The Family Trade
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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 | December 2004 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Pages | 303 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-7653-0929-7 |
| Followed by | The Hidden Family |
The Family Trade is the first book of Charles Stross' science fantasy series The Merchant Princes. The first novel introduces us to journalist Miriam Beckstein, who finds herself in a parallel world in which her extended family holds power.
Miriam's adoptive mother gives her a shoebox filled with items that belonged to Miriam's birth mother, a Jane Doe who died mysteriously when Miriam was only a baby. Among other items, Miriam finds a locket. Inside is a design not unlike a Celtic knot, and when she focuses on it, she is transported to a parallel world that never developed beyond the Dark Ages—except for the men on horses who try to kill her with machine guns.
Unlike many multiverse/parallel world stories, Miriam takes a logical approach to understanding her situation and doesn't waste a great deal of time questioning her sanity.
Miriam quickly finds herself caught up in the feuds of her estranged family, which calls itself the Clan. The Clan has used the genetic ability to travel back and forth between the two worlds to build a lucrative import/export trade.
Miriam finds a kindred soul in a distant relation by name of Roland, who would also like to be free of the Clan's machinations.
The second book in the series is The Hidden Family (2005); these two were originally written as one novel. They are followed by The Clan Corporate (2006), the first part of the second story. 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]
