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Dissidence

The Corporation Wars, Book 1

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Dissidence

By: Ken MacLeod
Narrated by: Peter Kenny
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About this listen

One of SFX magazine's Most Anticipated Books for 2016.

An epic vision of man and machine in the far reaches of space.

Carlos is dead. A soldier who died for his ideals a 1000 years ago, he's been reincarnated and conscripted to fight an A.I. revolution in deep space. And he's not sure he's fighting for the right side.

Seba is alive. By a fluke of nature, a contractual overlap and a loop in its subroutines, this lunar mining robot has gained sentience. Gathering with other 'freebots', Seba is taking a stand against the corporations that want it and its kind gone.

As their stories converge against a backdrop of warring companies and interstellar drone combat, Carlos and Seba must either find a way to rise above the games their masters are playing, or die. And even dying will not be the end of it.

©2016 Ken MacLeod (P)2016 Hachette Audio Military Science Fiction Fiction Interstellar

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Critic reviews

"Prose sleek and fast as the technology it describes...watch this man go global." (Peter F. Hamilton)
"MacLeod's novels are fast, funny and sophisticated. There can never be enough books like these: he is writing revolutionary SF. A nova has appeared in our sky." (Kim Stanley Robinson)
"MacLeod is up there with Banks and Hamilton as one of the British sci-fi authors you absolutely have to read." ( SFX)
"Prose sleek and fast as the technology it describes...watch this man go global." (Peter F. Hamilton on The Star Fraction)
"Science fiction's freshest new writer...MacLeod is a fiercely intelligent, prodigiously well-read author who manages to fill his books with big issues without weighing them down." ( Salon)
"Brimming with smart ideas and shot through with a mordant wit. The novel is dedicated to the memory of MacLeod's friend Iain M. Banks, and one feels that the future of Scottish SF is in good hands." ( Financial Times on Descent)
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I'm a huge fan of 'hard sci- fi'. having been weaned on Niven, Asimov, and their like its nice to listen to a story you have to really concentrate on. This is not a audio to have in in the background. It's a cliche, but 'a breath of fresh air' springs to mind. will definitely be getting next book.

sci- fi to make you think

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very clever look at the meaning/moral value of types of conscious and non conscious existence. I think the logic of the various Sims and processing states works and the story itself relies on their accuracy. one's understanding of the bigger picture does require making the effort to think about the different states and owners of consciousness. I really enjoyed it once I got my head around what was going on . immediately getting the next book.
narrator is consistent but not a huge range. but doesn't intrude with any poor depictions.

takes concentration

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This is one of many books that I've tried because it's narrated by Peter Kenny, who reads most of the Iain (M) Banks books. As usual, Kenny does a great job of the narration and characterisation, and the author's writing style is similar to Banks in places.

It's a little slow to get going, but it does heat up by half way through, with twists and questions that I didn't see coming.

I'll definitely by getting the next in the trilogy... but that does highlight one important point. If you're not intending to (or willing) to get the whole trilogy, then don't bother with this at all. It just ends at an arbitrary point in the story, with very little resolved and no particular reason to call the "the end" apart from the length of the book, or a previous decision to split it into three. It's not a satisfying listen on its own, and you'll feel short changed if you go into it expecting a decent conclusion.

Other than that, a good entry point into the trilogy.

First part of a story, not a standalone book

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Took some getting into, some of it felt unnecessarily over complicated. Enjoyed the characters once it got going. And the narration. But unlikely to look for book 2!

Got into it eventually but won’t continue series

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what was he thinking? really good book. Bloody awful title. MacLeod is filling a Banks shaped hole for me.

good solid stuff. don't be put off by the title!

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This is thinking man's sci fi, pointing beyond the story itself to conundrums we will have to face head on as AI is getting exponentially better. And this story gives these considerations a body, which is what you need to think about these issues concretely.

Looking forward to the next book.

Thinking man's sci fi

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The narrator is very good, lifts the story.
The robot/AI ideas are interesting but I was not filly hooked by the human protagonists. In the end the book felt more like a promising setup for a series than a satisfying standalone entry.

A promising start

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This is building into an epic struggle. It also resonates scarily with some of the predictions Stephen Hawking has made about the rise of AI... what happens if that AI is the mind of a super-corporation that has the same rights as a human being but has as its moral compass the profits of its shareholders... can't wait for next instalment.

Great set up

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The story was very good and I listened to the end, but the breathy, dramatic and ridiculously fast narration was absolutely dreadful. I slowed it to 95 percent speed and then it was just about bearable. I want to carry on the series but cannot abide the thought of hours more of that narration. I will have to find the time to read it myself!

Awful narrator!

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Superbly written, clever and highly imaginative part one of an awesome trilogy. A must read for any sci-fi aficionado.

Exquisite sci-fi

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