This should be… entertaining. As I recall, the first series got kinda shut down at the end partially for stuff beyond Charlie Stross’s control – and partially for stuff that was, such as a fundamental misunderstanding of… well. Let’s not skate too close to the edge there, huh?Anyway, the Merchant Princes series started well and I actually wouldn’t mind him trying to salvage the good bits for something new.
Guess we’ll see?
Moe Lane
)
and 
. On the other hand, if the idea’s never actually occurred to you before, or you’re just looking for a good couple of books, you should pick these two up. Stross is a fun writer with a good eye for combining horror and science fiction; his alternate histories (the most developed being the 
) are likewise well-conceived. The space opera that he’s done has not really reeled me in as much, but there’s nothing wrong with it; I’m just more of a