Buckell posted a few days ago that Arcitc Rising
Arctic turns UNPG (United Nations Polar Guard) pilot Anika Duncan against various authorities and people in power when she stumbles onto a plot to sneak a nuke into the Arctic Circle. The nuke is supposedly to stop the Gaia Corporation’s plan to reconfigure the earth’s climate using a proprietary technology. The thing is, in Arctic‘s universe, the Circle has been significantly de-iced because of global warming and there was (and still is) a tensioning of political and economic interests involving the newly-revealed resources.
The novel is mostly sci-fi based action, but there is also the political and “balance of power” intrigue you would expect when dealing with natural resources and earth-altering situations. I don’t normally read much of this sort of thing—I did read Buckell’s Cole Protocol
Notwithstanding one or two market theory speeches that were, that may reflect Buckell’s personal views, I found his idea of a seasteaded type of city, Thule, to be compelling. It was created by businesses for primarily economic reasons, and it’s almost a certainty that governments had a role in building it, even indirectly, so it’s not necessarily a free-market outcome. But within Thule itself we see a near example of Ancapistan or a panarchy, where people are free to choose (well, much more freer and easier than normal) under which form of law they’d like to live. Thule is divided into different sections, each under their own sovereign rule. Buckell didn’t drill down too deeply into the nature of these “desmenes” but it’s a great idea to be touched upon and it sets the stage for Arctic‘s final showdown.
Buckell in the midst of a book tour (a real one!), and unfortunately only comes dangerously close to Pittsburgh. If you’re into action with some sci-fi realism and world politics scenarios, it wouldn’t hurt to try Arctic and go see Buckell at one of his tour stops.