OCTOBER 2018 - AudioFile
Christine Marshall narrates the final volume of a near-future cyberpunk thriller that pulls many chilling ideas from the current geopolitical landscape. While the cast of characters is large, and the point of view switches frequently, there is never any confusion, thanks to Marshall’s clear distinctions between main characters. Election day is nearing, and the future of “micro-democracy” is at stake. Sabotage runs rampant, and it’s difficult to know whom to trust. Occasionally, the complexity of the plot threatens to overwhelm Marshall’s smooth narrative flow, but that is a momentary distraction and does not take away from the overall merit of her performance. The story ends on a note of hope, perfectly captured by Marshall. K.M.P. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
“State Tectonics is a really good story about our near future and how social and news media are increasingly shaping the perceived realities of people and countries. It shows how people of good will can invent the future of democracy, and how that future might further evolve. The entire Centenal Cycle offers a vision which already influences the path of democracy and commerce in the here and now.” —Craig Newmark, founder of CraigsList
“As a work of speculative fiction — particularly about a subject as complex as the future of democracy — State Tectonics is superlative.” —TechCrunch
“Satisfying as a novel, anxiety-inducing as a comment on our society.” —Kirkus Starred Review on State Tectonics
PRAISE FOR NULL STATES
“Subtly radical (except where it’s openly radical), this book and series continues to offer a kinetically involving narrative that can also make you think about our actual world today.” —RT Book Reviews on Null States, Top Pick (4.5 Stars)
“Carefully researched, prescient, thoughtful, and disturbing.” —Kirkus Reviews on Null States
“Seriously inspirational for people who are genuinely involved in inventing the future.” — Craig Newmark, founder of CraigsList
“A riveting science fiction thriller that brings the future of democracy to vivid, divisive life... a hell of a good story.” —The Chicago Review of Books
“Subtly radical (except where it’s openly radical), this book and series continues to offer a kinetically involving narrative that can also make you think about our actual world today." —RT Book Reviews, Top Pick (4.5 Stars)
PRAISE FOR INFOMOCRACY
“Kinetic and gripping, the plot hurtles toward an electoral climax that leaps off the page.” —NPR
“Futurists and politics geeks will love this unreservedly.” —The New York Times Book Review
“This brilliant book is unquestionably one of the greatest literary debuts in recent history.” —The Huffington Post
“A futuristic world with eerie parallels to current events... [an] uncanny political thriller.” —The Washington Post
“Far too messy to be utopian or dystopian, Older here raises all sorts of critical questions. I love this book; can’t wait to see what else she writes.” —Ian Bremmer, author of The End of the Free Market and Superpower
“Smart, ambitious, bursting with provocative extrapolations, Infomocracy is the big-data-big-ideas-techno-analytical-microdemoglobal-post-everything political thriller we've been waiting for.” —Ken Liu, author of The Grace of Kings
“A fast-paced, post-cyberpunk political thriller... If you always wanted to put The West Wing in a particle accelerator with Snow Crash to see what would happen, read this book.” —Max Gladstone, author of the Craft Sequence
“A frighteningly relevant exploration of how the flow of information can manipulate public opinion...timely and perhaps timeless.” —Kirkus Reviews starred review
“Older’s sparkling debut, the first full-length novel from the novella-focused Tor.com imprint, serves as both a callback to classic futurist adventure tales by the likes of Brunner and Bester and a current examination of the power of information.” —Publishers Weekly
“In the mid-21st century, your biggest threat isn’t Artificial Intelligence—it’s other people. Yet the passionate, partisan, political and ultimately fallible men and women fighting for their beliefs are also Infomocracy’s greatest hope. An inspiring book about what we frail humans could still achieve, if we learn to work together.” —Karl Schroeder, author of Lockstep and the Virga saga
OCTOBER 2018 - AudioFile
Christine Marshall narrates the final volume of a near-future cyberpunk thriller that pulls many chilling ideas from the current geopolitical landscape. While the cast of characters is large, and the point of view switches frequently, there is never any confusion, thanks to Marshall’s clear distinctions between main characters. Election day is nearing, and the future of “micro-democracy” is at stake. Sabotage runs rampant, and it’s difficult to know whom to trust. Occasionally, the complexity of the plot threatens to overwhelm Marshall’s smooth narrative flow, but that is a momentary distraction and does not take away from the overall merit of her performance. The story ends on a note of hope, perfectly captured by Marshall. K.M.P. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2018-07-02
Older wraps up her trilogy of near-future thrillers (Null States, 2017, etc.) that focus on the influence of news on politics.Five years after the last election, micro-democracy—a global system in which every centenal, or area of 100,000 people, votes on a policy-based, not location-based, governing party—is once again under threat as a new election looms. Micro-democracy is operated by Information, an organization which both manages the communication infrastructure and disseminates all data, gathered through constant surveillance and analysis. Attacks on Information data transfer stations, the disappearance of many Information employees (probably to null states outside of the micro-democratic system), a newly discovered underground tunnel of unknown purpose, strangely targeted election ads, and a rising tide of locally sourced data suggest that one or more factions are plotting to overthrow or at least compete with the monolithic Information. Various characters affiliated with Information—Maryam, a "techie"; Mishima, an assassin and spy-turned-reluctant politician; Mishima's inexperienced but game new assistant, Amran; and the heavily pregnant analyst Roz—seek the source of these incidents. In the process, they wonder: Can Information be saved? And more importantly, should Information be saved? As in the previous two entries, Older here grapples directly and clearly with contemporary issues while tying up the loose ends in a believable way. The novel asks the questions we need to ask today—how do we know a source of information (small-i) is telling us the truth? Is it safer to believe a larger, more established, but possibly hidebound and biased organization or a smaller, more nimble group that might be more sensitive to local context and concerns but almost certainly also has its own agenda?—but doesn't pretend to answer them. At least Older's world shows one significant advance: Many of the major players are women and are a fairly diverse group overall.Satisfying as a novel, anxiety-inducing as a comment on our society.
