THE EXECUTION CHANNEL by Ken MacLeod — disturbing and almost great
Review of: The Execution Channel by MacLeod, Ken
Wow, what a disturbing book ... feels so very true almost up until the last ten pages, when it takes a sudden u-turn into Stalinist fantasy. I admire MacLeod for recognizing that *anyone* can win the Great Game, and that American or British victory is by no means preordained, but at some point we need to start doing some sanity-checking about whether a) China is likely to become the global leader with its repressive, untransparent political system and b) whether we actually want that to happen.
There's a tremendous Scottish Renaissance in science fiction and fantasy these days, with MacLeod, Charles Stross, J. K. Rowling among the brightest lights. It's a pity that it seems such a politically parochial Renaissance, driven by fear of American hegemony rather than by a expansive view of a better world.
