The Martian General's Daughter

Plot

The novel borrows heavily from classical history, with a setting reminiscent of the Roman Empire under Marcus Aurelius and his son Commodus. The story takes place in the late twenty-third century, where the Pan-Polarian Empire, implicitly descended from the United States, dominates much of the Northern Hemisphere and colonies on Mars and Jupiter. Pan-Polarian society mirrors Imperial Rome, including an imperial cult and religions such as the cults of El Bis and the goddess Marilyn.

The Empire's rivals include Persia and China, and it fights enemies in Africa and South America. A nano-engineered plague that corrodes metal has been released, causing advanced technology to fail and the world to revert to pre-industrial levels. The narrative alternates between General Black's career in the 2270s and 2280s as aide-de-camp to his daughter, and his attempt to seize the throne in the 2290s during a multi-party struggle resembling the Year of the Four Emperors.

Black serves under philosopher-emperor Mathias the Glistening, who dies when his cybernetic implants are infected by the nano-plague. Mathias is succeeded by his sociopathic son Luke Anthony, whose erratic regime includes executions, corruption, and sexual perversion, as related by Justa.