Charles Stross with a Bit of Neal Stephenson Who Deserves His Own Post

So, I read Singularity Sky by Charles Stross over the weekend. If you don't like science fiction, you should stop reading here, but it was a great book. I like Stross a lot-The Atrocity Archive was really good, a mixture of the occult, science and maybe some alternate universe stuff thrown in-I spent much of it wondering if Stross had read Cryptonomicron by Neal Stephenson (another great book). I had to laugh when I read the Afterword, in which he says most of his friends asked him the same thing, but in fact, he had not and did not read it until he had finished writing The Atrocity Archive. Singularity Sky is not as light-hearted as Atrocity (as light-hearted as a book can be in dealing with evil demons killing everyone in sight and an alternate universe being trying to take over this world) but it showcases Stross's strength-which is that he makes you think. My friend Yayha (and he and my friend Dave both gave me this book) said that he likes Stross because he writes about ideas and I have to agree with him. There aren't many writers out there who have an actual idea, which to me is different than an alternate universe plot. An alternate universe merely poses "what if" and goes from there. The characters have to grow and adjust and the plot is usually about that-characters dealing with the adjustment. But Stross has an idea-and the characters don't just have to adjust, they have to think-and you have to think too. You can read Stross's books purely for enjoyment-they are well written and he has a slightly twisted sense of humor which can be pretty funny-but you'd be missing the point.
In Singularity Sky, a "singularity" has taken people from all over Earth and deposited them on other planets, where they have to fend for themselves. The Eschaton is the being that did this and it is not God, but it's not too happy about how one planet in particular has turned into a totalitarian regime, keeping the peasants in their places and saying "no" to most technology because it would help the peasants. So what happens when the being called Festival shows up and starts giving the peasants all they want? The results are sad and frightening-and it makes you think about what happens when those who have nothing are given the opportunity for everything. Do they want to be young? Do they want personal augmentation? Tremendous houses and the chance to destroy their oppressors? They want all that and more, so much so that a local enemy decides they must implement Causality Violation, thereby circumventing the rules of space and time. Again, you can view this as an adventure, which it is, but think about a society that needs to keep it's own people down so much that they are willing to commit this act, which if they aren't careful will bring total destruction on them-and they come pretty close to it. And there are several funny/sad/odd bits scattered throughout-the Nobleman who wants to be young again and turns into an eight year old boy-and wants some friends to share his adventures. He gets a rabbit the same size he is, a hegehog, a raven and he is terrified all the time-this changed world is no place for a small boy. Or the Critics whose purpose seems to be to show the people that they are unthinking idiots (which they are) but they way they go about it and how they view the humans (as unconscious zombies)...there are several different layers to this book and each one is interesting and thought-provoking. There's a sequel called Iron Sunrise and I'm looking forward to it-there's also a sequel to The Atrocity Archive called The Jennifer File and I'm looking forward to that as well.