Subject: Review: The Stone Canal by Ken MacLeod

From: "Aaron M. Renn" <[email-masked]>
Date: 11 Oct 1999 22:38:07 -0400

The Stone Canal by Ken MacLeod
	      Review Copyright (c) 1999 Aaron M. Renn

Conclusion: Highly Recommended

Another stellar job from MacLeod here.  I've read three of his books so
far, all of which have similar themes, but are different enough to keep
things from getting old.  In this one we have the various political
movements of course, and the obligatory bits about AI and what it means to
be human.  But there's a lot more in there too.

The Stone Canal operates in two different time streams.  One is Jonathan
Wilde telling us his history from about 1975 to the 25th century.  This is
nice because it puts a little more structure around the events in The Star
Fraction, as well as providing a nice backfill to The Cassini Division,
which US readers will doubtlessly appreciate.  The other is a series of
events that happen over a couple of days on New Mars involving a vat grown
clone of Wilde and a gynoid (a vat grown human body with an imprinted
robot brain) who's trying to achieve autonomy.  I personally found this
book a lot easier to follow than The Star Fraction, which seemed to jump
around randomly at times.  Though I must say I probably enjoyed this one
just ever so slightly less as well.

I really don't have much else to say about this book except that I loved
it.  To repeat my previous reviews, this MacLeod guy is great.  It remains
to be seen if he can keep coming up with great new stuff over the long
term, but his first few books are absolutely first rate.  This one is 100%
worth special ordering from the UK or Canada.  However, for those who are
on a budget - or don't want to take my word for it - I hear that The Stone
Canal will be out in the US sometime in the next year.

%A MacLeod, Ken
%T The Stone Canal
%I Legend
%D 1997 (original publication 1996)
%G ISBN 0-09-955901-3
%P 322 pp.
%O trade paperback, £5.99

Reviewed on 1999-09-19

Aaron M. Renn ([email-masked]) http://www.urbanophile.com/arenn/