08/04/2014
Rajaniemi's largely satisfying third and final tale of posthuman gentleman thief Jean le Flambeur (after The Quantum Thief and The Fractal Prince) occasionally gets a bit muddled as the plot hits its crescendo. After Jean's rescuer and employer, Mieli, is cast into space, Jean concocts a plan to rescue her with the assistance of former nemesis Matjek, now reincarnated as a child. Meanwhile, Mieli is drawn into the conflict between the Zoku and the Sobornost via the Great Game, and Joséphine, who instigated the events that launched the series, continues her machinations. Rajaniemi's distant future is filled with duplicated bodies and quantum prisons, and at times the relentless terminology ("Founder gogol," "Wang bullet," "qupt") begs for exposition, but context generally prevails for the patient reader, especially one who's read the earlier books. One weakness is the early death of a character who'd seemed destined for more, a symptom of loose ends being too aggressively tied up. But Rajaniemi still offers a thrilling final ride, and fans will walk away satisfied. (July)
I have a new season’s resolution, and I hope you’ll consider it too: let’s make SF/F short stories our new summer reads. They’re perfect for the steamy months: Because they can be read in chunks without disrupting the narrative flow, they’re good for travel. They’re often more experimental than the average read, as authors use the form […]
In this roundup of July’s most exciting sci-fi and fantasy titles, you’ll discover adventures that will take you pretty much anywhere you want to go, from inside the bowels of a quantum computer, to a postapocalyptic survivalist community, to a world facing extinction, and even…a magical HR department? (Like I said, anywhere.) Here are your […]
There are authors who don’t cotton to hand-holding, and then there are authors who drop you off blindfolded in the middle of Times Square on New Year’s Eve, distract you with a party favor, and run the other way as fast as they can. Maybe you’ll eventually find your way in the throng, even if […]