Iron Sunrise (Singularity)

by Charles Stross

Book Overview

" Stross] has the ability to superimpose an intriguing take on contemporary events over an imaginative story peopled by bizarre characters." - The Kansas City Star A G2 star doesn't just explode--not... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0441012965
• Release Date: June 2005
• Publisher: Ace
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.7" x 1.2" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Interesting second Rachel Mansour book

"Iron Sunrise" is a sort of sequel to "Singularity Sky," in that Rachel Mansour and her partner Martin make a return appearance, and that both books are set in the same milieu. However, in most other respects the two novels are very different. "Singularity Sky" is a wildly speculative SF novel that centers on a technological singularity on a backward Eastern European planet, with a small helping of left-libertarian politics but not so much as to be distracting or didactic. In contrast, "Iron Sunrise" is a James Bond movie, complete with a Blofeld joke, space nazis, and espionage. It's a lighter, fast-moving romp that stays interesting throughout. If you enjoyed "Singularity Sky" or "Accelerando," you will probably enjoy this novel.

Sheer Perfection - Bring on the Eschaton

IRON SUNRISE is simply a continuation of SINGULARITY SKY. In other words, it is a grand space opera with engrossing characters, captivating dialogue and non-stop action. Our two heroes/lovebirds from SINGULARITY SKY, Martin and Rachel, are now married and living a good life. That is, until Rachel receives a summons to talk down a crazy would-be suicide bomber with a nuclear weapon - the crazies will be a burden forever it seems. With that task behind her she barely has a chance to relax before receiving a call from the Black Chamber, the secret spy organ of the U.N. for which she works. Perhaps the biggest galaxy crisis in history is threatening. Someone has cause a star to go nova (via an iron core) and destroyed all life on a nearby planet. This civilization had a Doomsday Machine of sorts, space ships residing billions of miles away that would launch a post-apocalyptic attack upon a pre-selected target. This attack can only be stopped by keys from at least 3 officials of the former government. Someone, though, is killing off all remaining officials who survived the destruction and it is Rachel and Martin's task to stop them, gather the officials and find out who destroyed the planet. We meet two more folks, unlikely heroes de jure, a cynical teenager who goes by the name Wednesday and an ace reporter, Frank. Wednesday's story almost steals the show as we follow her travails as a teenager proving, I guess, that even in the future parents cannot escape those awful years. We struggle with her own growing awareness that the voice in her head is not an indication of paranoia but is Herman, the same Eschaton contact who worked with Martin in SINGULARRITY SKY. Action abounds - chase scenes, fights, disguises - as well as a window to the miraculous post-Singularity world. Their journey leads to an even more terrifying possibility and question - why has the godlike Eschaton been unable to see the Causality violation. A rabidly ideological group, the ReMastered, has become sworn enemies of the Eschaton. They have developed a theology of the "god that will be" who will be composed of the minds of anyone who has ever lived. They see this entity overcoming the Eschaton and ushering in an age of peace through complete subservience. They are Nazi-like in their use of German titles (kinda dumb) and admiration of the superiority of the (modified) race above all else. Unbeknownst to everyone else, they have slowly remastered government officials on several planets aiming for an intergallactic empire. Even more worrisome is their development of a time travel scheme that can go undetected by the Eschaton. After a chase of thousands of light years and many worlds, Herman (the Eschaton agent) guides Wednesday and Martin thru a labyrinth of logic traps until they meet with Martin and Rachel for the biggest test of all. A+

Science is Back in Science Fiction!

Thank You! Charles Stross. For someone who has grown up with some of the greats, Isacc Asimov, Arthur C. Clark, Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, I have sorely missed new authors that keep the science in the science fiction. I'm hooked. I'll be buying his other works, now.

Reading it now and loving it.

I'm not in the habit of writing reviews of books I'm still reading but Iron Sunrise appeared on my "plog" so I decided to wade in with a "Wow!". Stross has more going on in the 98 pages I have read than many authors manage in an entire book (or two...). I'd previously read Singularity Sky and loved it. This book is in the same universe but feels a bit different. Stross seems more deft and comfortable with his characters or maybe I thought Singularity Sky was just a bit on the silly side.I have the feeling that after Iron Sunrise we'll be waiting anxiously for the next Stross volume. Stross is in my mind a first class member of the UK SF luminaries that includes Asher, Morgan Reynolds, and Banks.