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The Quantum Thief: The epic hard SF heist thriller for fans of THE MATRIX and NEUROMANCER (Jean Le Flambeur) Paperback – 1 Nov. 2011

by Hannu Rajaniemi (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars 2,431 ratings
on any 4 Qualifying items | Terms
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The solar system's greatest thief is wanted for murder. To prove his innocence, he needs to pull off a heist even he thought was impossible . . .

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 . . .

Readers have been gripped by THE QUANTUM THIEF:

'I am very surprised and delighted by this novel . . . this monolith of story, this dire-light, this cutting of an epic gordian knot has got to be one of the classics of literature'- Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'I enjoyed the hell out of this and am eating up the rest of the series without hesitation' - Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'I cannot emphasize how much I love and appreciate the depth and complexity that [The Quantum Thief] realizes. Rajaniemi has crafted a hard science masterpiece that sets up a wonderful series' - Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'This really is one of my all time favourite High Concept SciFi novels. It's an unrelenting stream of far out tech and cultural experimentation taken to extremes.' - Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'Complex & yet compulsively readable . . . The Quantum Thief is one of the most innovative debut novels I've ever read!' - Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'I really don't remember last time when I was excited in such way by a book . . . surely the best debut in this genre for a long time' - Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Jean le Flambeur
  2. Print length
    336 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Gollancz
  5. Publication date
    1 Nov. 2011
  6. Dimensions
    20 x 2.2 x 13.1 cm
  7. ISBN-10
    0575088893
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0575088894
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Product description

Review

This is a sci-fi book to read; the world is pieced together masterfully and you get a detective/adventure story all in one. -- Linda Bloduedd ― BOOK GIRL OF MUR-Y-CASTELL Blog

Book Description

The most exciting SF debut of the last five years - a star to stand alongside Alistair Reynolds and Richard Morgan.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Gollancz
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 1 Nov. 2011
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0575088893
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0575088894
  • Item weight ‏ : ‎ 238 g
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 20 x 2.2 x 13.1 cm
  • Book 1 of 3 ‏ : ‎ Jean le Flambeur
  • Best Sellers Rank: 174,329 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • Customer reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 2,431 ratings

About the author

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Hannu Rajaniemi

Hannu Rajaniemi

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Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
2,431 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find this science fiction book fascinating with impressive hard sci-fi ideas, and one review notes it's set in a plausible post-singularity world. The book features great characters and awesome concepts, with one customer describing it as a mind-boggling journey through quantum mechanics. While the story is compelling with a clever plot structure, customers find it challenging to read at times.

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CreativityEnjoymentCharacter developmentSci-fi elementsConcept developmentStory qualityUnderstandingReadability
30 customers mention ‘Creativity’25 positive5 negative

Customers appreciate the book's creativity, praising its fascinating and impressive hard sci-fi ideas, with one customer highlighting its exploration of a panopticon society.

"...New ideas, new ways to think and yet identifiable character archetypes that never acted irrationally - a great balancing act." Read more

"...Fascinating ideas and a compelling storyline. Yes it may be complicated however the book's somewhat short length lends itself to rereads...." Read more

"...and he has some powerful ideas...." Read more

"...Full of amazing ideas, engaging and interesting characters, humour and exciting action...." Read more

30 customers mention ‘Enjoyment’28 positive2 negative

Customers find the book absolutely enthralling and very entertaining, with one customer describing it as an extraordinary adventure.

"Great read. Interesting take on the future. I liked the very alternate look at life on Mars. Jean le Flambeur was a great character...." Read more

"...Rajaniemi's Solar System is fascinating, mind-boggling, colourful and rich, and unlike most any other you ever saw imagined..." Read more

"This is an interesting book, however not my style as I thought it would have been, however this is not a bad reflection of the book which is..." Read more

"...trying to understand how things worked, but once I gave up it was a good read, with involving characters. Need to read the rest of the series!" Read more

26 customers mention ‘Character development’19 positive7 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, with one noting that each character has their own unique flavor.

"...Full of amazing ideas, engaging and interesting characters, humour and exciting action...." Read more

"...world building, if that’s not too contradictory or paradoxical, engaging characters and a clever plot structure...." Read more

"...This is a poorly plotted novel - there are far too many characters, significant ones are under-explained, and the characterisation is wafer thin..." Read more

"Great characters, murky motivations, chilling technologies, awesome concepts. I ripped through this in a couple of evenings...." Read more

23 customers mention ‘Sci-fi elements’20 positive3 negative

Customers appreciate the sci-fi elements of the book, particularly its world-building and combination of science fiction and mystery, with one customer noting it's set in a plausible post-singularity world.

"...The star of the book is without a doubt the sci-fi...." Read more

"...aside, it also scores highly on all the other axes of good science fiction: it is imaginative, has real sympathetic characters, and a believable..." Read more

"...reading and can be difficult to follow but he has created an original world and unique stories...." Read more

"...I have read in some time and, if you have to talk genre, the best Science Fiction I have read for years." Read more

17 customers mention ‘Concept development’12 positive5 negative

Customers appreciate the concept development in the book, with one review noting how it is grounded in cutting-edge technological trends, while another describes it as a mind-boggling journey through quantum mechanics.

"...I love the ideas on Mars, the characters, the science and technology, the relationships that develop and a rather twisted love angle...." Read more

"...There is no philosophical navel-gazing about the equivalence of silicon and carbon intelligence or experience, or whether non-carbon entities have..." Read more

"...Key concepts are not explained, and invented words and terminology are repeatedly used without their meaning being explained - not just in a few..." Read more

"...The story, the teased and dense backstory, the gradual drips of information revealing the great mystery behind everything all keep you coming back..." Read more

36 customers mention ‘Story quality’24 positive12 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the book's story quality, with some praising its compelling narrative and clever plot structure, while others find it disjointed.

"...They CANNOT be taken separately. Topline: This is an outstanding story, set in a very plausible post-singularity world (solar system),..." Read more

"...other hand, I felt these ideas are wrapped in what is essentially a weak story, one where I never cared about the characters at all...." Read more

"Tries to be too smart for its own good at time a but the story is compelling and the sci-fi elements are fairly original and fresh." Read more

"...It's a fine story with good characters and some interesting science fiction elements...." Read more

17 customers mention ‘Understanding’6 positive11 negative

Customers have mixed reactions to the book's complexity, with some finding it brilliant while others find it confusing, with one customer noting that key concepts are not sufficiently explained.

"...I GOT THROUGH IT BUT REALLY WISHED I HAD NOT BOTHERED, NO REWARD, NO ANSWERS, NO SATISFACTION, NO UNDERSTANDING FROM STICKING WITH THIS RUBBISH!" Read more

"Ideas satisfyingly hard to grasp, provide a narrative that I just manage to make sense of, by allowing myself to become immersed, in the wonderful..." Read more

"It took an immense amount of effort on my part to stay with this confusing book...." Read more

"...a finished novel; far too many new terms/concepts which are not explained sufficiently and under developed characters too...." Read more

18 customers mention ‘Readability’4 positive14 negative

Customers find the book challenging to read at times and difficult to get into.

"...However without it, it is not an easy read...." Read more

"...It proved an interesting, if challenging read. On the whole rather liked it. Not the finest SF book ever written certainly, but an interesting debut...." Read more

"While certainly a difficult read at times this is truly a breath of fresh air for the genre. Fascinating ideas and a compelling storyline...." Read more

"...Relatively quick read if that is what you are looking for I can recommended this book!" Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Diz
    5.0 out of 5 stars A new Classic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 October 2010
    Verified Purchase
    I think this is likely to become a sci-fi classic. Considering that it's also the first published work by Hannu Rajaniemi, that is pretty impressive.

    I have to admit that, for the first chapter or so, I thought this was just going to be another techno-geek gadgetfest but I was definitely wrong. Like another reviewer, I found the start pretty confusing as the author does not give you much of a chance to get to grips with his terminology, with the result that I was left floundering about but hanging in there; a feeling I'm used to after reading a lot of Tricia Sullivan and C J Cherryh. And, like those writers, if you bear with it long enough, it starts to come together and repays the effort with interest.

    Along the way, the story pays it's dues to it's sci-fi ancestors. I mean, the Quantum Thief - Jean le Flambeur - really reminds me of Harry Harrison's 'Stainless Steel Rat', while other characters, and even whole scenes, bring to mind Alfred Bester's 'Tiger! Tiger!' and 'The Demolished Man'.

    However, even the technology has literary and classical references - 'Gogol' becomes a noun to describe disembodied minds, and that gives rise to 'gogol pirates' as a major theme within the story; the control of privacy and access to memory is central - thus the architecture of the great moving Martian city has classical Greek 'agoras' or public 'places of assembly' built in to it; the use of 'exomemory' brings to mind (but in a rather more subtle way) Richard Morgan's 'Altered Carbon'; and, of course, there is the nice 'double entendre' of the 'Oubliette' itself. All this, though, comes together in a truly original world.

    So, a very well put together world - not just the tech but the whole back story, as we get hints and bits of history of a Kingdom, a Revolution. Then, besides Jean le Flambeur, there is a whole zoo of exotic characters - the multi-talented Raymonde (who reminded me somehow of Robin Wednesbury), Mieli and her ship Perhonen, Isidore the brilliant young detective and his girlfriend Pixil from a 'zoku' tribe of virtual game players, and the millenniaire Unruh (when Time is a currency, how else to describe the mega-rich?). The variety of characters is also reflected in the narrative - alternating between Jean (first person narrative), Mieli (third person), Isidore (third person) - and the chapter structure too as, occasionally, the chapters are interrupted by 'Interludes'.

    That's the tech, the characters and the story structure. But that's just the start. The story itself is wonderful, multi-layered, mind-expanding stuff. It starts off straight-forwardly enough - a prison break for the thief, a mission or perhaps commission, and off he goes. But the way it develops is extraordinary. It becomes clear that all the technology is not simply 'for show' but is central to not just the workings of the world but also to the identities of the characters. The story becomes a shifting palimpsest of memories and all those feelings of Alice-like disorientation from the beginning of the book return. Hints of realities within realities, virtual and otherwise, leave plenty of room for Hannu Rajaniemi to further investigate his remarkable world.

    On top of all that, it is really well written. There are a (very) few odd clunky bits but overall the story flows really well, the imagery is strong, original and powerful.

    As I said, I think this is destined to be recognised as a sci-fi classic.
    91 people found this helpful
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  • Slow Reader
    4.0 out of 5 stars A great story with great concepts (if you can get past the gevulot)
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 October 2012
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    This novel created a lot of buzz in 2010 when it first came out, with people citing it as the SF debut of the year, so of course I was curious. I got myself a copy. In true Slow Reader form, I didn't actually read the thing until a year or two later. So, let's see what all the fuss is (was) about then, eh?

    The Quantum Thief concerns the exploits of master thief Jean le Flambeur. Imprisoned in the beginning of the story, he is promptly jailbroken by a mysterious warrior lady on behalf of a mysterious employer for mysterious reasons. The official reason, as explained to the thief, is that they require his kleptomaniacal services to steal something from a walking city on Mars, somewhere he lived in a previous life as a master criminal, yet the memories of which are long gone from his mind.

    This premise sounds simple, but I assure you the book is not. What strikes you most about this novel is that, on first reading, the language is almost impenetrable. Rajaniemi's style is to avoid info-dumps almost entirely, leaving it up to the reader to keep up and try to figure things out gradually (or with the help of Wikipedia). Much terminology is introduced and used as it would be in the world, a matter of course without need for explanation, but of course this makes for incredibly frustrating reading as one doesn't really understand what the hell's going on. What's a gogol? What's this "exomemory"? Who are the Sobornost? What the hell is happening???

    But about half way through, everything clicks.

    Once this happens, the book becomes hard to put down. The story, the teased and dense backstory, the gradual drips of information revealing the great mystery behind everything all keep you coming back for more, provided that you've made the effort to understand the concepts that Rajaniemi is attempting to get across. Many interesting themes are covered, such as personal privacy and posthumanism. There is plenty of action and drama. The prose is often inspired and often frustratingly esoteric in equal measure, but a pleasure to read all the time. Rajaniemi has an obvious academic pedigree in science and isn't afraid to use it, making for some perplexing paragraphs for those not quite in the know (including me). Part of the genius of the book is that there is enough plot, action and character (often rare commodities in hard SF novels) to not let the scientific details detract from the reader's enjoyment.

    That's not to say that this book isn't challenging. If you want to read it, prepare to be a bit miffed by the first half, but the reward is great if you can stick with it. I would recommend re-reading the first half after you've finished though. I'd give it a 10 out of 10, but I'll take a mark off due to the lack of glossary (I enjoyed the challenge, but still...).

    A great read, best I've read in a while.

    9/10
    9 people found this helpful
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  • D. R. Cantrell
    5.0 out of 5 stars A splendid read for the educated classes
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 July 2011
    Verified Purchase
    Rajaniemi is a foreign chap, for whom English is a second language. You couldn't tell from reading this. The cover blurb from Charlie Stross says "hard to admit, but I think he's better at this stuff than I am". I don't think that Charlie is right, but it's certainly damned good.

    I don't agree with him because The Quantum Thief is nowhere near as accessible as Charlie's work. It may be a better example of the art of writing, but it is not better as an enjoyable work of fiction, because it's just too damned literate for that. It requires rather more work from the reader - it's definitely not something to dip in and out of for a few pages at a time, and demands concentration. The story is generally told in the first person and the viewpoint changes without warning from character to character as various strands come slowly together, and it's this that makes it less amenable for casual reading. Add to that a predictable sprinkling of Quantum (the book's title is 100% accurate) and game theory, so it requires both a literate and a well-educated reader.

    Literary excellence aside, it also scores highly on all the other axes of good science fiction: it is imaginative, has real sympathetic characters, and a believable consistent universe. Provided, of course, that you give it sufficient attention.

    A splendid book that you should buy without delay, provided that you think that I would think you are well-educated.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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  • RFOG
    2.0 out of 5 stars No me gusta mucho
    Reviewed in Spain on 29 March 2014
    Verified Purchase
    No solo no me gusta, sino que la novela se basa en crear efecto maravilla empleando palabras raras e inventadas. Aparte de eso, no aporta nada nuevo al género y la acción es bastante aburrida.

    No entiendo tanto "hype" con esta novela. No deja de ser una mala obra policíaca con tintes cyberpunk.
    Report
  • Ale
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantascienza crittografica
    Reviewed in Italy on 9 December 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Il libro (in inglese) è il primo di una serie di tre. È piuttosto impegnativo da leggere in quanto ci sono moltissimi termini propri dell'universo creato dall'autore, ma l'impegno è ampiamente ripagato e non appena l'ho finito mi sono messo a rileggerlo, cosa che non mi capitava da mooolto tempo.
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  • Thierry
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
    Reviewed in Brazil on 20 October 2019
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    Great book innovative story. A little hard to get sometimes for non native English speakers. Cannot wait to read the sequel
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  • Srikanth K
    4.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling read
    Reviewed in India on 22 October 2017
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    As sci-fi novels go this one is certainly not of the usual kind. You are put into a world without explanations and you have to figure out for yourselves what each word means. I am told there is a wiki page for the glossary. It is basically a conspiracy plot with multiple realities. It is reasonably fast paced without much philosophical asides. The author does concentrate on telling the story. The implications of each technology and system are not expanded upon. Occasionally the suspension of disbelief does break but fortunately it is not frequent to out you off completing the book. All in all, an enjoyable book.
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  • Daniel Magyar
    5.0 out of 5 stars excellent read with a flavor all it's own in sci fi
    Reviewed in Canada on 8 September 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Plot 5*
    Characters 4*
    Originality 5*

    I read several reviews prior to reading this book, many of which said good book but hard to follow for some time. Perhaps because I was prepared for immediate immersion and unveiling through story telling, I didn't find this a problem and could follow everything well enough.

    Definitely a book I recommend. Rajaniemi offers us a view into a future that combines high end physics with virtual reality. The story is solid and the characters are endearing.
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