The Family Trade
Encyclopedia
The Family Trade is the first book of Charles Stross
' alternate history, science fiction
series The Merchant Princes. It placed fifth in the annual Locus Poll
for best fantasy novel as well as winning the Sidewise Award for Alternate History a year later (as part of Stross's "Merchant Princes" sequence).
gives her a shoebox filled with items that belonged to Miriam's birth mother, a Jane Doe who died mysteriously when Miriam was only a baby. Among other items, Miriam finds a locket
. Inside is a design not unlike a Celtic knot
, and when she focuses on it, she is transported to a parallel world that never developed beyond the Dark Ages—except for the men on horses who try to kill her with machine guns.
Miriam quickly finds herself caught up in the feud
s of her estranged family, which calls itself the Clan. The Clan has used the genetic ability to travel back and forth between the two worlds to build a lucrative import/export trade. However, one of their main sources of income is transporting drugs into and out of the United States
which bothers Miriam for ethical and other reasons.
Miriam finds a kindred soul in Roland, a distant relation who would also like to be free of the Clan's machinations.
(2005); these two were originally written as one novel. They are followed by The Clan Corporate
(2006), the first part of the second story. On June 3, 2006, Stross announced "I just handed in #4 and should be starting on #5 in another couple of months. Nope, it's not a trilogy." The Merchants' War (#4), The Revolution Business (#5, 2009), and The Trade of Queens (#6) were published in 2007, 2009, and 2010 respectively. No other novels are written, but Stross notes on his website that "he's been making notes about ... a future "Merchant Princes" trilogy."
Charles Stross
Charles David George "Charlie" Stross is a British writer of science fiction, Lovecraftian horror and fantasy. He was born in Leeds.Stross specialises in hard science fiction and space opera...
' alternate history, science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
series The Merchant Princes. It placed fifth in the annual Locus Poll
Locus Award
The Locus Award is a literary award established in 1971 and presented to winners of Locus magazine's annual readers' poll. Currently, the Locus Awards are presented at an annual banquet...
for best fantasy novel as well as winning the Sidewise Award for Alternate History a year later (as part of Stross's "Merchant Princes" sequence).
Plot introduction
The first novel introduces us to journalist Miriam Beckstein, who finds herself in a parallel world in which her extended family holds power.Plot summary
Miriam's adoptive motherMother
A mother, mum, mom, momma, or mama is a woman who has raised a child, given birth to a child, and/or supplied the ovum that grew into a child. Because of the complexity and differences of a mother's social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to specify a universally...
gives her a shoebox filled with items that belonged to Miriam's birth mother, a Jane Doe who died mysteriously when Miriam was only a baby. Among other items, Miriam finds a locket
Locket
A locket is a pendant that opens to reveal a space used for storing a photograph or other small item such as a curl of hair. Lockets are usually given to loved ones on holidays such as Valentine's Day and occasions such as Christenings, weddings and, most noticeably during the Victorian Age,...
. Inside is a design not unlike a Celtic knot
Celtic knot
Celtic knots are a variety of knots and stylized graphical representations of knots used for decoration, used extensively in the Celtic style of Insular art. These knots are most known for their adaptation for use in the ornamentation of Christian monuments and manuscripts, such as the 8th-century...
, and when she focuses on it, she is transported to a parallel world that never developed beyond the Dark Ages—except for the men on horses who try to kill her with machine guns.
Miriam quickly finds herself caught up in the feud
Feud
A feud , referred to in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, or private war, is a long-running argument or fight between parties—often groups of people, especially families or clans. Feuds begin because one party perceives itself to have been attacked, insulted or wronged by another...
s of her estranged family, which calls itself the Clan. The Clan has used the genetic ability to travel back and forth between the two worlds to build a lucrative import/export trade. However, one of their main sources of income is transporting drugs into and out of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
which bothers Miriam for ethical and other reasons.
Miriam finds a kindred soul in Roland, a distant relation who would also like to be free of the Clan's machinations.
Sequels
The second book in the series is The Hidden FamilyThe Hidden Family
The Hidden Family is the second book of Charles Stross' alternate history, science fiction series The Merchant Princes. It completes the story begun in The Family Trade ; the two were originally written as one novel...
(2005); these two were originally written as one novel. They are followed by The Clan Corporate
The Clan Corporate
The Clan Corporate is the third book of Charles Stross' alternate history, science fiction series The Merchant Princes. It is the first part of the series' second story.-Plot:...
(2006), the first part of the second story. On June 3, 2006, Stross announced "I just handed in #4 and should be starting on #5 in another couple of months. Nope, it's not a trilogy." The Merchants' War (#4), The Revolution Business (#5, 2009), and The Trade of Queens (#6) were published in 2007, 2009, and 2010 respectively. No other novels are written, but Stross notes on his website that "he's been making notes about ... a future "Merchant Princes" trilogy."
External links
- The Family Trade at Worlds Without End