The Clan Corporate
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| Author | Charles Stross |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Paul Youll |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Merchant Princes |
| Genre(s) | Science Fiction |
| Publisher | Tor Books |
| Released | May 16, 2006 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 320 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-7653-0930-0 |
| Preceded by | The Hidden Family |
| Followed by | The Merchants' War |
The Clan Corporate is the third book of Charles Stross' science fantasy series The Merchant Princes. It is the first part of the series' second story.
In this installment, Miriam Beckstein spends most of her time in the first parallel world, a virtual prisoner. She has ruffled enough feathers and stirred up enough trouble that her uncle, the clan's head of security, keeps her well isolated, and unable to travel unchaperoned. At one point in the story, she manages to escape surveillance for a short time, but she quickly gets herself back in trouble, and her activities are strongly circumscribed thereafter.
There's a subplot involving Mike Fleming, a cop who dated Miriam a couple of times. Mike has been pulled into a government task force that is investigating the clan's activities and plans with the help of a member of the clan's security apparatus who turned his back on the clan at the end of book two. There are occasional references to the moral and security implications of holding him prisoner outside the criminal justice system, but they are not explored in any depth.
The book ends on a cliffhanger. It's clear that more stories are coming. On June 3, 2006, Stross announced "I just handed in #4 and should be starting on #5 in another couple of months. Nope, it's not a trilogy." [1]
