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Superluminal
The future is at war for the soul of humankind ... It is a time when civilization has extended itself far into the outer reaches of the solar system, and in doing so has developed into something remarkable. But humanity's progeny -- the nanotechnological artificial intelligences called "free converts" -- face extermination at the hands of the tyrant Amés and his invincible armies, and once the Napoleonesque Director develops superluminal flight, his "Final Solution" will be all but assured. But hope remains alive in the outer system. From the fleeing refugees of a dozen moons and asteroids, General Roger Sherman has amassed an effective and adaptable military force, already forged into a formidable weapon in the fires of battle. However, time is a commodity the courageous Federal Army lacks, as total war erupts between the vast cloudships of the outer system and the deadly armada of the Met, a glorious and terrible conflict that will rage among the stars ... and within the hearts and minds of every human being.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2004
10 people are currently reading
296 people want to read
About the author
Tony Daniel
92Ìýbooks71ÌýfollowersTony Daniel is an author of science fiction novels, short stories, and radio dramas.
For the comic book author, see .
For the comic book author, see .
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
February 23, 2013
I will add a longer review later, but first: Why on earth did so many people read this without reading Metaplanetary? And how can they justify giving a poor rating, citing confusion when they didn't read the first book that would answer most of their questions?
Now if this is truly the last book ever in this series, I will also be pissed. If a necessary third volume is published, this will be awesome.
Read things in the correct order, people. It's not the author's fault if you pick up books at random.
Now if this is truly the last book ever in this series, I will also be pissed. If a necessary third volume is published, this will be awesome.
Read things in the correct order, people. It's not the author's fault if you pick up books at random.
August 16, 2010
On second thought--have you noticed I often change a rating after thinking about for a day or two?--it's better than my first impression. Still can't quite give it four stars.
However, it did suffer by having been read right after I read Guy Kay's .
However, it did suffer by having been read right after I read Guy Kay's .
August 2, 2022
I thought it was a solid follow up to Metaplanetary. Just like in Metaplanetary, it's a mix of some super high tech sci-fi concepts, existential discussions on personhood/self in a post-upload world, crazy what-if societies (some utopian but most dystopian). Speaking of dystopian, this book has (again, similar to Metaplanetary) some really mean bits with torture, loss-of-self and/or freedom, intense addiction inflicted as a form of control), prejudice coupled with genocide, etc. Hard stuff that hit me right in the emotions. It does try to balance it with the beauty of human achievement and the healing/uniting power of relationships and love. As you can imagine with such a huge scope and range, the book's tone occasionally felt a bit shallow and definitely chaotic. That being said, it still kept me hooked the whole time, and I enjoyed it a lot! The set of Jeep sections had me laughing quite a bit. It's unfortunate that the author never finished up with a 3rd book (other reviews point to issues with the publisher), which left the story feeling incomplete. That being said, it did feel like the end of the story was leaning toward a resolution. I almost didn't read this one, even though I loved Metaplanetary, just because I knew the series wasn't ever finished, but I'm glad that I decided to anyway. Worth the read for sci-fi lovers.
September 19, 2022
A wild ride jumbled with endless ideas, plot holes and head scratching moments. I liked the idea and the concepts but between the "author is on LSD" feeling and the fact that the trilogy was never finished, I kind of wish I hadn't picked it up.
April 6, 2025
Entertaining and full of even more creative sci fi ideas. Pretty weak on storyline. My main complaint is how the author opens up so many characters and storylines, only to never really take them anywhere. Frankly it feels incomplete.
Still, kind of a cool read.
Still, kind of a cool read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 7, 2020
I am a fan of Banks, Rajaniemi and Alastair Reynolds and these two books are right up there.
November 21, 2012
It's not often that I find a book unreadable, and in case it's a slow starter I give it at least the first 100 pages to grab me. This book was at that point but I decided to stick it out and finish it because it has been a while since I read a stinker and I won't review a book that I don't complete - that would not be fair to the author. And in this case the book did get better - barely.
Superluminal is a follow-up to Metaplanetary which I admit I have not read. But I don't think it would have made any difference, the problems with this book are in its thin characters, thinner plot, and segmented story.
The story is set about a millennia in the future, earth is mostly abandoned and the solar system is connected by 'strings' which allow for everyone and everything to be connected by 'grist' - a nanoengineered glue that allows for a high degree of virtuality to exist. There are three types of people in this system: humans, converts and free converts. Most are converts which have a human base but exist in more than place as a virtual you, in order to more fully enjoy life, the two places at once scenario. Free converts are completely virtual with no human attached, they are just out there.
Over time a sort of racism has evolved and now a civil war in breaking out.
Daniels has put together an incredibly detailed world and a lot of thought went into the science and details (there are over fifty pages of appendices, notes, timelines, biographies etc.) but that does not make up for the uninteresting characters, mediocre battles scenes and dull plot.
The most interesting characters were a human who is stuck on Earth and an AI Jeep Cherokee that has wandered the planet for centuries. The girl finds the Jeep by accident and they strike up a friendship that is warm and powerful but they only appear in the beginning of the book and the end. In between was just - feh.
The Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ site had a lot of great reviews on the book and if you are into the tech of the book and such I guess you could excuse the weak writing but after reading great space opera and military scifi by Weber, RIngo, Bujold, Drake and others; this just doesn't cut it. I think it's safe to say I won't be picking anything up by Daniels in the future.
Superluminal is a follow-up to Metaplanetary which I admit I have not read. But I don't think it would have made any difference, the problems with this book are in its thin characters, thinner plot, and segmented story.
The story is set about a millennia in the future, earth is mostly abandoned and the solar system is connected by 'strings' which allow for everyone and everything to be connected by 'grist' - a nanoengineered glue that allows for a high degree of virtuality to exist. There are three types of people in this system: humans, converts and free converts. Most are converts which have a human base but exist in more than place as a virtual you, in order to more fully enjoy life, the two places at once scenario. Free converts are completely virtual with no human attached, they are just out there.
Over time a sort of racism has evolved and now a civil war in breaking out.
Daniels has put together an incredibly detailed world and a lot of thought went into the science and details (there are over fifty pages of appendices, notes, timelines, biographies etc.) but that does not make up for the uninteresting characters, mediocre battles scenes and dull plot.
The most interesting characters were a human who is stuck on Earth and an AI Jeep Cherokee that has wandered the planet for centuries. The girl finds the Jeep by accident and they strike up a friendship that is warm and powerful but they only appear in the beginning of the book and the end. In between was just - feh.
The Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ site had a lot of great reviews on the book and if you are into the tech of the book and such I guess you could excuse the weak writing but after reading great space opera and military scifi by Weber, RIngo, Bujold, Drake and others; this just doesn't cut it. I think it's safe to say I won't be picking anything up by Daniels in the future.
September 2, 2020
It's the 4th millennium and humanity has spread throught the solar system. Humanity has morphed into diverse forms. A war is in force against those who have turned into free converts, effectively computer code. Millions of such are imprisoned in a camp on Mars by those led by a dictator Ames who appears to rule the inner planets. A freedom loving army is based beyond Saturn and is attempting to fight back, assisted by immense Cloud Ships which are the creation of free converts and, for some reason named after literary giants such as Jane Austen and Tolstoy. To be honest, getting to grips with the author's imagination and trying to totally comprehend his creations is not easy. For example, the planets sunward of Jupiter are linked by vast cables which have structures on which most of humanity live and travel is along these cables in what are called beads - at least I understand why they have that name. To explain everything the author supplies 60 pages of appendices. The first is called The Basics! The need for that speaks volumes. There is a vast a diverse cast of characters, not the least of which is a 900 year old, sentient, jeep which disguises itself as a bear. The book is the second in a series, but the first seems unavailable, at least in the UK. The book ends on a cliff hanger but I'm unclear whether there have been follow ups. Perhaps the author took his bed, exhausted by writing this! He certainly deserves 4* for his imagination and writing. I've been reading sci fi for much of my life and can honestly say that I can't think of anything quite like this. It probably needs at least a second read to fully comprehend. Reread, August 2020. Makes more sense after finally reading Metaplanetary, the first in the proposed set. It seems that after having left us with cliffhangers which will never be resolved.
October 30, 2011
Very interesting. An interesting post-singularity world, but the story was weakened by being a sequel to which I hadn't read the first novel. There are too many characters, presumably continued from the first book, whose stories don't really interconnect. And a truly annoying deus ex machina at the end that makes the rest of the plot superfluous.
But I liked it enough to put a hold on the earlier book at the library.
But I liked it enough to put a hold on the earlier book at the library.
February 5, 2012
The book is good, but ultimately it goes nowhere. It simply ends at a moment that should have been the climax, and basically says "and then they won." None of the plot threads that have been developed -- none of the five thousand plot threads -- come to a conclusion. The book then goes into an appendix, in such a way that makes it clear that there's not going to be another book. It's frustrating, nearly ruining the book.
August 25, 2012
Awesome, complicated and largely believable. Very enjoyable with a lot going on.
It's just a bit too much of a 'book two of three' when I haven't read book one, and I gather book three will never happen. Read and enjoy, just don't expect too much out of the ending.
It's just a bit too much of a 'book two of three' when I haven't read book one, and I gather book three will never happen. Read and enjoy, just don't expect too much out of the ending.
May 25, 2008
Part two of the best space opera of the decade. Sadly, rumor has it there were supposed to be three parts, but the last book is unlikely to come to pass.
Read
January 10, 2010Very much enjoyed this - the continuation of Metaplanetary. Excellent execution.
November 21, 2010
Still not as great as his short story originals, this book was definitely better than its predecessor. The fact I can barely remember its content is not a good indicator.
September 28, 2011
I'm confused. But I liked it. Too bad there is no apparant sequel on this book?
November 18, 2015
Pretty good, but seems to be the last book, and there's definitely a lot more to happen. Also, some of the technical explanations are a bit grating.
December 30, 2008
Excellent book, better than the first one. Awesome war scenes and scenarios. Great characters!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
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