The Revolution Business (#758) is the fifth book in Charles Stross's The Merchant Princes scifi series. Do not attempt to read this one unless you've just recently completed the previous books in this series, or you won't have any idea what's going on, as the author does not provide any back story for the reader. Since this book ends on a cliffhanger, the same will be true for the next book(s) in this series. An intriguing read, though, and worth the time.
Basically, this is a soap opera with Miriam Beckstein at the center. She's introduced as an ordinary business journalist living a mundane life in Boston. Everything changes when her foster mother, Iris, gives her a locket with a curious interwoven knot design. When Miriam looks at it, she suddenly finds herself in the woods, but she hears horses nearby. As she peers out through the foliage, she sees an impossible sight: medieval knights on horseback armed with assault rifles and Glock hand guns. Who are they, and how did she get here?
The answer is that there are alternate universes located in the same geographical area, but with differing levels of culture and technology. Only certain inhabitants of these places possess the ability to pass between worlds. All have a few things in common, however: the desire to dominate all other worlds through power, money and whatever means necessary. Miriam, as a long-lost member of the Clan with the ability to world-walk, begins to adjust to her situation as a pawn, but in The Revolution Business, she finds herself a reluctant queen.
When the medieval Gruinmkt and the US Government decide to go to war with nuclear weapons, the outcome won't be pretty...
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