Search -
The Hidden Family (Merchant Princes, Bk 2)
The Hidden Family - Merchant Princes, Bk 2 Author:Charles Stross The six families of the Clan rule the kingdom of Gruinmarkt from behind the scenes, a mixture of nobility and criminal conspirators whose power to walk between their world and ours make them rich in both. Braids of family loyalty and intermarriage provide a fragile guarantee of peace, but a recently ended civil war has left the families shaken a... more »nd suspicious.
Miriam, a hip tech journalist form Boston, discovered her alternate-world relatives with explosive results that shook three worlds. Now, as the prodigal Countess Helge Thorold-Hyorth, she finds herself ensnared in schemes and plots centuries in the making. She is surrounded by unlikely allies, lethal contraband, and, most dangerous of all, her family. With her modern American attitudes, she's not sure she can fit in, or if she even wants to, but to stay alive, she really has no choice.
To avoid a slippery slope down to an unmarked grave, Miriam must build a power-base of her own. She started applying modern business practices and scientific knowledge to a trade heretofore dominated by medieval mercantilists -- with unexpected consequences for three different timelines, including the quasi-Victorian one exploited by the hidden family.« less
A terrific follow up to the first novel in the series, this volume fleshes out the fascinating world of the Clan in glorious detail. Politics, intrigue, plus plotting and scheming galore. Highly recommended.
The first book "The Family Trade" and this book were originally written as one book. Of the 5 books in this series I have read "The Hidden Family" is definitely my favorite. It's the only one with a real ending; all the others just stop with out any real conclusion or falling action. This book and the first one are good, but the others are only so-so.