Okay, now that I'm done with the whole series, I can take a step back. The Merchant Princes series is multiverse science fiction initially disguised as fantasy. There are about a dozen significant characters, and by the end of the cycle, each one has his own thread and viewpoint. This creates a certain richness, but also leads to some uneven pacing and occasionally awkward jumping around.

Spoiler alert: At the beginning of book 6, several nuclear bombs are detonated in Washington, D.C., killing thousands of people including then-president George W. Bush. Cheney (dubbed WARBUCKS) is sworn in, but shortly thereafter dies of a heart attack. I think Stross took a certain pleasure in those particular plot points, and I must admit I did too. Cheney really deserved it, after all.

Clearly this is outlandish fantasy, but it's a fun read.