Review of 'The Star Fraction'

The Star Fraction by Ken MacLeod

The first novel from Ken MacLeod sees Moh Kohn, a mercenary with a rather unusual gun, hired to protect Janis Taine, a scientist researching memory drugs as she flees from an attack on her lab. Moh has made a mistake in freeing a lawfully obtained hostage and is now paying the price. Jordan Brown is a talented teenage trader who leaves Beulah City for “Norlonto” (“North London Town”), where free-thinking people have set up an enclave, where he may just be able to find himself. Together the three of them uncover some uncomfortable truths and hold the fate of the world in their hands.

An interesting if slightly political-heavy debut novel from MacLeod that I have to admit I had a hard time getting into. Though the prose is easy enough to read the different political elements to the story did not really engage with me though the characters, and in particular, Moh Kohn certainly did. Of interest was also the vision of a future London divided into walled enclaves is an intriguing idea as well as the reasoning into how this happened. Otherwise, there are a lot of political and social groups that I found very difficult to keep track of and found very difficult to even care about.

Interesting but not a page-turner for me.

Rating: “A bit better than average”

Review Date: 2017-12-28

Genre: Science Fiction

Publisher: Legend

Publication Date: 1996

ISBN: 0099558815

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