The Merchant Princes

Charles Stross

A sharp, ambitious technology reporter uncovers a money-laundering scheme and finds herself drawn into a far more dangerous mystery surrounding her birth family. A seemingly ordinary heirloom opens a passage to an alternate world where feudal power, modern firearms, and cross-reality intrigue coexist—and where Miriam’s true relatives command a vast criminal empire. As rival factions close in, she must navigate shifting loyalties and decide how much of her identity she is willing to claim. Combining the first two installments of the Merchant Princes series, this fast-paced science-fiction fantasy explores family, power, economics, and the destabilizing consequences of parallel worlds.