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Centenal Cycle #3
State Tectonics
The future of democracy must evolve or die.
The last time Information held an election, a global network outage, two counts of sabotage by major world governments, and a devastating earthquake almost shook micro-democracy apart. Five years later, it's time to vote again, and the system that has ensured global peace for 25 years is more vulnerable than ever.
Unknown enemies are attacking Information's network infrastructure. Spies, former superpowers, and revolutionaries sharpen their knives in the shadows. And Information's best agents question whether the data monopoly they've served all their lives is worth saving, or whether it's time to burn the world down and start anew.
The last time Information held an election, a global network outage, two counts of sabotage by major world governments, and a devastating earthquake almost shook micro-democracy apart. Five years later, it's time to vote again, and the system that has ensured global peace for 25 years is more vulnerable than ever.
Unknown enemies are attacking Information's network infrastructure. Spies, former superpowers, and revolutionaries sharpen their knives in the shadows. And Information's best agents question whether the data monopoly they've served all their lives is worth saving, or whether it's time to burn the world down and start anew.
432 pages, Hardcover
First published September 11, 2018
113 people are currently reading
1463 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
April 14, 2019
Five stars for what the novel and the previous two is attempting to do. The idea behind the whole Infomocracy one-world government of democracy by self-involved special interests delineated not by geography but by ideas is a great milestone in literature.
Sure, others have done something similar in regular modes or have skirted around the idea in the past, but Older grabs hard onto the topic and runs at full speed with it.
I mean, let's face it, the idea sounds complicated but it really isn't. NRA nuts vote along NRA lines. Pro-Lifers do the same. When we have an idea that we're willing to sacrifice all other ideas upon its altar, we get together all our buds and tell them to sacrifice all the other things they believe in to focus HARD upon that one single idea.
It's insane, but it's what we do. Older's SF is a whole world full of voting blocks and, as in the second novel, Null States who refuse to take part in the grand social schema. But in this third novel, we're focused post-tragedy rebuilding, the mistrust with all the voting blocs, and a serious misgiving for the whole political process that seems oddly familiar...
RIGHT?
So, yeah, Older is really tapping into our current political Zeitgeist and hits us hard where I suppose a lot of us are fairly weak. How do we trust information? Can we trust information? Is there any way to cut through the s*** and get the truth when the truth can be twisted 23 ways before breakfast?
Things can never be simple. Anyone who says otherwise is trying to sell you their snake-oil. And yet, that's where the problem always becomes worse. We need to be informed, so we decide to trust loved ones or personalities we think we can trust or any other illogical mode JUST BECAUSE we're so unsure. And then we roll with it for good or ill because that's what we've always done.
Older tells this story in her own way and couched a very thoroughly thought-out near-future world and I really appreciate the attempt. Truly. Much respect.
However, the actual story and plot in this one? Sigh. Not all that interesting. It had its moments and the very thing I loved most about the novel, the intricate political and information-terminology complexity, was also the most difficult thing to enjoy. The exposition dragged the tale even though the exposition was exactly what made this book (or these books) so great.
It should definitely be read and enjoyed, but a certain amount of managed expectations should be involved in the process. :)
Sure, others have done something similar in regular modes or have skirted around the idea in the past, but Older grabs hard onto the topic and runs at full speed with it.
I mean, let's face it, the idea sounds complicated but it really isn't. NRA nuts vote along NRA lines. Pro-Lifers do the same. When we have an idea that we're willing to sacrifice all other ideas upon its altar, we get together all our buds and tell them to sacrifice all the other things they believe in to focus HARD upon that one single idea.
It's insane, but it's what we do. Older's SF is a whole world full of voting blocks and, as in the second novel, Null States who refuse to take part in the grand social schema. But in this third novel, we're focused post-tragedy rebuilding, the mistrust with all the voting blocs, and a serious misgiving for the whole political process that seems oddly familiar...
RIGHT?
So, yeah, Older is really tapping into our current political Zeitgeist and hits us hard where I suppose a lot of us are fairly weak. How do we trust information? Can we trust information? Is there any way to cut through the s*** and get the truth when the truth can be twisted 23 ways before breakfast?
Things can never be simple. Anyone who says otherwise is trying to sell you their snake-oil. And yet, that's where the problem always becomes worse. We need to be informed, so we decide to trust loved ones or personalities we think we can trust or any other illogical mode JUST BECAUSE we're so unsure. And then we roll with it for good or ill because that's what we've always done.
Older tells this story in her own way and couched a very thoroughly thought-out near-future world and I really appreciate the attempt. Truly. Much respect.
However, the actual story and plot in this one? Sigh. Not all that interesting. It had its moments and the very thing I loved most about the novel, the intricate political and information-terminology complexity, was also the most difficult thing to enjoy. The exposition dragged the tale even though the exposition was exactly what made this book (or these books) so great.
It should definitely be read and enjoyed, but a certain amount of managed expectations should be involved in the process. :)
November 18, 2019
This book left me disappointed with the entire series. It had a really fascinating central idea and constructed world, but the story and the characters just fell flat for me.
My problems with the book were as follows:
-The antagonists (of which there were apparently several group) remained hidden from the reader for most of the book. When they finally did appear they seemed to be rather bland. There was little to no time spent building them up as distinct forces, they had an agenda but little else to make them interesting.
-The story unfolded in such a way that I am not entirely convinced the protagonists were necessary. I think if they were all on a vacation to Hawaii the end state of the series would have been functionally identical. It struck me that Older mostly used the characters to offer glimpses into the world instead of impacting the world in a meaningful manner.
-I did not feel very invested in the characters, which is disappointing after three books of the series. They seemed more a means to an end than fully realized, autonomous actors.
So as much as the animating idea behind the series was interesting (as would be expected given the author's academic background) I just couldn't help but feel that the writing and story work were just not up to the same standard. I think this may have been a more compelling series if it was written in a similar manner as World War Z (a series of interviews with a wide range of people after a significant, world changing event) rather than a standard novel.
My problems with the book were as follows:
-The antagonists (of which there were apparently several group) remained hidden from the reader for most of the book. When they finally did appear they seemed to be rather bland. There was little to no time spent building them up as distinct forces, they had an agenda but little else to make them interesting.
-The story unfolded in such a way that I am not entirely convinced the protagonists were necessary. I think if they were all on a vacation to Hawaii the end state of the series would have been functionally identical. It struck me that Older mostly used the characters to offer glimpses into the world instead of impacting the world in a meaningful manner.
-I did not feel very invested in the characters, which is disappointing after three books of the series. They seemed more a means to an end than fully realized, autonomous actors.
So as much as the animating idea behind the series was interesting (as would be expected given the author's academic background) I just couldn't help but feel that the writing and story work were just not up to the same standard. I think this may have been a more compelling series if it was written in a similar manner as World War Z (a series of interviews with a wide range of people after a significant, world changing event) rather than a standard novel.
October 8, 2018
On this day, as I finished reading this remarkable book, China admitted it has detained the president of Interpol. The president of Interpol. And China says, yep, we did that. Reload: that's the guy in charge of the group that messages us all at the start of every freaking entertainment download we pay for. Right? The one we hit the controller button to ignore immediately. The one that still is unworkable. That guy. Among the myriad scary outcomes this may conjure, the freakish scenario is that the international community may not have anyone, any organization, any government that can do a damn thing about it. Washington Post contributing reporter Jamal Khashoggi - a Saudi national - was murdered in the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, Turkey alleges, without producing any proof. U.S.A. has a new SCOTUS junior justice who threw a hissy fit during his Senate confirmation hearing because, in part, the wrinkly boy band committee he was spewing in front of still has the Terrible Trio who bolloxed the Clarence Thomas hearings on board. The major print news outlets (who are no longer print, in case we missed that) are wondering if maybe polarizing isn't really the issue? And does democracy actually equal freedom of information? I would be tempted to say you can't write this shit. Except Older did. Waayy before any of this happened. Welcome to the third book in The Centenal Cycle. It's a wonder.
September 30, 2018
A fantastic conclusion to the Centenal Cycle Trilogy. I wish I could read a few more books from this universe, which I always figure is a great sign with any speculative fiction series. I keep recommending this trilogy to friends, both as an interesting political system, and as a gripping techno-political thriller with some truly rad female characters. I didn't love every PoV character from State Tectonics as much as I did the previous two books, but that makes sense, as this book was about new beginnings, to a degree.
September 13, 2018
State Tectonics by Malka Older is a fast-paced, deeply-researched science fiction thriller that extrapolates the future of democracy and wraps up Older's exceptional Centenal Cycle. It brings critical questions of accountability, legitimacy, fairness, and governance to life and weaves them into an adventure that I couldn't tear myself away from. As a science fiction and policy nerd, this series hits my sweet spot and grapples with questions that will shape the coming century.
November 17, 2022
Actual Rating: 3.5/5
Video Review of Series: https://youtu.be/NfM5PUVtpmw
This is probably my least favorite of the trilogy but that said this is a very consistent trilogy where if you like or dislike the first book you can expect a similar experience for every entry. I liked that the focus on this one was the question of "how often should we update our method of democracy" I feel like that's a question we rarely ask and look at and even if I didn't always agree with the way things went in this work I still really love the project of this series and getting to see such a unique representation of a potential future Earth.
Video Review of Series: https://youtu.be/NfM5PUVtpmw
This is probably my least favorite of the trilogy but that said this is a very consistent trilogy where if you like or dislike the first book you can expect a similar experience for every entry. I liked that the focus on this one was the question of "how often should we update our method of democracy" I feel like that's a question we rarely ask and look at and even if I didn't always agree with the way things went in this work I still really love the project of this series and getting to see such a unique representation of a potential future Earth.
October 14, 2023
I did enjoy this a bit more than the second book in the series again. Just like in the other books there is political intrigue and a budding relationship in the center of the story. I liked that we got a lot more of other favorite characters again and quite an unexpected development (at least for me).
I listened to this on audio again and really enjoyed it. Despite the many different point of views I never got confused as to where we were and whose store we were following.
I forgot so much about this that it almost felt like a first read and that was fun again.
I listened to this on audio again and really enjoyed it. Despite the many different point of views I never got confused as to where we were and whose store we were following.
I forgot so much about this that it almost felt like a first read and that was fun again.
January 19, 2021
I'm just now appreciating the irony of how the Centenal books are, in part, about a character with a disorder that makes her compulsively put together narratives in her head, and how this and Null States both have difficultly putting together a cohesive narrative.
So to begin let me say I liked Null States, the second Centenal novel, despite some flaws. It was entertaining and had nice ideas but it suffered too much from being a bridge novel. A lot, I felt, was riding on whether or not State Tectonics would make the effort of completing the trilogy worthwhile. So perhaps I had too much expectation for this book. But that said... man, I was disappointed with how it turned out.
Older clearly has a lot of brilliant ideas, but the narrative momentum is very nearly altogether absent. You can tell the world is brimming with stories Older wants to tell, but the novel just doesn't manage to tell any of them in an interesting way.
Part of this comes from the wide array of POV characters, an element of many recent SFF novels that I really hope we see less of in the future. Or at least an element I hope is more thoughtfully and carefully done. Like, I've read multi-POV novels where they all coalesce and end up building up one another. Here though it's just tough to keep the plot focused with so many angles to keep track of. The bigger problem is that most of these characters have barely anything to differentiate them from each other aside from their jobs: Roz, Miriam, and Mishima are all entirely too similar variations on the same basic character design. It's a problem to me when, despite doing my best to pay attention, I would actually forget who the POV character was if there were long stretches without their names mentioned because there's not enough stylistic differentiation going on. That tied with the fact that the plot only occasionally feels like its going somewhere--we have another election to account for, which should be a convenient device to circle around for the finale, but it doesn't have the same sense of urgency as Infomocracy--makes it hard to get through in places.
My understanding is that Older had a definite narrative planned for Infomocracy, and that it turned into a trilogy because the option to write for sequels was offered to her, not because that was the original plan. I do like how the sequels fill the gaps that Infomocracy left behind, taking as their focus parts of the world that the first novel didn't have time to discuss. But they don't work as complete stories--they just work in bits and pieces of worldbuilding, in occasional interesting passages and concepts. But not strong novels in their own right.
So to begin let me say I liked Null States, the second Centenal novel, despite some flaws. It was entertaining and had nice ideas but it suffered too much from being a bridge novel. A lot, I felt, was riding on whether or not State Tectonics would make the effort of completing the trilogy worthwhile. So perhaps I had too much expectation for this book. But that said... man, I was disappointed with how it turned out.
Older clearly has a lot of brilliant ideas, but the narrative momentum is very nearly altogether absent. You can tell the world is brimming with stories Older wants to tell, but the novel just doesn't manage to tell any of them in an interesting way.
Part of this comes from the wide array of POV characters, an element of many recent SFF novels that I really hope we see less of in the future. Or at least an element I hope is more thoughtfully and carefully done. Like, I've read multi-POV novels where they all coalesce and end up building up one another. Here though it's just tough to keep the plot focused with so many angles to keep track of. The bigger problem is that most of these characters have barely anything to differentiate them from each other aside from their jobs: Roz, Miriam, and Mishima are all entirely too similar variations on the same basic character design. It's a problem to me when, despite doing my best to pay attention, I would actually forget who the POV character was if there were long stretches without their names mentioned because there's not enough stylistic differentiation going on. That tied with the fact that the plot only occasionally feels like its going somewhere--we have another election to account for, which should be a convenient device to circle around for the finale, but it doesn't have the same sense of urgency as Infomocracy--makes it hard to get through in places.
My understanding is that Older had a definite narrative planned for Infomocracy, and that it turned into a trilogy because the option to write for sequels was offered to her, not because that was the original plan. I do like how the sequels fill the gaps that Infomocracy left behind, taking as their focus parts of the world that the first novel didn't have time to discuss. But they don't work as complete stories--they just work in bits and pieces of worldbuilding, in occasional interesting passages and concepts. But not strong novels in their own right.
May 7, 2019
It's been five years since Null States and the next election is just days away. This time, the action centers not around who wins the supermajority of microdemocracies, but around Information itself. 25 years ago, distrust and disgust with all the competing biased forms of news led to the founding of Information to create a single trustworthy, reliable, unbiased source of news and basic data. But not everyone thinks Information is as unbiased or worthwhile as they do, and competition is afoot.
This was my least favorite of the Centenal Cycle.
First, because I don't care about most of the characters. Roz was fun in Null States but doesn't get to do much in this (although there is a great scene where she's scanning oysters one by one so she can eat the safe ones while pregnant--I love these little tidbits about future life!). I've never cared about Maryam, who seems both emotionally needy and weirdly bland. At least Mishima still gets some chapters, and they are, as ever, the most engrossing of the book.
Second, because it takes the characters 300+ pages to cotton on to the plots around them, and even then they (and I) were still in the dark about most of it even as the final stages of all the plans were happening. Being confused or just ignorant about what's going on isn't fun when it takes up 99% of the novel.
Third, because the basic philosophical quandary of the novel is given very short shrift. Whether it's better to have a single source of information that you can absolutely trust...right now, or if it's better to have endless competing sources of information, such that everyone believes different things with different basis and no agreement on what's true or not. There are a few conversations about this, but I think the book needed to actually portray an example of the latter for the reader to really have an opinion.
I do really appreciate these novels, which audaciously propose a whole new way of looking at governance and a new way of life. Even when it doesn't all hang together coherently (Star Trek's Federation) or seems unlikely (so many 1970s feminist sf utopias), I treasure getting to visit these alternatives societies.
This was my least favorite of the Centenal Cycle.
First, because I don't care about most of the characters. Roz was fun in Null States but doesn't get to do much in this (although there is a great scene where she's scanning oysters one by one so she can eat the safe ones while pregnant--I love these little tidbits about future life!). I've never cared about Maryam, who seems both emotionally needy and weirdly bland. At least Mishima still gets some chapters, and they are, as ever, the most engrossing of the book.
Second, because it takes the characters 300+ pages to cotton on to the plots around them, and even then they (and I) were still in the dark about most of it even as the final stages of all the plans were happening. Being confused or just ignorant about what's going on isn't fun when it takes up 99% of the novel.
Third, because the basic philosophical quandary of the novel is given very short shrift. Whether it's better to have a single source of information that you can absolutely trust...right now, or if it's better to have endless competing sources of information, such that everyone believes different things with different basis and no agreement on what's true or not. There are a few conversations about this, but I think the book needed to actually portray an example of the latter for the reader to really have an opinion.
I do really appreciate these novels, which audaciously propose a whole new way of looking at governance and a new way of life. Even when it doesn't all hang together coherently (Star Trek's Federation) or seems unlikely (so many 1970s feminist sf utopias), I treasure getting to visit these alternatives societies.
February 7, 2021
Great trilogy!
March 28, 2020
What it's about: After the problems Information faced during the last election cycle, their detractors and enemies have been quiet. But "quiet" does not mean they've disbanded. And the characters from the previous Centenal Cycle books are going to find they have their work cut out for them as the next election draws closer.
What I thought: There were some interesting ideas here, though it didn't feel as fresh or original as the previous installments. I suppose that's to be expected, as the first book established an interesting new world, and the second book considered some of the ramifications of that world, while this book was more of an incremental expansion on those works.
I did appreciate the idea explored in this book that even the best of intentions can eventually go awry. If the good guys live long enough, they eventually come to be seen as the bad guys. I liked that this book also allowed the characters to think about the role and importance of an organization like Information, and whether they were playing for the good guys or not.
But it took its sweet time getting from Point A to Point B. And the character of Maryam was, frankly, incredibly frustrating for me. Her inability to believe in herself or her partner was just exhausting. I love Mishima in the previous books, and while she appeared here, she was a shadow of her former self. I get the point Older was going for with her evolution, but it never quite came to fruition, in my opinion.
Overall, this one was meh.
Why I rated it like I did: This book jumped about from character to character so much that it felt like it was fractured. Each jump served a purpose, and the story did move forward, but it felt a bit disjointed throughout.
What I thought: There were some interesting ideas here, though it didn't feel as fresh or original as the previous installments. I suppose that's to be expected, as the first book established an interesting new world, and the second book considered some of the ramifications of that world, while this book was more of an incremental expansion on those works.
I did appreciate the idea explored in this book that even the best of intentions can eventually go awry. If the good guys live long enough, they eventually come to be seen as the bad guys. I liked that this book also allowed the characters to think about the role and importance of an organization like Information, and whether they were playing for the good guys or not.
But it took its sweet time getting from Point A to Point B. And the character of Maryam was, frankly, incredibly frustrating for me. Her inability to believe in herself or her partner was just exhausting. I love Mishima in the previous books, and while she appeared here, she was a shadow of her former self. I get the point Older was going for with her evolution, but it never quite came to fruition, in my opinion.
Overall, this one was meh.
Why I rated it like I did: This book jumped about from character to character so much that it felt like it was fractured. Each jump served a purpose, and the story did move forward, but it felt a bit disjointed throughout.
October 16, 2018
Brilliant ending to a fantastic trilogy. I deeply appreciate the balance of optimism and cynicism maintained through the series, and especially in this book. Malka Older is both highly skilled as a writer and extremely knowledgeable about international politics, which provides the foundation for a complex and gripping story with a fast-paced plot, wonderful characters, and thorny political questions.
The characters were absolutely one of the highlights of this trilogy for me. I love how each book adds a new central narrator while keeping the previous narrators involved. This approach let the reader get a more in-depth perspective from a range of viewpoints, while still allowing character development across the three books. I was thrilled that There are so many incredible women at the center of this series and I love it.
The characters were absolutely one of the highlights of this trilogy for me. I love how each book adds a new central narrator while keeping the previous narrators involved. This approach let the reader get a more in-depth perspective from a range of viewpoints, while still allowing character development across the three books. I was thrilled that There are so many incredible women at the center of this series and I love it.
September 25, 2018
State Tectonics is a riveting political thriller and the very best kind of science fiction: a book that makes you think differently about the future and the present.
State Tectonics brings the Centenal series to a satisfying and dramatic end, skillfully bringing together characters and events from earlier books in a dramatic finale that will make you question whether Information, and the centenal system itself, can or even deserves to be saved. Loaded with gripping intrigue and insightful observations about how the world works, and how it might work under different circumstances, it can be enjoyed equally for the twisting plot and for its thought-provoking consideration of the way access information can change the world, and manipulation of information can bend those changes toward the aims of those who control it.
State Tectonics brings the Centenal series to a satisfying and dramatic end, skillfully bringing together characters and events from earlier books in a dramatic finale that will make you question whether Information, and the centenal system itself, can or even deserves to be saved. Loaded with gripping intrigue and insightful observations about how the world works, and how it might work under different circumstances, it can be enjoyed equally for the twisting plot and for its thought-provoking consideration of the way access information can change the world, and manipulation of information can bend those changes toward the aims of those who control it.
September 25, 2018
You could describe these books as the anti triology.
The first one is the standard, but the second one is very optimistic and this one is upheaval. Again, I liked the portait of people being good in their job and trying to balance their private life against it. There is a lot going on in this book and at times it was even hard for me to keep al the plots in the air.
My only distinct downside would be the ending. It felt very abrupt and since this was renamed to „cycle“ I am not sure what to make out of this ending? Is it a bit of an open end for these characters or simply the setup for the next book? I do not know what to hope for
The first one is the standard, but the second one is very optimistic and this one is upheaval. Again, I liked the portait of people being good in their job and trying to balance their private life against it. There is a lot going on in this book and at times it was even hard for me to keep al the plots in the air.
My only distinct downside would be the ending. It felt very abrupt and since this was renamed to „cycle“ I am not sure what to make out of this ending? Is it a bit of an open end for these characters or simply the setup for the next book? I do not know what to hope for
October 10, 2018
It got a little hard in the middle to remember who exactly was running what plot against Information, but this conclusion really drives home why I love this trilogy. I'm eternally grateful for this series that is both a look at and a discussion of democracy, cultures, technology - how they may interact in the future and how they can work together for the betterment of all. There's no clear answer. Democracy remains the worst form of government, but better than all the others out there. All of our current problems with Data, privacy, content and tech is reflected. It's thoughtfully written, and worth your time.
January 19, 2023
I just finished the entire "Centenal Cycle" (Infomacracy, Null States , State Tectonics) and found it quite compelling and enjoyable, mostly as a thought experiment on where society might be headed given the current rapidly-changing environment of information technology, geopolitics, culture politics, and statecraft. Malka Ann Older strikes me as a young "rockstar" author who is churning out some critically-acclaimed work and I will read more of it!
That said, I admit to having a little trouble, at times, following her storyline and characters (more on this below), which for some readers might be the ENTIRE measure of a book, but for me it was worth puzzling that out because I was so interested in the world-building she'd done. I would describe it as trying to imagine the purist form of democracy in a fully-internet-enabled world, how it might be organized and what it would it be like to live in it, and what rules and institutions would be required... and then what is most likely to go wrong, or at least not work as well you'd hope. A fun project, perhaps, in some graduate level poli-sci class, so why not make a novel out of it? Or a trilogy of novels? Ms. Older did it, and did it rather well I think.
Imagine if the majority of the world's population threw off their traditional nation state governments and divided themselves into contiguous 100,000-person communities (as large or as small as necessary to accommodate about 100,000 people... a "centenal"), this centenal-mapping is done not by gerrymandering politicans of one stripe or another, but by an objective, independent, scientific, technocratic agency. Every 10 years, all the centenals in this giant "micro-democracy" have an election (administered by the same independent technocratic agency), in which a centenal governor or governing council is democratically elected, electronically of course. You might vote for someone affiliated only with your particular geography, like if your centenal was what we now know as Athens GA you might choose "AthensOnly!" or maybe "ProgressiveGeorgia" but more likely you'd vote for one of several world-spanning political parties that have candidates in hundreds or thousands of Centenals, which is where most of the novels' drama comes from. Competing governments called "Heritage" and "Liberty" and "PolicyFirst!" campaign for votes across multiple continents, multiple cultures, and the winningest of these across all the world's centenals wins "the Supermajority" which earns certain privileges into how the world is run, notwithstanding your local centenal government.
Now overlay on this system that independent, objective, technocratic agency as being in charge not only of elections and centenal-mapping, but also the entire internet, the news media, campaign fairness, and routine surveillance of everything. They are called simply "Information" with a capital-I. And wherever you are, assuming you are within the centenal-organized micro-democracy and not in a non-cooperating "null state" (like Switzerland and the majority of Russia), your augmented eyesight is adorned with helpful captions and context, which you can turn on and off, drawn from all the information that Information has helpfully collected and collated. It is a transparent society, hard to keep anything a secret, and hard to get away with breaking any rules, and it all WORKS! Except... is it OK that an unelected bureaucracy, rather than the so-called "Supermajority" is where the power really lies? Humans will be humans, and the distrust of bureaucrats (and technocrats), the temptation to find a way to keep secrets, to corrupt the supposedly-objective information flow with one's own narrative, to game the system, to steal elections, etc. etc. make this utopia imperfect.
But it is not a DYStopia either, and something I really liked about the way Ms. Older tells the story is by placing so many of her main characters within the Information bureaucracy... they are normal, decent, hardw0rking, earnest characters with their own idiosyncrasies and minor flaws (albeit one of them is a badass security agent and undercover spy ala James Bond or his best Bond Girl, take your pick ), who have trouble recognizing that they can be perceived as having evil intent, working for a mysterious Deep State which has little or no accountability.
I should note as well that these characters are disproportionately female, frequently gay, and I don't think any of them (save for a few clearly nefarious bad actors) are Anglo or American. And there's nothing wrong with that, always good medicine to counteract my patriarchic white Judeo-Christian Anglo-Saxon heterosexual heritage. But for me, simple things like completely unfamiliar character names made it harder for me keep track of the characters. Maryam vs Amran, Nejime vs Nougaz... my poor narrow mind probably has stretch marks keeping them apart (versus if they were named Mary, Alice, Nell, and Doris... and I'm not sure why that is, something about hard-wired pattern recognition in your brain?). And the geography over which the novels take place can also be challenging for a poor provincial American. Better keep your world gazetteer handy (or make frequent switches from Kindle to GoogleMaps). And because the STORY is bound up in these characters as they travel through these places, I sometimes "lost the thread" as I struggled to keep the people and places straight. But I blame that on my own baggage, not the novels, and I am getting better at navigating the multicultural world, both in real life and reading. Which means these are features, not bugs.
Ms. Older also has fun with a real concept labeled as "narrative disorder," a tendency that I gather can seem a bit paranoid or non-empirical, to instinctively construct a convenient (or dramatic) narrative around a set of facts or observations in which intuition and imagination may have a lot more sway than the actual facts. It is one of those "syndromes" that can be a superpower for those that know how to harness it, or a handicap for those who choose to see everything through a "conspiracy theory" lens. I suspect Ms. Older, like her cloak-and-dagger spy character, has the superpower.
These novels are just what you need if you're looking for a wild tech-savvy ride through the possible perils of the near future. Amazing that she wrote them in 2016-17-19, which now seems like over a decade ago in terms of technology and geopolitics.
That said, I admit to having a little trouble, at times, following her storyline and characters (more on this below), which for some readers might be the ENTIRE measure of a book, but for me it was worth puzzling that out because I was so interested in the world-building she'd done. I would describe it as trying to imagine the purist form of democracy in a fully-internet-enabled world, how it might be organized and what it would it be like to live in it, and what rules and institutions would be required... and then what is most likely to go wrong, or at least not work as well you'd hope. A fun project, perhaps, in some graduate level poli-sci class, so why not make a novel out of it? Or a trilogy of novels? Ms. Older did it, and did it rather well I think.
Imagine if the majority of the world's population threw off their traditional nation state governments and divided themselves into contiguous 100,000-person communities (as large or as small as necessary to accommodate about 100,000 people... a "centenal"), this centenal-mapping is done not by gerrymandering politicans of one stripe or another, but by an objective, independent, scientific, technocratic agency. Every 10 years, all the centenals in this giant "micro-democracy" have an election (administered by the same independent technocratic agency), in which a centenal governor or governing council is democratically elected, electronically of course. You might vote for someone affiliated only with your particular geography, like if your centenal was what we now know as Athens GA you might choose "AthensOnly!" or maybe "ProgressiveGeorgia" but more likely you'd vote for one of several world-spanning political parties that have candidates in hundreds or thousands of Centenals, which is where most of the novels' drama comes from. Competing governments called "Heritage" and "Liberty" and "PolicyFirst!" campaign for votes across multiple continents, multiple cultures, and the winningest of these across all the world's centenals wins "the Supermajority" which earns certain privileges into how the world is run, notwithstanding your local centenal government.
Now overlay on this system that independent, objective, technocratic agency as being in charge not only of elections and centenal-mapping, but also the entire internet, the news media, campaign fairness, and routine surveillance of everything. They are called simply "Information" with a capital-I. And wherever you are, assuming you are within the centenal-organized micro-democracy and not in a non-cooperating "null state" (like Switzerland and the majority of Russia), your augmented eyesight is adorned with helpful captions and context, which you can turn on and off, drawn from all the information that Information has helpfully collected and collated. It is a transparent society, hard to keep anything a secret, and hard to get away with breaking any rules, and it all WORKS! Except... is it OK that an unelected bureaucracy, rather than the so-called "Supermajority" is where the power really lies? Humans will be humans, and the distrust of bureaucrats (and technocrats), the temptation to find a way to keep secrets, to corrupt the supposedly-objective information flow with one's own narrative, to game the system, to steal elections, etc. etc. make this utopia imperfect.
But it is not a DYStopia either, and something I really liked about the way Ms. Older tells the story is by placing so many of her main characters within the Information bureaucracy... they are normal, decent, hardw0rking, earnest characters with their own idiosyncrasies and minor flaws (albeit one of them is a badass security agent and undercover spy ala James Bond or his best Bond Girl, take your pick ), who have trouble recognizing that they can be perceived as having evil intent, working for a mysterious Deep State which has little or no accountability.
I should note as well that these characters are disproportionately female, frequently gay, and I don't think any of them (save for a few clearly nefarious bad actors) are Anglo or American. And there's nothing wrong with that, always good medicine to counteract my patriarchic white Judeo-Christian Anglo-Saxon heterosexual heritage. But for me, simple things like completely unfamiliar character names made it harder for me keep track of the characters. Maryam vs Amran, Nejime vs Nougaz... my poor narrow mind probably has stretch marks keeping them apart (versus if they were named Mary, Alice, Nell, and Doris... and I'm not sure why that is, something about hard-wired pattern recognition in your brain?). And the geography over which the novels take place can also be challenging for a poor provincial American. Better keep your world gazetteer handy (or make frequent switches from Kindle to GoogleMaps). And because the STORY is bound up in these characters as they travel through these places, I sometimes "lost the thread" as I struggled to keep the people and places straight. But I blame that on my own baggage, not the novels, and I am getting better at navigating the multicultural world, both in real life and reading. Which means these are features, not bugs.
Ms. Older also has fun with a real concept labeled as "narrative disorder," a tendency that I gather can seem a bit paranoid or non-empirical, to instinctively construct a convenient (or dramatic) narrative around a set of facts or observations in which intuition and imagination may have a lot more sway than the actual facts. It is one of those "syndromes" that can be a superpower for those that know how to harness it, or a handicap for those who choose to see everything through a "conspiracy theory" lens. I suspect Ms. Older, like her cloak-and-dagger spy character, has the superpower.
These novels are just what you need if you're looking for a wild tech-savvy ride through the possible perils of the near future. Amazing that she wrote them in 2016-17-19, which now seems like over a decade ago in terms of technology and geopolitics.
October 3, 2019
State Tectonics is the third and final book in the Centenal Cycle series written by Malka Ann Older. It is a near-future series in which most of the world is governed by microdemocracy – in which groups of 100,000 people, or centenals, vote for their government according to policy – not location.
Five years after the last election, is once again under threat as a new election looms. Micro-democracy is operated by Information, an organization which both manages the communication infrastructure and disseminates all data, gathered through constant surveillance and analysis.
Attacks on Information data transfer stations, the disappearance of many Information employees, a newly discovered underground tunnel of unknown purpose, strangely targeted election ads, and a rising tide of locally sourced data suggest that one or more factions are plotting to overthrow or at least compete with the monolithic Information.
Various characters affiliated with Information: Maryam, a techie; Mishima, an assassin and spy turned reluctant politician; Amran, Mishima’s inexperienced assistant; and the heavily pregnant analyst Roz, who seek the source of these incidents. In the process, they wonder whether Information – the system can be saved and more importantly, should it be saved in the first place.
State Tectonics is written rather well. Older grapples directly and clearly with contemporary issues while tying up the loose ends in a believable way. The narrative postulates very important questions like how one knows if a source of information is trustworthy. Is it safer to believe a larger, more established, but possibly hidebound and biased organization or a smaller, more nimble group that might be more sensitive to local context and concerns but almost certainly also has its own agenda. Older doesn't pretend to answer them and leaves the reader to come to their own conclusions.
Overall, the Centenal Cycle series is written rather well. Older has created an interesting near-futuristic world with an equally interesting and though provoking political system. Instead of party affiliation or even county citizenry, people vote for their government according to policy – a novel idea in this day and age. The political intrigue in this novel political system makes a wonderful narrative that raises more questions about the current political climate than answers.
All in all, State Tectonics is written rather well and is a good conclusion to a wonderful and thought provoking series.
Five years after the last election, is once again under threat as a new election looms. Micro-democracy is operated by Information, an organization which both manages the communication infrastructure and disseminates all data, gathered through constant surveillance and analysis.
Attacks on Information data transfer stations, the disappearance of many Information employees, a newly discovered underground tunnel of unknown purpose, strangely targeted election ads, and a rising tide of locally sourced data suggest that one or more factions are plotting to overthrow or at least compete with the monolithic Information.
Various characters affiliated with Information: Maryam, a techie; Mishima, an assassin and spy turned reluctant politician; Amran, Mishima’s inexperienced assistant; and the heavily pregnant analyst Roz, who seek the source of these incidents. In the process, they wonder whether Information – the system can be saved and more importantly, should it be saved in the first place.
State Tectonics is written rather well. Older grapples directly and clearly with contemporary issues while tying up the loose ends in a believable way. The narrative postulates very important questions like how one knows if a source of information is trustworthy. Is it safer to believe a larger, more established, but possibly hidebound and biased organization or a smaller, more nimble group that might be more sensitive to local context and concerns but almost certainly also has its own agenda. Older doesn't pretend to answer them and leaves the reader to come to their own conclusions.
Overall, the Centenal Cycle series is written rather well. Older has created an interesting near-futuristic world with an equally interesting and though provoking political system. Instead of party affiliation or even county citizenry, people vote for their government according to policy – a novel idea in this day and age. The political intrigue in this novel political system makes a wonderful narrative that raises more questions about the current political climate than answers.
All in all, State Tectonics is written rather well and is a good conclusion to a wonderful and thought provoking series.
October 20, 2021
Talking about the whole trilogy here, and there will be mild spoilers, probably... relevant because this series is kinda made for an action film adaptation, which is funny for books that are also total policy wonk lit, though they also have romance and intrigue, so... plenty going on.
For anarchists this series is interesting as a vision of possible decentralization (heavily influenced by both nation and corporation), and how it might semi-realistically occur and function (I won't say "work", which could imply something else).
The series reads exactly like what it is, the imagining of a smart someone who has a lot of experience with geopolitical social work, and who would like something different now please (perhaps including people who are crazy good at their jobs). It spans much of the world, replicates some of today's political tropes (in the second book in particular, Russia and China at least are consistent with their current reputations), and layers a bureaucracy over it all that is like/very not-like the UN. The U.S. is refreshingly under-represented here. Nice.
The end of the trilogy is perhaps the most anarchist of the stories, if only in its ending meta narrative. But it's possible that some of us find anarchist messages hiding under every bed. When we're lucky.
For anarchists this series is interesting as a vision of possible decentralization (heavily influenced by both nation and corporation), and how it might semi-realistically occur and function (I won't say "work", which could imply something else).
The series reads exactly like what it is, the imagining of a smart someone who has a lot of experience with geopolitical social work, and who would like something different now please (perhaps including people who are crazy good at their jobs). It spans much of the world, replicates some of today's political tropes (in the second book in particular, Russia and China at least are consistent with their current reputations), and layers a bureaucracy over it all that is like/very not-like the UN. The U.S. is refreshingly under-represented here. Nice.
The end of the trilogy is perhaps the most anarchist of the stories, if only in its ending meta narrative. But it's possible that some of us find anarchist messages hiding under every bed. When we're lucky.
December 15, 2018
Overall series rating: 4 stars
I started the year off with Null States and i'm ending it with the final book in the series. I like these books and i'm curious as what the author's upcoming work will be, i will definitely be reading it.
The plausible plot and setting is something i properly rate about the series. The predictive commentary on current events; not only on the western front but globally too, made me more interested and engaged. I really grew fond of the characters, old and new throughout the series.
The only downside of this book is that it felt kind of short, the end was a tad too abrupt and kind of anti-climactic but to be fair, i don't really think the resolution to the main problem in the book could have been reached any other way. Since the author makes you go through the problem-solving with the different characters in the books, you sort of start working out the problem with them and so, by the time the end got there, i had gotten there some chapters earlier.
Also shout-out to all the food eaten in these books (even the familiar ones from East Africa), i don't know why, i think this is a huge part of the fondness i have for these books.
Would definitely recommend the series as a whole.
I started the year off with Null States and i'm ending it with the final book in the series. I like these books and i'm curious as what the author's upcoming work will be, i will definitely be reading it.
The plausible plot and setting is something i properly rate about the series. The predictive commentary on current events; not only on the western front but globally too, made me more interested and engaged. I really grew fond of the characters, old and new throughout the series.
The only downside of this book is that it felt kind of short, the end was a tad too abrupt and kind of anti-climactic but to be fair, i don't really think the resolution to the main problem in the book could have been reached any other way. Since the author makes you go through the problem-solving with the different characters in the books, you sort of start working out the problem with them and so, by the time the end got there, i had gotten there some chapters earlier.
Also shout-out to all the food eaten in these books (even the familiar ones from East Africa), i don't know why, i think this is a huge part of the fondness i have for these books.
Would definitely recommend the series as a whole.
September 26, 2018
I was not so shocked as I thought I would be about the book’s (and the series’) optimistic ending. Considering the presentation of Information and micro-democracy as grey and not inherently good nor bad, the ending fits so well.
But ultimately, Malka’s writing style made the trilogy fantastic. Ahhhhh this series is amazing.
But ultimately, Malka’s writing style made the trilogy fantastic. Ahhhhh this series is amazing.
April 20, 2019
Not quite a strong as the first two books, but 4 stars for continuing to explore ideas about what we know about culture and politics and how we learn it plus developing these in new directions, AND filling the book with smart, distinct, diverse, and kickass women characters.
November 11, 2020
an auspicious time to be reading about attempted coups and information's role in democracy! exciting & suspenseful plot as always
August 17, 2024
Very entertaining political, cyberpunk(ish) trilogy!
September 25, 2018
Clever twists in a well thought out world. And a subtle reminder of the nuance needed to know who actually to root for as the good gals (and some guys).
December 17, 2021
3.5 an unsatisfying ending to the trilogy but then that's life for you. otherwise enjoyable.
April 4, 2019
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review.
This is probably my favorite book in the series. All of the unresolved plot points from the two previous books converge, and there was a point in the middle where I stopped making notes because the plot was really gripping and exciting. This series has pondered the nature of information and neutrality, and this book confronts that more squarely than the previous ones, though the narrative does not present any easy answers (how could it?). There are so many different factions acting in the story that it’s almost a mess, but it keeps you guessing and all makes sense in the end. Some spoilers follow.
I had trouble adjusting to following Roz instead of Mishima and Ken in the last book, and maybe I just wasn’t over switching protags every book, but I found Maryam slightly annoying at first. I get why she's insecure about her relationships, but still, let your girlfriend live. She is much less annoying when she’s doing her job, though her insecurity about her girlfriend ends up playing a role in the plot. I thought for sure that Núria would turn out to be part of some Catalan nationalist group or some other anti-Information faction, but Maryam’s fears turned out to be baseless. I came to like her and sympathize with her more as the story progressed. Amran, introduced in the last book, also got to play more of a role, though she doesn’t have a full arc like the other main characters. Her escapades as a spy were kind of funny, because she’s in over her head, but it turns out that her captors are also pretty incompetent.
Some of the villains or antagonists feel flat. Maybe it’s because Amran’s parts are so short, but Misra seems to exist primarily to spout the violent Exformation faction’s viewpoints. However, Misra’s viewpoints are very typical of revolutionaries. Revolutionaries often think they will be better than the people they’re replacing in power. All of them say they want democracy, but many will act differently when they meet popular resistance. You either die a hero or live to see yourself become the villain, etc. Vincent and some of the other minor antagonists are just annoying, and Domaine kind of falls in that category, too. I did love Mishima and Nakia confronting him, and Nakia certainly had a right to be angry at him for ruining her career.
The ending may feel anticlimactic to some, because there is no big confrontation between the major factions and no one is brought to justice for hacking the system, but the ending felt appropriately world-altering for me. Some readers will probably be dissatisfied with the open-ended close of the book, but I’m not one of them. These books aren’t quite my usual cup of tea, but the worldbuilding is interesting, the ideas discussed are relevant and important, and the author’s experience informs the settings and conflicts. I look forward to anything else she writes, in this fictional universe or another one.
This is probably my favorite book in the series. All of the unresolved plot points from the two previous books converge, and there was a point in the middle where I stopped making notes because the plot was really gripping and exciting. This series has pondered the nature of information and neutrality, and this book confronts that more squarely than the previous ones, though the narrative does not present any easy answers (how could it?). There are so many different factions acting in the story that it’s almost a mess, but it keeps you guessing and all makes sense in the end. Some spoilers follow.
I had trouble adjusting to following Roz instead of Mishima and Ken in the last book, and maybe I just wasn’t over switching protags every book, but I found Maryam slightly annoying at first. I get why she's insecure about her relationships, but still, let your girlfriend live. She is much less annoying when she’s doing her job, though her insecurity about her girlfriend ends up playing a role in the plot. I thought for sure that Núria would turn out to be part of some Catalan nationalist group or some other anti-Information faction, but Maryam’s fears turned out to be baseless. I came to like her and sympathize with her more as the story progressed. Amran, introduced in the last book, also got to play more of a role, though she doesn’t have a full arc like the other main characters. Her escapades as a spy were kind of funny, because she’s in over her head, but it turns out that her captors are also pretty incompetent.
Some of the villains or antagonists feel flat. Maybe it’s because Amran’s parts are so short, but Misra seems to exist primarily to spout the violent Exformation faction’s viewpoints. However, Misra’s viewpoints are very typical of revolutionaries. Revolutionaries often think they will be better than the people they’re replacing in power. All of them say they want democracy, but many will act differently when they meet popular resistance. You either die a hero or live to see yourself become the villain, etc. Vincent and some of the other minor antagonists are just annoying, and Domaine kind of falls in that category, too. I did love Mishima and Nakia confronting him, and Nakia certainly had a right to be angry at him for ruining her career.
The ending may feel anticlimactic to some, because there is no big confrontation between the major factions and no one is brought to justice for hacking the system, but the ending felt appropriately world-altering for me. Some readers will probably be dissatisfied with the open-ended close of the book, but I’m not one of them. These books aren’t quite my usual cup of tea, but the worldbuilding is interesting, the ideas discussed are relevant and important, and the author’s experience informs the settings and conflicts. I look forward to anything else she writes, in this fictional universe or another one.
October 1, 2019
Best book in the series so far. I enjoyed the writing more both on a sentence by sentence level and from a layers of meaning level more than the previous ones. State Tectonics also answers some of the nagging disbelief questions I had from the earlier books like the impartiality of Information and the use of the Amran character.
[many possible spoilers to follow]
[many possible spoilers to follow]
January 5, 2020
Microdemocracy is in peril as null states and corporate governments seek to undermine it and will take any measure, no matter how shortsighted, to cling to power (sound familiar?). Even elements within Information are plotting, scheming, and hacking in order to remake it in a "better" fashion.
I still love the world of Information and microdemocracy and enjoy visiting there, so this was a good experience. But State Tectonics took a hell of a long time to get going. The first act took up 80% of the book.
The first two Centenal Cycle books are founded on the premise that a single central source of validated, authenticated data is freely available to all. This is what allows microdemocracy to work, and I was willing to accept its existence at face value for the sake of the story. In book three, Older challenges that premise and shines a light on the danger inherent to having a single source of information, no matter how hard it strives to remain neutral. She acknowledges that even the best possible system must necessarily be flawed.
Plot points:
I still love the world of Information and microdemocracy and enjoy visiting there, so this was a good experience. But State Tectonics took a hell of a long time to get going. The first act took up 80% of the book.
The first two Centenal Cycle books are founded on the premise that a single central source of validated, authenticated data is freely available to all. This is what allows microdemocracy to work, and I was willing to accept its existence at face value for the sake of the story. In book three, Older challenges that premise and shines a light on the danger inherent to having a single source of information, no matter how hard it strives to remain neutral. She acknowledges that even the best possible system must necessarily be flawed.
Plot points:
March 24, 2021
This entry hews more closely to the first book rather than the second, though without the problems of the first, mostly anyway. Almost every single character of any importance is a woman, and possibly every man is defined by his relation to a powerful woman.
Maryam, a minor character in the previous books, is the primary viewpoint. Mishima and Roz, the primaries for the first and second books respectively are relegated to secondary roles. Amran, a new character, is the fourth viewpoint. The four viewpoints are women, one with a small child, one who is pregnant and says for the entire book she could give birth at any time, a lesbian with intimacy issues, and a younger version of one of the viewpoints. Considering how it's gone, if there ever were another book, Amran would probably be the primary next. There are a couple of one-off viewpoints.
It's once again time for an election and voting integrity is imperiled. Disaffected members of Information are trying to interfere because that's sometimes what people do when they're disaffected. Disaffection is probably the primary theme of the trilogy overall. Each book is more cynical and skeptical of the system and society they live in, even though each of them are, or were, part of the establishment.
The biggest issue, though it wasn't one for me, is that everything exists to show off the social systems of the world. This isn't any different from the prior books, though the driving force for the narrative comes off as particularly thin with this one. While there are ostensible antagonists the conflict is mostly political maneuvering rather than outright conflict. What little physical violence there is, is almost entirely irrelevant to anything.
As with the first book, I thought the ending was too neat and simply resolved, but at least it was thematically appropriate and I was able to appreciate it. It could be argued this is a shaggy dog trilogy, but I didn't mind, because it was an interesting take on social systems that I enjoyed.
Maryam, a minor character in the previous books, is the primary viewpoint. Mishima and Roz, the primaries for the first and second books respectively are relegated to secondary roles. Amran, a new character, is the fourth viewpoint. The four viewpoints are women, one with a small child, one who is pregnant and says for the entire book she could give birth at any time, a lesbian with intimacy issues, and a younger version of one of the viewpoints. Considering how it's gone, if there ever were another book, Amran would probably be the primary next. There are a couple of one-off viewpoints.
It's once again time for an election and voting integrity is imperiled. Disaffected members of Information are trying to interfere because that's sometimes what people do when they're disaffected. Disaffection is probably the primary theme of the trilogy overall. Each book is more cynical and skeptical of the system and society they live in, even though each of them are, or were, part of the establishment.
The biggest issue, though it wasn't one for me, is that everything exists to show off the social systems of the world. This isn't any different from the prior books, though the driving force for the narrative comes off as particularly thin with this one. While there are ostensible antagonists the conflict is mostly political maneuvering rather than outright conflict. What little physical violence there is, is almost entirely irrelevant to anything.
As with the first book, I thought the ending was too neat and simply resolved, but at least it was thematically appropriate and I was able to appreciate it. It could be argued this is a shaggy dog trilogy, but I didn't mind, because it was an interesting take on social systems that I enjoyed.
November 12, 2021
Coming back to the Centenal Cycle after a month away, immediately after finishing State Tectonics, all I can really say is that I think this book does justice to the series, the characters, and to the whole concept behind it. It wasn't one of the best books ever, but this has to be one of the most satisfying conclusions to a trilogy I've read in a while. The series and concepts as a whole too, even while reading things that are polar opposites, are just things I kept coming back to and recalling, so much so that I gave in and finally read State Tectonics. It took me a week to get through, and I feel that's just because I was savouring it slowly, and trying to make every line last, and count.
In terms of tone and pacing, State Tectonics reminds me of quite a lot of Infomocracy, which is probably because Information is once again facing an existential crisis on the verge of an election, and Mishima and Ken are (at least to a degree) back and at it.
The whole concept of Time Capsule therapy was a fun thing to experience through the book, similar to when I learnt about Recompose through Record of a Spaceborn Few. That self-contained internet was probably made possible by archive.org.
While details about living conditions in general has been a bit vague, this book does mention a stark contrast between PhilipMorris producer and consumer centenals: how would this work? Why would people in producer centenals vote for PhilipMorris if they feel they are being treated unfairly? Assuming they can't force them to vote a particular way, or they manage to bully out any other government that tries to contest a particular centenal, is it that they are the only company willing to carry out business activities related to that kind of production, and so the threat of joblessness looms over everyone's head? Just something to think about about the system in general, in between all the action, and I really do enjoy those tidbits.
One thing that did feel a bit off to me, at least at the very beginning, is that Mishima felt a bit of a self-insert, a representation of what the author wishes for. Reading the rest of the book though, and experiencing the world through so many new POVs, while I still feel Mishima is just a bit too overpowered, I no longer hold to that initial opinion (and I definitely do love her as a character).
EDIT: This SMBC comic (https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/norms) came out at about the same time I finished this book, and I really can't imagine how Taskeen Khan and her contemporaries dealt with the massive change. Will the new "competition" be seen as a norm soon enough? Will it be interoperability heaven or just a bunch of walled gardens?
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In terms of tone and pacing, State Tectonics reminds me of quite a lot of Infomocracy, which is probably because Information is once again facing an existential crisis on the verge of an election, and Mishima and Ken are (at least to a degree) back and at it.
The whole concept of Time Capsule therapy was a fun thing to experience through the book, similar to when I learnt about Recompose through Record of a Spaceborn Few. That self-contained internet was probably made possible by archive.org.
While details about living conditions in general has been a bit vague, this book does mention a stark contrast between PhilipMorris producer and consumer centenals: how would this work? Why would people in producer centenals vote for PhilipMorris if they feel they are being treated unfairly? Assuming they can't force them to vote a particular way, or they manage to bully out any other government that tries to contest a particular centenal, is it that they are the only company willing to carry out business activities related to that kind of production, and so the threat of joblessness looms over everyone's head? Just something to think about about the system in general, in between all the action, and I really do enjoy those tidbits.
One thing that did feel a bit off to me, at least at the very beginning, is that Mishima felt a bit of a self-insert, a representation of what the author wishes for. Reading the rest of the book though, and experiencing the world through so many new POVs, while I still feel Mishima is just a bit too overpowered, I no longer hold to that initial opinion (and I definitely do love her as a character).
EDIT: This SMBC comic (https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/norms) came out at about the same time I finished this book, and I really can't imagine how Taskeen Khan and her contemporaries dealt with the massive change. Will the new "competition" be seen as a norm soon enough? Will it be interoperability heaven or just a bunch of walled gardens?
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