The Corporation Wars: Dissidence

By: Ken MacLeod

Narrated by: Peter Kenny

From Arthur C. Clarke Award-nominated author Ken MacLeod, an action-packed space opera told against a backdrop of interstellar drone warfare, virtual reality, and an A.I. revolution.

Carlos is dead. A soldier who died for his ideals a thousand years ago, he's been reincarnated and conscripted to fight an A.I. revolution in deep space. And he's not sure he's fighting for the right side.

Seba is alive.

By a fluke of nature, a contractual overlap, and a loop in its subroutines, this lunar mining robot has gained sentience. Gathering with other "freeboots," Seba is taking a stand against the corporations that want it and its kind gone.

Against a backdrop of warring companies and interstellar drone combat, Carlos and Seba must either find a way to rise above the games their masters are playing, or die. And even dying will not be the end of it.

They've died for the companies more times than they can remember. Now they must fight to live for themselves.

Critic reviews

"Dissidence is the novel that's direct yet still brims with ideas, politics and memorable characters, and... keeps things moving with the pace of an airport thriller.... MacLeod's most entertaining novel to date."
—SFX Magazine on The Corporation Wars: Dissidence

"MacLeod does many astonishing things here. He creates viable, believable multiplex interactions among so many different sets of characters, human and robot. His detailing of the non-human way of thinking and speaking employed by the freebots is fun and exemplary . . . . He shows a keen hand with action sequences. And there is a generous amount of humor to leaven the otherwise dire and deadly consequences of the multi-front war." —Locus on The Corporation Wars: Dissidence

"[The Corporation Wars] hits the main vein of conversation about locks on artificial intelligence and living in simulations and exoplanetary exploitation and drone warfare and wraps it all into a remarkably human, funny, and smartly-designed yarn. It is, in fact, a king-hell commercial entertainment... It rips along on rockets."
—Warren Ellis

"Descent is politically engaged, brimming with smart ideas and shot through with a mordant wit. The novel is dedicated to the memory of MacLeod's friend Iain M. Banks, and one feels that the future of Scottish SF is in good hands"—Financial Times on Descent

"[The Corporation Wars] is a tasty broth of ideas taking in virtual reality, artificial intelligence, the philosophy of law and disquisitions on military ethics."—The Herald (Glasgow) on The Corporation Wars

"For my money, Ken MacLeod is the current champion of the very smartest kind of New Space Opera... every variation on his themes produces something worth re-reading."
—Locus

It's a Slog

What would have made The Corporation Wars: Dissidence better?

Normally I don't find a story where the viewpoints flip between two completely different characters to be an issue but the truth is I was half way through the story and I still didn't care about anyone. I find the characters unsympathetic and generally uninteresting. The universe in which the story itself takes place is neat and the author poses some interesting concepts but the narrative fails to deliver on the promise. I don't normally quit in the middle of a recording but I just couldn't be bothered anymore.

What could Ken MacLeod have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Pick one character and stick with them. If you're struggling to develop a character into someone you care about reading, don't compound it by making us follow two narratives.

Which character – as performed by Peter Kenny – was your favorite?

None, honestly. Maybe the AI.

What character would you cut from The Corporation Wars: Dissidence?

None.

Any additional comments?

I really can't recommend this book. It's an interesting SciFi concept and you might enjoy it for that sake. Maybe it gets better in the second half but after 5 hours of listening, if I'm not excited to see where it's going, it's a dud.