MacLeod brings a fresh take on the trope of humans uploading to a virtual space upon death. He posits a world where only the super-rich can afford to do this, and they take their money with them, with their virtual space economically more powerful than the world they have left behind.
Into this setting comes Northover, a man who finds himself there slightly unexpectedly. He was not a supporter of uploading, but finds himself with the chance to roll back the years and renew an old acquaintance. It’s well told, information unfolding as the story progresses, with the final pages upping the ante, with believable characters and motivations, and more.
Just read this in the new Dozois, and while enjoying it, I can’t escape the feeling that I was missing something at the end.
Not sure whether Northover was ultimately successful in his terrorist plan, or whether he was taken out as it were.
It had been suggested that Northover may not have been as “real” as the other guests at Elsinore, and I was really unsure what to make of that as well.