Ellen May Ngewthu is a soldier and leader of the Cassini Division, the elite defense force of the utopian Solar Union. Here in the twenty-fourth century, the forts of the Division, in orbit around Jupiter, are the front line in humanity's long standoff with the unknowable post-humans godlike beings descended from the men and women who transformed themselves with high technology centuries ago.

The post-humans' capacities are unknown . . . but we know they disintegrated Ganymede, we know they punched a wormhole into Jovian space, and we know that the very surface of the solar system's largest planet has been altered by them. Worse, we know that they have been bombarding the inner solar system with powerful data viruses for generations.

Now Ellen has a plan to rid humanity of this threat once and for all. But she needs to convince others to mistrust the post-humans as much as she does. In the process, much will be revealed--about history, about power, and about what it is to be human.

Amazon.com Review
With his third novel, Ken MacLeod elaborates on the future timeline from his first two works, The Star Fraction (1995) and The Stone Canal (1996). Most relevant is book two, which established a colony on the remote world of New Mars via a spatial wormhole created by superhumans--transcendent machine-hosted intelligences called the "fast-folk." The original fast-folk crashed from too much contemplation of their metaphorical navels, but their descendants on Jupiter still harass Earth with virus transmissions that have killed off computers and the Internet. Enter heroine Ellen May Ngwethu of the Cassini Division, an elite space-going force created to defend against the fast-folk. Her wild doings in the 24th century's anarcho-socialist utopia make for fun reading--everyone will covet her smart-matter clothing that can become a spacesuit, combat outfit, evening gown, or satellite dish at will. But the Division's political philosophy is brutally tough, with alarming plans to use a planet-wrecking doomsday weapon against "enemies," who may not be hostile at all. In a climax of slam-bang space battle, MacLeod crashes the ongoing ethical debate into a brick wall and leaves you gasping. Witty, skillful, provocative, but just a trifle too glibly resolved. --David Langford, Amazon.co.uk

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 3.5 based on 40 reviews)

Not Free SF Reader

Defend the solar system, brothers.

The Cassini Division is an organisation that is ready to 'kick posthuman arse', as they put it. A key strategic asset is a wormhole, and the Division realises that anything evolving quickly could appear. It gets a lot less simple than this as societies on Mars and in the Jupiter area come into conflict, as well as Divisions within the division and your garden variety humans

One woman and the crew of a ship have to decide what sort of carnage they are willing to inflict on others for preservation, along with some strange consequences of their actions.
August 12, 2007

If you've never put a sci-fi book down, no matter how bad; try this one...

For some odd reason, I felt compelled to do a search for reviews on this book I picked at random in the library. In all my 35+ years of reading sci-fi and fantasy, I can't recall more than a couple of books I'd put done incomplete.

I am about 2/3's the way through this one, and may or may not complete it. While diametrically opposed to Macleaod's politics, I felt I should give it a read nonetheless so as to be somewhat 'liberal' in giving it a chance.

That said, I have to agree with SouthFried's review on the whole. This book, even if part of an ongoing series gives the reader very little incentive to go back or forward to the se/pre-quel. The story meanders between plot and borderline propoganda, with nary a thought for continuity. Maybe some of his other books are tighter and on-beam, but if this is the caliber, I'd say many a college writerwould surpass.

I've heard mention of one of MacLeaod's contemporaries who's written something called the "Lazy Gun", hopefully it will be less of a propoganda exercise in wishful 'what ifs' than this.

I think I'll have to go back to the remaining Terry Pratchet or Aaron Elkinson's I've yet too read. Idealism has its place, unfortunately it just doesn't cut it with sci-fi.
May 30, 2007

Great story, dumb ideas

I am very surprised by the hostile reviews to this engaging novel. I suppose many could be put off by the socialist orientation of the author and the story. I agree that at times the book reads like a propoganda piece for the Socialist International. I am certainly no socialist, very much the opposite as some of my other book reviews will attest. To describe this as a novel of ideas is correct. Many of them are dumb, unrealistic, and totally discredited ideas. So what, the story was great and in spite of my hostility to these ideas I loved it. It just requires a little suspension of disbelief. It also helps to know where Macleod is coming from upfront. The socialism bothers less if it is expected.

I agree with several of the other reviewers, do not start this series with this book. If you do start here you may be confused at times.

If you are easily annoyed by politics and political ideas you disagree with, this book and this author, are not for you. If you can enjoy a good story and can look past some pretty loopy ideas you will enjoy this series.
June 17, 2006

Clash of Civilizations

Compared to Ken MacLeod's later work, "Cassini Division" (1998) is a little underwhelming. The main ideas involve the clash of civilizations: the anarchic-socialists (from whose perspective the book is narrated), the uploaded post-Singularity consciousnesses of Jupiter, a capitalist anarchy on the far-flung planet New Mars (accessible only via tricky wormhole travel) and the non-cooperators left on Earth, who haven't joined in any of the parties.

That's most of the problem, really. The plot seems like more of an excuse to examine all these societies than an interesting story in its own right. The author doesn't quite seem to pay enough attention to the main plot threads. Generally speaking, I found it a bit hard to read and a bit too easy to put down.

There are some interesting narrative tricks here: the entire story is told from a first person POV, and only one person's, to boot. However, the "present tense" parts of the story are told in past-tense voice, and the flashbacks (sometimes inserted in such a ways as to kill narrative momentum instead of helping it) are told in present-tense voice. An odd choice that doesn't seem to make much difference.

The parts where he's actually examining the societies are admirable: fairly balanced, showing the upsides and downsides of all of them. However, it sometimes seems unsubtle, more like a sledgehammer than you'd like. Also, the narrator is not the most sympathetic person you've ever met. So if you're interested in Ken MacLeod, I might recommend skipping this one and heading for his later works: the Engine of Light series or (the much more enjoyable) "Newton's Wake."
March 18, 2006

Pretty bad.

I had no idea what to expect when I picked up this book. The back cover looked interesting, so I thought "why not?"

I guess there's a Sci-Fi subculture out there that is looking for future socialist/communist societies that they can believe and hope in. I think this is the driving force for those who give this book good reviews. Any exploration into future socialist society has an attraction for them.

Hey, I can understand that. Tho, I'm on the other end of the spectrum, and look for books that portray what a freer, liberty loving society might look like in the future. I can understand those on the "other side" of my political views looking for books that may validate their beleif's. So, even if I disagree with the political viewpoint, I still can appreciate it.

But, this book was just not good. The story was cluttered and confusing to read. As one reviewer put it..."It takes itself too seriously for satire, but too much fluff for serious sci-fi."

Character development was abysmal. There is not one character you can really identify with, or like. The political make-up of the differing societies is never really explained, so you never really understand how things are really working. Heck, half the time it seems the characters have no clue either...but, they are sure adamant about it. For those looking for ideas and concepts for the socialist utopia (hey, I'm also looking for ideas for a capitalist one), they ain't in this book.

The underlying premise of the book could be interesting. Humans develop, or evolve, into more machine than organic...and the humans, still organic, pit themeselves against these "futuristic" humans.

Could be interesting...but, it isn't.

Lotta gratuitist drunkin' sex. Silly and sophomoric ideas and dialogue. Ammoral people and actions. This is just a bad book, written poorly and confusingly.

Several people here have said that there is a prequel book to this that if you didn't read it, you'll be totally lost and confused.

They're right...I sure was. But, I don't think I'll be getting the prequel to try and understand better what I read. Cuz, what I read, and DID understand, I didn't like.

And it would sure help, if the author let you know that this was a series. Geesh. Absolutely nothing printed on the book cover even hints at this being part of a series or continuing storeyline, and that you should buy x book first. Seriously confusing... Sorta like the book itself.
December 13, 2005

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

The Sky Road
by Ken MacLeod

Dark Light (The Engines of Light, Book 2)
by Ken MacLeod

Engine City (The Engines of Light, Book 3)
by Ken MacLeod

Cosmonaut Keep (The Engines of Light, Book 1)
by Ken MacLeod

Newton's Wake : A Space Opera
by Ken MacLeod