books by Ken MacLeod (cosmonaut execution fraction)

books by Ken MacLeod

books:

Giant Lizards from Another Star (Boskone Book) (Boskone Book)

1 review
Ken MacLeod

Nesfa Press, 2006

A 'must' for any MacLeod fan or hard science fiction fan
Ken MacLeod's a powerful hard science fiction writer who applied the techniques of Hal Clement to cyperpunk ideas: GIANT LIZARDS FROM ANOTHER STAR gathers his well known novellas 'Cyndonia' and 'The Human Front' under one cover and adds four short stories, poems convention reports, essays and more shorter pieces to round out the presentation. While many of these have been published in smaller ...

Dark Light (The Engines of Light, Book 2)

13 reviews
Ken MacLeod

Tor Books, 2003

Motivation is the key...
Matt Cairns, Gregor Cairns and the rest of the crew of the Bright Star have left Mingulay and visited their nearest star system, right next door. But they all have different reasons for going. Not everybody is doing it for the trade. This second book in a the series is about motivation. What IS Matt after? What are Volkov's plans? What do the saur's want? What are the motivations of the ...

The Star Fraction

11 reviews
Ken Macleod

Legend, 1995

Very imaginative and thought-provoking
First of all, I do recommend this book to everybody that enjoys some near-future what-if books that mixes politics, artificial intelligence possibilities, and loads of technology. The good things about it would first be the ability to really shape a very interesting reality, very well built characters, many thought-provoking discussions, in the political, social and technological fields. In a way ...

Fast Forward 1: Future Fiction from the Cutting Edge

5 reviews

Pyr, 2007

Great Anthology...a must for SF readers and writers...
I was able to read the ARC of this book prior to its release, and I was very, very pleased with the selections. I enjoyed 14/21 stories in this, with Robert Charles Wilson's, Paolo Bacigalupi's, Elizabeth Bear's, Louise Marley's, and the Mike Resnick/Nancy Kress piece being my personal faves for their "wow" factor. I recognized some of the stories in this anthology were not to my particular SF ...

Seeds of Change

5 reviews
Tobias S. Buckell, Ken MacLeod, ...

Prime Books, 2008

Excellent collection projecting current issues or paradigm shifts into the future
This collection edited by slush god John Joseph Adams contains stories of paradigm shifts in the future (this review is based on an Advanced Reader Copy; the anthology is scheduled for release late August 2008). From his introduction: "I asked the contributors to this anthology to write about paradigm shifts - technological, scientific, political, or cultural--and how individuals and ...

Fractions: The First Half of The Fall Revolution

1 review
Ken MacLeod

Orb Books, 2008

retains their fresh creativity
The Star Fraction. By 2040, the Kingdom of Great Britain lays in ruins divided into independent states due to the policies of the leftist Labour Party. Some of these new entities are no bigger than a few city streets and run by gang-lords while others like the Army of the New Republic control a vast area. Marxist gun for hire physical security expert Moh Kohn, computer scientist Janis Taine, ...

Cosmonaut Keep (The Engines of Light, Book 1)

27 reviews
Ken MacLeod

Tor Science Fiction, 2002

Those whom the gods would destroy...
This is not an easy book to get into, there is an initally confusing split storyline and seemingly bizarre shifts in narrative and time (without the usual chapter markers to ease the readers transitions), but these are all clues to an unfolding and complex drama well worth a few chapters of disorientation. In the vein of William Gibson's Neuromancer, we are shown a cyberpunk distopia on the ...

Binary 5: The Human Front / A Writer's Life

2 reviews
Ken MacLeod, Eric Brown

Gollancz, 2003

Fascinating blend of genres and ideas
First off, this isn't a typical Amazon title, rather it is the product of PS Publishing, which puts out limited, signed editions by various science fiction and fantasy authors. Specifically, "The Human Front" was limited to 400 hardcover and another 500 paperback copies, all of which have long since sold out from the publisher. That said, there are copies available on the internet, and fans of ...

THE STONE CANAL

17 reviews
KEN MACLEOD

LEGEND, 1997

Good Hard Science Fiction
This is one of those uncommon books that immediately caught my interest from page one and kept it, the characters and their relationships and development done on the 'fly' as the pages flowed, superior writing indeed. The plot switches back and forth from the year 1975 and the following years, up to the late 21st century, and later on another planet. Two friends, one a socialist and the other an ...

Newton's Wake: A Space Opera

25 reviews
Ken MacLeod

Tor Science Fiction, 2005

New world meets old problems
Like the subtitle indicates - this novel carries grand ambitions of bringing you into a wast and incredible setting, with driven characters and fantastic sets making up the back drop. A few memorable bit pieces, some over the top political swipes - and a well put togheter setting for musing on the trancendence of time, space and life. The book is well enough written to just skim like an ...

Learning the World: a Scientific Romance

16 reviews
Ken MacLeod

Tor Science Fiction, 2006

Really interesting read
I really enjoy the perspective MacLeod displays in his writing. I found this novel in particular to be one of his best, and most enjoyable to read. The novel starts slow but for a tale of this scope I'd say it's necessary. One aspect of the novel was especially surprising to me. I kept having a sense of impending doom about the political situation on the Ground and the aliens interaction ...

Engine City (The Engines of Light, Book 3)

10 reviews
Ken MacLeod

Tor Books, 2004

Not Free SF Reader
The story picks up again, and steps up a notch. It is not only the locals and known beings they have to worry about. It seems there is a large conflict elsewhere, and new recruits are always needed for the fighting. Other branches of this conflict just like to make stuff, and change people. Given that a lot of people don't like change, serious and deadly problems abound for a lot of the ...

The Sky Road (Fall Revolution)

15 reviews
Ken MacLeod

Tor Science Fiction, 2001

This is my favorite novel, and i read a *&!%-load.
This is the most mind-opening book I've ever read. I frequently impose MacLeods questions on other people because the book poses questions of philosophy on such a level that forming an opinion on some sends the reader into the most interesting paths of cognition. For instance: (the responses to this always very) Let's say I can plug my head into this computer, and download every memory, every ...

Dark Light - Signed First UK Edition!
Ken Macleod

Orbit, 2001

2001 NY: Orbit First UK edition, first printing, mint, new/unread in a flawless dustjacket, signed by the author.

Die Cassini- Division.

40 reviews
Ken MacLeod

Heyne, 2002

Great story, dumb ideas
I am very surprised by the hostile reviews to this engaging novel. I suppose many could be put off by the socialist orientation of the author and the story. I agree that at times the book reads like a propoganda piece for the Socialist International. I am certainly no socialist, very much the opposite as some of my other book reviews will attest. To describe this as a novel of ideas is ...

The Execution Channel

17 reviews
Ken MacLeod

Tor Books, 2008

Thought provoking attempt to induce self-reflection in ugly Americans
Ken MacLeod clearly tried to do a great many things at the same time in his novel, and as far as I'm concerned, he pulled it off very well. Just to give a few examples, he explores how a Democratic Presidential victory in 2000 might have still resulted in ugly consequences, how the ongoing growth of disinformation can twist a society, and how individuals react when subjected to these pressures, ...