About this title: This initial volume in the Merchant Princes, a new fantasy saga by British writer Charles Stross, has drawn comparisons to Roger Zelazny's Amber series. Tech journalist Miriam Beckstein is chasing a story when she discovers an incredible truth: adopted at birth, she is actually a noblewoman of the Clan, a powerful group of families from an ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Description: Very Good. 0765348217 Mass Market Paperback, Condition: Very Good; this book is in very good condition with light curve to the spine / light reading creases to the covers. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Tor Fantasy
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780765348210ISBN:0765348217
Description: New. 0765348217 312 p. A bold fantasy in the tradition of Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber, The Merchant Princes is a sweeping new series from the hottest new writer in science fiction! Miriam Beckstein is happy in her life. She's a successful reporter for a hi-tech magazine in Boston, making good money doing what she loves. When her researcher brings her iron-clad evidence of a money-laundering scheme, Miriam thinks she's found the story of the year. But when she takes it to her editor, ... read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Tor, New York, NY
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780765348210ISBN:0765348217
Description: Very Good. 1/8 inch edge cut front cover, no other marks. A bold fantasy in the tradition of Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber, The Merchant Princes is a sweeping new series from the hottest new writer in science fiction! Miriam Beckstein is happy in her life. She's a successful reporter for a hi-tech magazine in Boston, making good money doing what she loves. When her researcher brings her iron-clad evidence of a money-laundering scheme, Miriam thinks she's found the story of the year. But ... read more
Description: Good. 0765309297 Former library item may have library binding and show stamps, stickers or other marks. Items not meeting quality expectations may be returned. Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. read more
Description: Good. 0765309297 Former library item may have library binding and show stamps, stickers or other marks. Items not meeting quality expectations may be returned. Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Tom Doherty & Associates
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780765348210ISBN:0765348217
Description: Grade: C. Catalog: Fiction Fantasy Synopsis: 312 pages. A bold fantasy in the tradition of Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber, The Merchant Princes is a sweeping new series! It begins the day s... read more
Edition: Third Printing
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Tor Books, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780765348210ISBN:0765348217
Description: Very Good. Very good with one spine crease, minor wear. Third printing. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Tor Books
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780765348210ISBN:0765348217
Description: Very good. No dust jacket as issued. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 312 p. Merchant Princes, 1. Audience: General/trade. read more
Edition: Third Printing
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: TOR Books, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780765348210ISBN:0765348217
Description: Very Good. 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. read more
Edition: First Paperback Edition
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Tor Books, New York, New York, U.S.A.
Date Published: 2005
ISBN-13:9780765348210ISBN:0765348217
"I'm all the way to Book 4 of this series, and I'm really sad that I'm so hooked on the storyline, because I'm just not really enjoying the reading experience.
On the good side, the basic concept is interesting: There are multiple worlds out there where history diverged, and a few people with a recessive trait are "world walkers" who can travel between them. Miriam is the lost child of one of these families, and (re)discovers them, her skill, and this other world.
On the down side.... (1) The whole thing in this first novel feels forced. Stross just seems to be trying too hard. ("Here! I am writing a woman main character! Here! This is how a woman main character would react!") (2) Miriam's career as an investigative reporter is just a little too convenient, with *way* too many occasions of her pulling out her dictaphone and explaining what's going on, because apparently the reader isn't picking it up from the actual reading. (3) Stross has clearly thought out the larger/longer story line way into the future and is setting up a ton for future novels. That, in itself, is great, but it means that he's packing way more into this story than it can hold. (4) This first novel ends with absolutely nothing resolved. It might as well have been in the middle of a sentence. No thanks on that style!"
"I might re-rate this higher if the series proves to be good. This is definitely not an entire story in itself, I don't really feel like it was really worth a book in itself; should be a part of a larger book.
Moving onwards, it is an interesting premise that does have obvious Zelazny influences. I think the political situation was too complicated and devious for me to really understand or appreciate. The main character is interesting and fun, though I found the romantic angle to be...unbelievable in its quickness. Maybe desperation, confusion, and a new situation change how people fall in love. I don't know, it just didn't click to me.
Bah, it just feels completely incomplete. Like half a pilot episode for a TV show."
"I found this disappointing. As with most genre novels, plot is all; the writing style and characterizations are rarely memorable. In this case, the writing is a notch above pedestrian, but the storytelling, while adequately compelling, is confusing.
The Family Trade is the first in a series of fantasy novels which attempts to combine traditional sword and sorcery fantasy with modern reality and economic theory. It's at best only partially successful. Truth to tell, I found the economic basis for the plot to very unclear. How exactly does the Clan earn the vast quantities of real world currency that it evidently has? I certainly understand how it acquires wealth in its feudal era homeworld, but the book contains no explanation for how the Clan profits in the modern world. There is mention of the cocaine business, but no explanation as to how the limited number of Clan members who can move between worlds could get into or manage such a business.
It may well be that subsequent entries in this series would clarify some of these questions. However, after finishing this book, I find that I have no particular interest in investing more time in the series."
"This book starts out strong-ish -- a woman discovers an alternate reality which only she can access, starts learning to do cool stuff with it.
Thinking it over, that's not actually a strong start, is it? That's a classic "this is someone's wish-fulfillment novel" start. But this is Charles Stross, who is a real author who doesn't do that nonsense, so I was really interested to see where he would go with this.
It turns out he doesn't really go much of anywhere. The woman kinds of putters about, trying to do technology-transfers, and bad guys keep trying to kill her for reasons that aren't really clear, and then the book ends without really reaching any sort of conclusion.
Well, I bought the next book, and basically the same thing happened -- she keeps puttering about with her big theoretical plans and trying not to get assassinated, and the book ends without her actually accomplishing much. I think the ending was a bit depressing, actually, so I stopped buying these."
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