The Hidden Family (Merchant Princes)

The Hidden Family (Merchant Princes)

by Charles Stross (Author)

Synopsis

The six families of the Clan rule the kingdom of Gruinmarkt from behind the scenes, a mixture of nobility and criminal conspirators whose power to walk between their world and ours makes them rich in both. Braids of family loyalty and intermarriage provide a fragile guarantee of peace, but a recently ended civil war has left the families shaken and suspicious. Miriam, a hip tech journalist from Boston, discovered her alternate-world relatives with explosive results that shook the worlds. Now, as the prodigal Countess Helge Thorold-Hjorth, she finds herself ensnared in schemes and plots centuries in the making. She is surrounded by unlikely allies, lethal contraband, and, most dangerous of all, her family. With her modern American attitudes, she's not sure she can fit in, or if she even wants to, but to stay alive, she really has no choice ...Praise for The Family Trade: 'Quirky, original and entertaining...could be The Godfather of all fantasy novels' Kevin J. Anderson 'Light, loaded with tongue-in-cheek humour and deftly plotted' Guardian

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 352
Edition: 1st Printing
Publisher: Tor
Published: 01 Aug 2008

ISBN 10: 0330460935
ISBN 13: 9780330460934

Media Reviews
The Hidden Family
A Book Sense Notable Title
Charles Stross brings info-tech philosophy to the world of fantasy. . . .Stories unfold across three worlds that are brought to life with humor-laced action. - The Denver Post
It's an obvious homage to Zelazny's Amber series, but I like it a good deal more. - The San Diego Union-Tribune
The Hidden Family is a festival of ideas in action, fast moving and often very funny, but underpinned by a rigorous logical strategy. . . .Stross's breezy, almost Heinleinian mode of narration is on fine display in The Hidden Family. -- Locus
Miriam Beckstein, aka Countess Helge Thorold-Hjorth of the Clan, finds her own world to conquer in this fast-moving sequel to The Family Trade. . . . Stross continues to mix high and low tech in amusing and surprising ways. . . .[he] weaves a tale worthy of Robert Ludlum or Dan Brown. - Publishers Weekly
English writer Charles Stross, whose books burst with pop-science ideas, intrigue, strong characters and even romance, continues his Merchant Princes series . . . . Stross is an energetic writer . . . who creates page-turning reads . . . . Readers will be relieved to learn that there is a lot to look forward to in The Hidden Family, including a finale that is all Gothic Romance: regrets, a ball and a happy reunion. -- Bookpage
The Hidden Family
A Book Sense Notable Title
Charles Stross brings info-tech philosophy to the world of fantasy. . . .Stories unfold across three worlds that are brought to life with humor-laced action. - The Denver Post
It's an obvious homage to Zelazny's Amber series, but I like it a good deal more. - The San Diego Union-Tribune
The Hidden Family is a festival of ideas in action, fast moving and often very funny, but underpinned by a rigorous logical strategy. . . .Stross's breezy, almost Heinleinian mode of narration is on fine display in The Hidden Family, -- Locus
Miriam Beckstein, aka Countess Helge Thorold-Hjorth of the Clan, finds her own world to conquer in this fast-moving sequel to The Family Trade, . . . Stross continues to mix high and low tech in amusing and surprising ways. . . .[he] weaves a tale worthy of Robert Ludlum or Dan Brown. - Publishers Weekly
English writer Charles Stross, whose books burst with pop-science ideas, intrigue, strong characters and even romance, continues his Merchant Princes series . . . . Stross is an energetic writer . . . who creates page-turning reads . . . . Readers will be relieved to learn that there is a lot to look forward to in The Hidden Family, including a finale that is all Gothic Romance: regrets, a ball and a happy reunion. -- Bookpage
Author Bio
Charles Stross was born in Leeds, England, in 1964. He has worked as a pharmacist, software engineer and freelance journalist, but now writes full-time. To date, Stross has won two Hugo awards and been nominated twelve times. He has also won the Locus Award for Best Novel, the Locus Award for Best Novella and has been shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke and Nebula Awards. He is the author of the popular Merchant Princes and Empire Games series, set in the same world. In addition, his fiction has been translated into around a dozen languages. Stross lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, with his wife Feorag, a couple of cats, several thousand books, and an ever-changing herd of obsolescent computers.