A Maxim Jakubowski Best Science Fiction selection.

A mindboggling and assured debut by a Finnish physicist who writes in English (and lives here)  this is the book everyone is raving about. And quite deservedly. Jean Le Flambeur is a mind burglar now imprisoned in the virtual jail of the Axelrod Archons playing deadly games against versions of himself in an effort to escape, until he is offered a chance to win back his freedom by the mysterious Mieli and her spider ship, in exchange for a daring, impossible final heist. Hard SF at its most dazzling. Will keep you awake and in awe for hours.

Comparison: Ken Macleod, Richard Morgan, Alastair Reyonolds
For more see our Author 'Like for Like' recommendation system
 

Synopsis

The Quantum Thief is a dazzling hard SF novel set in the solar system of the far future - a heist novel peopled by bizarre post-humans but powered by very human motives of betrayal, revenge and jealousy. It is a stunning debut. Jean le Flambeur is a post-human criminal, mind burglar, confidence artist and trickster. His origins are shrouded in mystery, but his exploits are known throughout the Heterarchy - from breaking into the vast Zeusbrains of the Inner System to steal their thoughts, to stealing rare Earth antiques from the aristocrats of the Moving Cities of Mars. Except that Jean made one mistake. Now he is condemned to play endless variations of a game-theoretic riddle in the vast virtual jail of the Axelrod Archons - the Dilemma Prison - against countless copies of himself. Jean's routine of death, defection and cooperation is upset by the arrival of Mieli and her spidership, Perhonen. She offers him a chance to win back his freedom and the powers of his old self - in exchange for finishing the one heist he never quite managed ...

Reviews

About the Author

Hannu Rajaniemi is from Finland. He is 30 years old and has a PhD in string theory. He has lived, taught and worked in Edinburgh for the last seven years where he was a member of the high profile writing group that also included Hal Duncan and Alan Campbell. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation