Short description
The explosive final volume in Ken MacLeod's far-future trilogy. Nova Babylonia is in decline. The expected alien invaders never came and the Regime has fallen. Into this corrupt city arrives an outsider whose purpose is ambiguous. But businessman or spy, he is not the only visitor.
Long description
The acclaimed Engines of Light series that began with COSMONAUT KEEP and DARK LIGHT reaches its staggering conclusion in ENGINE CITY. For ten thousand years the varied races of the Second Sphere lived in peaceful co-existence, building their civilisations under the gaze of the ever-vigilant cometary minds. But then the cosmonauts of the Bright Star came. And with them they have brought a revolution ...For one of the Bright Star's crew has warned that an invasion of the Second Sphere is imminent and has armed the ancient city of Nova Babylonia against it. Another cosmonaut thinks he's the very man to lead the invasion. The new regime of Nova Babylonia is certain it can withstand the alien onslaught. Whether it can defend itself against Matt Cairns is a question only the gods can answer ...Find out more about this and other titles at www.orbitbooks.co.uk
Review
Ken's books are always a delight to read ...I heartily recommend the entire series to anyone who has not yet begun them. As anyone who has read Ken's earlier work, such as the STAR FRACTION or the CASSINI DIVISION will know he creates excellent novels full of SF for the more demanding reader, venturing into the effects of new technologies and ideological and political ways of thinking, elevating the novels way above the normal 'space opera level (fun as they are). Absorbing and fascinating, I couldn't stop reading this.' THEALIENONLINE 'The modern-day George Orwell' SFX 'A hectic ride, through slaloms of audacious complexity, irreverent ingenuity and paradox as purposeful as it is playful' GUARDIAN 'Magnificent ... a series you'd be wise to follow from the start'