Fighting has spread across the Middle East and Central Asia to the borders of China. In the US, refugees from climate-change disasters subsist in FEMA camps. Images of official executions circulate on the internet like al Qaeda videos. State agencies sponsor conspiracy theories as cover-ups. As the troops of the last superpower stand astride the last of the oil, China and Russia aren't the only states considering their options: certain nations od Old Europe are quietly preparing for the worst.
James Travis is a middle-aged middle manager in a software company. He has a son in the army, a daughter in a peace-protest camp outside a USAF base and a compromising relationship with a foreign intelligence service. When his cover is blown hours before a nuclear explosion destroys the base, Travis, his son and his daughter are all in serious trouble. Roisin Travis knows that what exploded was no ordinary weapon - and not just because her brother had warned her that something strange and dangerous was on its way.
As his daughter discovers that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing, James Travis flees north through an England torn between the US and Europe, and divided by its own dark suspicions. As the spooks and disinformation specialists focus their efforts on his capture, Travis knows that all it will take is one mistake and his only memorial will be another grainy video on The Execution Channel.
Praise for Ken MacLeod:
- 'Mind-expanding science fiction at its best
- it is no surprise that [Learning the World] has been shortlisted for all the main science fiction awards.' THE TIMES, 'Stunningly assured, inventive and intelligent' Iain M. Banks, 'A classic saga … heartily recommended' SFX, 'MacLeod continues to add massive new levels of sophistication to the traditional space opera' STARLOG
Hardback
Published 05/04/2007