I’m not a huge fan of Charles Stross. I only like some of his books and I’ve given up on a few of his series. However, I did enjoy Saturn’s Children, so I decided to read his followup Neptune’s Brood. It’s not a sequel, since we don’t follow the same characters. But it’s set in the same universe with a lot of the same technology and ideas. The book is basically an accounting primer in far future accounting with the trappings of a science fiction story. Let’s check it out.

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I see Charles Stross as a hit and miss writer. He usually comes up with great ideas, but I’m not thrilled with some of his stories. His Eschaton series (Iron Sunrise and Singularity Sky) were the first of his books I read and I loved them. But I lost interest after a couple books in his Merchant Princes series and I actively disliked his Bob Howard books. But when I saw he had a new book out that was a “loose” sequel to Halting State (which I loved), then I knew I had to read Rule 34. The title comes from an internet meme (urban dictionary) that generally states: If it exists, there is porn of it. In this book, a police squad that routinely deals with rule 34 figures heavily in the storyline. So, let’s see how the book plays out.

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Singularity Sky by Charles Stross is a fun combination of a strong AI and a espionage novel. Stross takes us years into the future where an advanced being has change the path of humanity and set down rules that humanity can not break. The book deals with the impact of technology on civilizations that try to suppress technology.

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