Description

Book Synopsis

'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' - James Lovegrove, The Financial Times

'Ken MacLeod is the modern day George Orwell' - SFX

HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO FOR THE TRUTH?

Ball lightning. Weather balloons. Secret military aircraft. Ryan knows all the justifications for UFO sightings. But when something falls out of the sky on the hills near his small Scottish town, he finds his cynicism can't identify or explain the phenomenon.

And in a future where nothing is a secret, where everything is recorded on CCTV or reported online, why can he find no evidence of the UFO, nor anything to shed light on what occurred? Is it the political revolutionaries, is it the government or is it aliens themselves who are creating the cover-up? Or does the very idea of a cover-up hide the biggest secret of all?

Ken MacLeod, author of 2013 Arthur C. Clarke Award-nominated Intrusion, tells a science fiction story for the twenty-first century - this is what happens when conspiracy theorists meet Big Brother.

Books by Ken MacLeod:

Fall Revolution
The Star Fraction
The Stone Canal
The Cassini Division
The Sky Road

Engines of Light
Cosmonaut Keep
Dark Light
Engine City

Corporation Wars Trilogy
Dissidence
Insurgence
Emergence

Novels
The Human Front
Newton's Wake
Learning the World
The Execution Channel
The Restoration Game
Intrusion
Descent



Trade Review
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. -- James Lovegrove * The Financial Times *
Stylish, witty, and engaging! -- SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE
Far more fun than deep space drama has any right to be...Just read the book. Then read it again. It's even better the second time. -- SFX
Exciting...Accessible to the average reader as well as the hardcore SF fan. This is a work sure to keep the reader on the edge of her seat. -- ROMANTIC TIMES BOOKCLUB

Descent

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    £9.49

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    RRP £9.99 – you save £0.50 (5%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Sat 11 Jul 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by Ken MacLeod

    1 in stock

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      Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
      Publication Date: Publication Date: 18/11/2014
      ISBN13: 9781841499420, 978-1841499420
      ISBN10: 1841499420

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      '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' - James Lovegrove, The Financial Times

      'Ken MacLeod is the modern day George Orwell' - SFX

      HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO FOR THE TRUTH?

      Ball lightning. Weather balloons. Secret military aircraft. Ryan knows all the justifications for UFO sightings. But when something falls out of the sky on the hills near his small Scottish town, he finds his cynicism can't identify or explain the phenomenon.

      And in a future where nothing is a secret, where everything is recorded on CCTV or reported online, why can he find no evidence of the UFO, nor anything to shed light on what occurred? Is it the political revolutionaries, is it the government or is it aliens themselves who are creating the cover-up? Or does the very idea of a cover-up hide the biggest secret of all?

      Ken MacLeod, author of 2013 Arthur C. Clarke Award-nominated Intrusion, tells a science fiction story for the twenty-first century - this is what happens when conspiracy theorists meet Big Brother.

      Books by Ken MacLeod:

      Fall Revolution
      The Star Fraction
      The Stone Canal
      The Cassini Division
      The Sky Road

      Engines of Light
      Cosmonaut Keep
      Dark Light
      Engine City

      Corporation Wars Trilogy
      Dissidence
      Insurgence
      Emergence

      Novels
      The Human Front
      Newton's Wake
      Learning the World
      The Execution Channel
      The Restoration Game
      Intrusion
      Descent



      Trade Review
      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. -- James Lovegrove * The Financial Times *
      Stylish, witty, and engaging! -- SAN DIEGO UNION TRIBUNE
      Far more fun than deep space drama has any right to be...Just read the book. Then read it again. It's even better the second time. -- SFX
      Exciting...Accessible to the average reader as well as the hardcore SF fan. This is a work sure to keep the reader on the edge of her seat. -- ROMANTIC TIMES BOOKCLUB

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