he Sky Road is the third book in a loose series of four novels, beginning with The Cassini Division and The Stone Canal. Interestingly, The Sky Road is an alternate history of the future Macleod so engagingly laid out in the previous novels. It consists of two storylines. In the first, set in 2058, Myra Godwin-Davidova, the 105-year-old prime minister of the International Scientific and Technical Workers' Republic--a small city-state in Eastern Europe--holds the future of humanity in her hands. The second storyline takes place centuries later, when post-Deliverance humanity is roughly split into two factions--the outsiders and the tinkers.
Back in 2058, the ISTWR is in the midst of a power play between rival
factions bent on world domination: The Sheenisov, or Sino-Soviet Union, which
is running through Asia and Eastern Europe like a cyberpunk-barbarian horde, and David Reid's Mutual Protection Society, which is armed with a nanotech arsenal from space. Myra's role--and the ISTWR's--is as the last stand against the world, with the last remaining arsenal of nuclear weapons (the Pope's private stash) at her command.
Returning to the future, a young graduate student of history named Clovis spends his summer working as part of the construction team building the first spaceship to launch since The Deliverance. His university efforts are directed toward uncovering the secret history of The Deliverer (Myra). During his time at the shipyard, Clovis meets Merrial, a seductive tinker working on the ship's guidance system. She leads Clovis to unearth secret files left by Myra--files that could shed light in these post-cyberpunk-socialist-apocalyptic-dark ages. Yet everyone has an agenda, and superstition and secrecy work to keep the truth hidden.
Exceptional space opera
It's difficult to assess the value of this novel independently of The
Cassini Division and The Stone Canal. Those two novels are so very, very strong that almost anything would seem to pale in comparison. Knowledge of the previous novels will add a sense of depth when reading The Sky Road and, without that knowledge, the book falls a bit short. This is not just because the previous two novels are singularly unique and inventive, but more because of the weakness of the "future" storyline.
There are many wonderful things about Macleod's writing, not the least of
which are his fully realized protagonists. They're so passionate that their
frequent political info-dumps, which from a less capable writer would be
proselytizing at its worst, are captivating and funny. While the
humor and passion remain evident, the relationship between Merrial and Clovis
is forced, which, coupled with Clovis's constant naiveté, somewhat undermines the story. Once Merrial and Clovis's relationship becomes established, the novel moves along at a quick pace, revealing conspiracies in both timelines.
Macleod's novels incorporate many of the best elements of space opera, yet The Sky Road is rooted in the tropes of cyberpunk. It's filled with nanotechnology, media bombardment, the menace of artificial intelligence, narcissistic drugs, sex and action in a near-future diaspora. The ending, which hints at further intrigues, is wholly satisfying.
