“Glasshouse,” a science fiction novel by Charles Stross, was first published in 2006. It’s a loose sequel to “Accelerando” written in 2005, but it can be read as a “stand-alone” story. This book is a combination of space opera, detective story, hard science fiction and psychological thriller. The first person narrative works very well in this book.
Robin, the protagonist, wakes up in a rehab clinic in a different body, with very little memory of who he was before. Soon he discovers that someone wants him dead, and his only chance to elude the killer is to join a sociological experiment called the Glasshouse. Five couples, with assumed identities, will sign contracts obligating them to live in a controlled atmosphere for three years. Their environment will simulate the historical time period of 1990 to 2010, which is ancient history to people living in the twenty-seventh century. Robin’s identity is a 1950′s woman, Reeve. She tries to figure out the purpose of experiment as memories suddenly start coming back. But is the real danger outside or is it inside what is looking more like a prison than an experiment? Did Reeve aka Robin put himself in greater danger?
Stross has created a fascinating, richly detailed universe with a clever plot that is also convoluted and complex. The pace is quick, sometimes too quick and it may take you a few chapters to get in synch with his technology driven twenty-seventh century future universe. Some passages may leave you scratching your head in confusion, but if you like sci-fi and lots of technical jargon, you will like this book.
Publisher: Ace (June 2007)
ISBN: 978-0441015085
Pages: 352
Price: $7.99
Glasshouse by Charles Stross
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