Because I care

[james_davis_nicoll]

As mentioned in comments, Dan Simmons has a dystopic novel coming out.

Canada, used to dividing itself into smaller parts to appease ethnic groups, languages, and claims to prior ownership, [...]

Is that a snipe at Nunavut?

Comments

[mme-hardy.livejournal.com]

"Our primary bank -- China -- was no longer there: split into thirty segments, each with one or more warlord fighting for ascendancy. "

Er, what? This would be likely because?

[mme-hardy.livejournal.com]

To move to a new country while carrying your old flag, language, culture, behavior, and national loyalties with you, is to be a colonist."

Well, that about wraps it up for the Irish. And the Germans.

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

Simmons isn't half as terrified of Chinese hordes as he is of Islam and this way he doesn't have to worry about how China reacts?

[marydell.livejournal.com]

From Wikipedia: "The People's Republic of China (PRC) currently administers 22 provinces, 4 municipalities, 5 autonomous regions and 2 special administrative regions. The PRC also asserts [that]...Taiwan [is] a 23rd province."

So if you ignore the 4 municipalities, which are cities and therefore should be absorbed into their local provinces, you get 30. The CPC regional committee secretaries all become warlords instead, as one does, and Bob's your uncle.

[yamamanama.livejournal.com]

Because this is an expansion of something he wrote back in the 80s and wants to leave the Japan-takes-over-the-world plotline intact.