Null States
Book Two of the Centenal Cycle
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4.2 • 24 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
"Kinetic and gripping" —NPR on Infomocracy
Null States continues Campbell Award finalist Malka Older's Hugo Centenal Cycle, the near-future science fiction trilogy beginning with Infomocracy that is a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Series
• The book The Huffington Post called "one of the greatest literary debuts in recent history"
• Named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post, The Verge, Flavorwire, Kirkus, and Book Riot
• A Locus Award Finalist for Best First Novel
The future of democracy is about to implode.
After the last controversial global election, the global infomocracy that has ensured thirty years of world peace is fraying at the edges. As the new Supermajority government struggles to establish its legitimacy, agents of Information across the globe strive to keep the peace and maintain the flows of data that feed the new world order.
In the newly-incorporated DarFur, a governor dies in a fiery explosion. In Geneva, a superpower hatches plans to bring microdemocracy to its knees. In Central Asia, a sprawling war among archaic states threatens to explode into a global crisis. And across the world, a shadowy plot is growing, threatening to strangle Information with the reins of power.
THE CENTENAL CYCLE
Book 1: Infomocracy
Book 2: Null States
Book 3: State Tectonics
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Older's second novel (after Infomocracy) is a little less tightly focused than its predecessor and suffers from midtrilogy sag. In the near future, Information, which is both a concept and an organization that practices global surveillance and data gathering, has divided most of the world into "centenals" of 100,000 people that vote various political parties into power. A large cast of characters, including former Information operative Mishima, is caught up in two political intrigues: the assassination of a local leader in the former Darfur and the continued shenanigans of the Heritage political party, whose waning fortunes lead to more desperate actions. The two plotlines do intertwine somewhat, but the ultimate revelations (and what passes for resolution) are decidedly unsatisfying, feeling mostly like the set-up for the next volume. There are great character moments, including Information employee Roz's slow-building romance with a local sheik, and teammate Minzhe dealing with potential conflicts of interest due to his mother's presence in a local government; those will please returning fans.
