Null States is the second book in Malka Ann Older’s Centenal Cycle, a political technothriller which takes place in a future where much of the world is divided up into microdemocracies. Overseeing all of them is something called Information which is like if Google monitored everything. This second book takes place some time after the contentions election for which microdemocracy would take over the supermajority in book one. Ken and Mishima, two of my favorite characters, return in this story. We also meet Roz, an Information agent who has been assigned to assist a brand new microdemocracy when the governor is killed under suspicious circumstances.
This book can be complicated. There’s quite a bit of political intrigue and the reader is expected to keep up with what’s happening and remember what happened in the previous book. Having said that, it’s interesting enough to keep you reading to find out what happens next. Mishima continues to be amazing and she and Ken are a lovely believable couple. There a love story between Roz and the deputy governor of DarFur that I didn’t find particularly believable. Otherwise, watching the main characters work together to unravel the serpentine plot was pretty interesting.
This book is a great mix of both science fiction and espionage and would be enjoyable for fans of both. Obviously you need to read the first book, Infomocracy, first. You’ll get get wrapped up in the mystery which I promise you, you won’t solve on your own.