SATURN’S CHILDREN and NEPTUNE’S BROOD By Charles Stross

saturn's children
neptune's brood
Charless Stross is one of the few science fiction writers concerned with money in the future. In Saturn’s Children (2008), humanity has died out but androids with artificial intelligence continue an advanced civilization. Freya Nakamichi-47 is chased throughout the solar system by various evil groups. Stross said that Saturn’s Children was his tribute to Robert Heinlein (specifically, Heinlein’s late novel Friday). Saturn’s Children was nominated for a Hugo Award. Between Saturn’s Children and Neptune’s Brood Stross published a story set in the same universe: “Bit Rot” in Engineering Infinity edited by Jonathan Strahan (2010).

Neptune’s Brood (2014) celebrates banking. Yes, banking is the star of this space opera. Krina Alizond-14 is a “post-human” who, with her “sister” Ana, discover a financial plot 2,000 years old. Of course, this knowledge attracts murderous competitors eager for the millions of bitcoins up for grabs. I found Stross’s monetary theories of fast money, medium money, and slow money fascinating. Obviously, this type of high finance of the Future isn’t for everyone. But, Neptune’s Brood was also nominated for a Hugo Award. GRADE: B (for all three)

20 thoughts on “SATURN’S CHILDREN and NEPTUNE’S BROOD By Charles Stross

  1. Deb

    Where there’s money, there will always be someone or something trying to abscond with it. The Nigerian Prince scam and its successors will always be with us.

    I read Saturn’s Children several years ago. I hate to say I don’t remember much about it, but it must not have made an impression beyond a vague memory that robot sex was involved somehow. Perhaps Neptune’s Brood will make a stronger impression.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Deb, I liked NEPTUNE’S BROOD better than SATURN’S CHILDREN. A big part of NEPTUNE’S CHILDREN takes place on an all-water world. Very cool. I also like that the key characters in both books are women (although they’re Post-Human).

      Reply
    1. Deb

      Jeff–it’s becoming more obvious every day that his entire campaign is nothing but a scam. I guarantee on November 9, he’s going to unveil some next-level Trump Multi-Media craptastic “network” and his ardent followers are gonna be all “shut up and take my money!”

      Reply
      1. Jeff Meyerson

        Totally. Bannon was probably brought in along with Roger Ailes to run the scam, I mean network.

        Donny Deutsch has been talking about this on MSNBC for weeks.

      2. george Post author

        Jeff, Donny Deutsch is a marketing guru who knows what he’s talking about. He’s probably the smartest guy on MORNING JOE.

    1. george Post author

      Rick, of course you’re right. Again. Yes, the cover artwork attracted me. And, I admire Stross’s work. He’s very bright and savvy in the ways of money and business. But, as you point out, his fiction isn’t for everybody.

      Reply
  2. steve oerkfitz

    I can read his Laundry stories but his hard Sf books I’ve always found difficult to read. His Fantasy books I have just found poorly written.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Steve, Stross and other prolific SF writers pump out a lot of novels that need editing. Better quality control would benefit the writers and the readers.

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      1. Wolf Böhrendt

        So are we in an age of “hacks” again – like 50/60 years ago?

        But those writers in the pulp area weren’t pretentious, readers just wanted some fun – and maybe surprise endings!

      2. george Post author

        Wolf, I suspect the market for these prolific SF writers has dried up. Charles Stross writes just one novel per year now. Of course, with all the books he pumped out in the last decade or so, he probably doesn’t need to write so many.

  3. Bill Crider

    I agree with Steve Oerkfitz about the poor writing. I’ve tried three times to read different series by Stross, and I managed to get through one book. I never read another in the series, though, and I didn’t get past 50 pages in the other two.

    Reply
    1. george Post author

      Bill, I struggled with Charles Stross’s SF novels, too. But I enjoy the business and financial aspects in his work so I pressed on despite the sloppy writing and plotting.

      Reply

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