    http://kenmacleod.blogspot.com/

  • Good sci fi (Score:4, Interesting)

    by anagama ( 611277 ) <obamaisaneocon@nothingchanged.org> on Friday June 20, 2003 @11:31AM (#6254844) Homepage
    Good sci-fi is so great, like any of the Culture [geocities.com] series. I wish there were more good sci-fi movies too, but it seems that Hollywood is much more interested in "Science Fear", as opposed to sci-fi. Even our beloved Matrix is more about how tech is bad for people, than about freeing the storyline to explore other areas that aren't possible with today's tech.

    It seems a lot easier to avoid "sci-fear" in text form though ... lucky for me, the public library is two blocks away!

    • Re:Good sci fi (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Skyshadow ( 508 ) on Friday June 20, 2003 @11:35AM (#6254886) Homepage
      Even our beloved Matrix is more about how tech is bad for people, than about freeing the storyline to explore other areas that aren't possible with today's tech.

      If Reloaded had any deeper meaning at all, I think it was that humans and technology need each other, not that tech is bad. If you want a real "tech is no good" attitude, Fight Club might be a better example...

      "In the world I see -- you're stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You will wear leather clothes that last you the rest of your life. You will climb the wrist- thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Tower. You will see tiny figures pounding corn and laying-strips of venison on the empty car pool lane of the ruins of a superhighway."

      • I think you are misunderstanding Fight Club. Fight Club is more about consumerism, and how ridiculous it's getting, which is expressed through the main character(who was never given a name, but we'll call him Jack).

        At the end of the movie, Jack says to Tyler, "My eyes are open." Ie. He knows what was wrong with himself, but Tyler was going to far.

        Anyway, that's my take on it.

        • I think you are misunderstanding Fight Club. Fight Club is more about consumerism, and how ridiculous it's getting, which is expressed through the main character

          No, I agree. I suppose I was pointing to Tyler's attitude as a good example of the attitude the original poster was accusing the Matrix series of taking.

          For what it's worth, I also don't think that Fight Club was just about consumerism (although the term "Ikea nesting instinct" struck me close to home). I look at the book as two sections, one f

          • Thank you, that was a very well thought out post. I'll pick up a copy of A.P. to read this summer, although the season makes little difference to me.

            I thought Fight Club raised some excellent points regarding rampant consumerism, as I have seen my share of people who's posessions are actually making them less happy, ie. owning them.

            Anyway, my compile is finished, back to work... in my 8x8' cubicle :)

            • cubicle envy (Score:3, Funny)

              by Damek ( 515688 )
              You guys have 8x8' cubicles? Wow! I wish I could get one that big; mine's only about 5x5' - if only I had a bigger one, I'd be happy!
          • Mmm...actually, Fight Club struck me more as a satire of the belief that "the pendulum has swung too far". (And also of the belief that there's a secret They who control everything, but that's not really germane right now.)
    • Funny this would come up, because as an aspiring indie filmmaker, I was seriously looking into what it would take to make good science fiction movies, and whether or not they would sell. Right now, all I need to do is actually get off my lazy bum and start writing, planning, casting, shooting, and all that fun stuff. Special effects remain the single hardest part, but this is not an unsurmountable hurdle.

      So how about it? Would you buy science fiction films if they could be made as good as literary SF?
      • I would and do buy movies. However, I buy only the ones I can watch over and over - Brazil, Seven Samurai, things like that. I watch these 1 - 2 times a year. Personally, I wish you good luck on your project. There are definitely not enough good sci-fi movies, and way too many of the "Invasion of the Body Snatching Evil Computer Mechanoid Alien Terminator Clones" type of movies out there.

        Can I plug Ian M. Banks' Culture series again for adaptation?? ;-)

  • The Killing Star (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    By Pelligrino and Zebrowski

    The best, scariest "hard science" fiction I've read.
    It starts with earth and the human race getting wiped out. Then trouble really begins. Plus a whole new reason to hate Michael Jackson.

    Learn it, Love it, Live it.

    Beer, it's not just for breakfast anymore.
  • Isn't Slashdot a News site? There must be things better to publish than a review of a 5 year old Sci-Fi novel that apparently is not that great. Did the author of this piece really feel that his review was that necessary? How about me reviewing "The Matrix" for Slashdot for tomorrow.

    I can understand if the author thought that this book was an excellent overlooked novel that all Slashdot readers should pick up. But really - what's the motivation behind this story and why on earth did the Slashdot editors be
    • Ok, but no spoilers please, I'm still waiting for the LaserDisc version.
      • OK, but no spoilers...

        We're all coppertops.

        Sorry if I ruined it for you.

        Oh and I suggest you don't watch the film at all. It'll make you all excited about the sequel and that's just going to piss you off. I also suggest not watching Star Wars.
      • Won't be much of a wait, considering it came out the same day the DVD did - I own a copy. Probably one of the last, if not THE last, major movie pressed in that format.
  • Ok, speaking of just discovering things; I've read every Gibson - his concepts are great, but I find his language appauling (grammar errors, spelling errors, concorde errors); although his new book Pattern Recognition has done a lot for the latter - although I did find it a little "empty".

    Anyway, I read Gibson, Banks, Stephenson, Sterling etc.... and have just discovered Grimwood's Arabesk series and am nearly through the first one. WOW is all I can say. The review on the back of the book "Science fiction
    • forgot the "I am not a best-selling author so don't mock my spelling/grammar etc..." disclaimer ;)
    • / but I find his language appauling /

      you really meant appalling didn't you?
      Appalling: To fill with consternation or dismay [Middle English apallen, to grow faint, from Old French apalir : a-, to (from Latin ad-. See ad-) + palir, to grow pale (from pale, pale, from Latin pallidus, from pallre, to grow pale. See pel-1 in Indo-European Roots).]

    • Gibson's grammar (Score:3, Informative)

      by alienmole ( 15522 )
      I've read every Gibson - his concepts are great, but I find his language appauling (grammar errors, spelling errors, concorde errors);

      Hmm, I suspect as far as the grammar and concord errors go, you're talking about Gibson's writing style, which is deliberate - the kind of thing you can learn if you study creative writing at university and you get very, very good at it.

      There are quite a few literarily-admired non-SF authors who write in some variation on this style. One that comes to mind is E.L. Doctor

      • Pardon my ignorance, but what's a concord error?
        • Concord refers to agreement between different parts of a sentence, such as subject and verb. A concord error is when those parts don't agree. A couple of examples are "the dog are barking", or "you and me are going to have fun". Although the latter is pretty common colloquially, technically, it's just as bad as "me am going to have fun"; either way, it's a concord error.
  • Nothing says the start of summer like some paperback science fiction.
    This is the latest in a long line of inanities from Timothy.
  • Just about to finish it, and it is one wild book. Combine good old detective Raymond Chandler stories with Neil Stephenson and you'll get the idea.
    Highly recommended!
    (Added The Cassini Division to the list to check out)
  • [shameless plug on]
    I've review everything MacLeod has written:

    http://sfbook.com/modules.php?authorid=30 [sfbook.com]
    [All done...]
  • I couldn't help noticing, but does this have something to do with the object "Cassini Oval" [swin.edu.au]?
  • ...We're 84 comments in to a discussion about science fiction, and nobody has mentioned Ender's Game or Orson Scott Card.

    Is this still Slashdot?

  • I find Ken MacLeod interesting, but for really well-written political SF, you can't beat Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy. He really fleshes out his ideas, taking them to their logical conclusion and beyond without ever seeming implausible. And his writing is beautiful, where MacLeod's is merely functional.

  • Good Book -- Led me to read other's of his (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Nom du Keyboard ( 633989 ) on Friday June 20, 2003 @01:17PM (#6255947)
    I really like The Cassini Division. It got me to read more of Ken MacLeod's books, which I have also enjoyed almost as much.

    My take on him is that he writes a lot of words and progresses slowly with great detail. It reminds me a lot of David Brin's novel-length writings in this regard.

    Conclusion: He is worth bringing to the attention of /. readers who haven't already heard of him, and The Cassini Division is definitely one of his best so far.

  • For those looking for some books to read this summer, check out Peter Hamilton's "Night's Dawn" "trilogy." In paperback, its actually 6 books- The Reality Dysfunction (Parts 1 and 2), the Neutronium Alchemist (Pts 1 and 2), and the Naked God (parts 1 and 2). The series probably totals about 4000 pages in paperback, and is really just one huge book. It'd do someone little good to read the first and give up.

    However, do not be dismayed- it may be a huge read, but it is worth it. Hamilton's universe is vast and very detailed; a million subplots that aren't just filler.

    It takes place in the 27th century; humanity is basically divided into two camps- Adamists and Edenists. Adamists are what most folks would think of as the natural progression of today's society; and Edenists are a group of commies that have a form of genetically-engineered telepathy (called "affinity") and rely on organic technology. Humanity really only knows of two other sentient species other than themselves. It sounded cheesy to me at first, but it is an amazing series. I only finished it 6 months ago, and I'm having to stop myself from reading it again...
    • I disagree. I read the whole series. The end is a huge disappointment.

      Make no mistakes, the book has some of the coolest augmented reality and artificial beings that I have ever seen. But it has a major flaw. After spending 4000 pages describing how worthless religions are, the author, having painted himself into a corner, now has to use the oldest, dirtiest tricks of all suspense books:...

      a deus ex machina.

      in other words, Hamilton throws a genuine miracle in order to save a helpless situation, a tric

      • With a book series so huge, there has to be a lot more worth while throughout 4000 pages than the ending. I agree that the ending was a bit weak- and abrupt. I think there area lot more things that could've been done, but I had derived so much enjoyment out rest of the book that I didn't feel jacked because something more flashy didn't happen in the end.
        • Yes, you're right, nifty things happen. However, the writer falls into the capital sin of authors people who build a wide and deep saga: he falls in love with his characters and gets sidetracked on secondary stories that are of no interest for the advancement of the plot.

          This and the weak ending explained my disappointment. You get interested in a character and then you realize that he dies or is obliterated without any impact on the main line story - that's called a cheap filler. Editors used to cut them

          • Nope, not read any Ben Bova. I'm fairly new to sci-fi, having only starting reading anything other than non-fiction a few years ago. I'll check that series out- I'm always interested in hearing about books and series that are good. :)

            • Welcome to the world of SF then! If you are new, you cannot avoid reading the Great Classics:

              • "I Robots" and "More Robots" by Isaac Asimov. Asimov has also written a lot of whodunnits where SF is accessory at best, and they aren't very good unless you enjoy pulp mysteries.
              • Robert A Heinlein, the Grand Daddy of SF. Read "Citizen of the Galaxy", "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel", "Friday" and the hilarious "Glory Road". "The Puppet Masters" has been plagiarized in movies countless times, read the original. "S

  • Ken MacLeod, famous fiction writer, was found dead at in his home this morning.
    He had been decapitated whilst sitting at his computer, working on his latest sci-fi novel.

    Witnesses state seeing unusual electrical activity in the vicinity of his home the morning of the incident.

    Police are currently looking for a "long-haired, sword-wielding hottie" in a trenchcoat.

    • I think I saw someone else skulking around there. He was an Egyptian with a Spanish sounding name and a Scottish accent, who seemed to vaguely resemble James Bond.

      Er, sorry. Wrong MacLeod.

      Coincidentally, I happen to belong to the MacLeod clan, but I seem to have lost my sword somewhere...
  • I can't seem remember a thing about it. Must be a forgettable book. He has a few good ideas, but His other books are pretty forgettable, too.
    Sorry . No much out there worth buying these days.
  • When I first looked at the title I thought this was about that group at M$ that wrote the Cassini web server.
  • This review brought to my memory an Isaac Asimov's Book: "Lucky Starr and The Ring of Saturn".
    I enjoyed a lot reading it. One of the things I lov in Asimov's stories is the idea he had about what the robots would be in the future.
  • I appreciated the money more than this book.

    It was a combination of his dedication and the first two chapters that convinced me it would be better to buy a cup of coffee with the money.

    The coffee was very good.

  • "Nothing says the start of summer like some paperback science fiction."
    hehe thats a pretty nerdy thing to say. I did read the book though about 2 years ago so I must be a bit of a nerd. Anywho, in a word the book sucked a big one. Basically it comes down to the idealistic inhabitants of the earth and solar system, who sustain their society with friendly dedicated volunteers, are fighting some bullshit menace; then they are warped over to the "american" (capitalists) world where every one has computer gear s

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