Reviews & Overviews by Rod Cameron

Glasshouse - Charles Stross

Publisher:	Orbit
Date:	2006
Size:	388 Pages
Format:	Paperback
Price:	£6.99
ISBN:	978-1-84149-393-0
Reviewed by:	Rod Cameron
Review Date:	May 2007

Glasshouse is Charles Stross’s fourth book in print in the UK, following on from Singularity Sky, Iron Sunrise and Accelerando. However, there are other books in print from the US. I am particularly looking forward to acquiring a copy of Toast.

It is the 27^th century, and Robin has woken up in a clinic with most of his memories missing. To be fair, that is what people with long life-expectations do - have a brain ‘wash’ to make room for more memories. However what troubles him is that someone from his former life is trying to kill him. This is a world where interstellar transport is undertaken by means of teleport gates, and wars are conducted by worms and viruses in the gate software that edit selected memories and personalities from people’s minds as they travel, and target historians in particular. The most insidious virus is known as Curious Yellow.

However, the latest war is over, and it looks as if Robin is an assassin’s target because of something he used to know. To hide, he volunteers to live in a closed community called the Glasshouse, which is trying to simulate life at the end of the 20^th century – a particularly difficult period of history because most recorded information about it has been lost. Unfortunately for Robin, although he is in an anonymous body, he is at the mercy of the people running the experiment and also of his own paranoia.

Glasshouse is a truly excellent book, full of novel ideas, nice characterization, sudden sharp turns in the plot and also not a little humour. I found it to be very enjoyable and look forward to Charles Stross’s next work. Particularly Toast  if I can find a copy!