I'm a physics graduate and interested generally in sci fi and thought, great, this would be just the ticket for me for a change from my usual crime detective reads. I wanted to enjoy it BUT it didn't quite hit the buttons for me. The author didn't quite paint the picture clearly enough for me to imagine what was going on at times e.g. in the various space craft used and the different worlds so, for example, a space chase/escape plot was completely lost on me as I couldn't envisage what was going on aside from a general chase in progress and as another example even at the end of the while book I'm still a little unclear on the general concept of the homo quantus, the main character(!), Bel. Therefore, I was left a little disappointed - hence the 3 star mark from me. With a little more polish in the style the plot and unravelling of the con was actually good but I was left wanting a little more. As ever thanks for the preview copy though.

No criticism. Just didn't find the story line interesting. Didn't finish reading this book. The premise was just a little too over the top for me.

Belisarius, is the apex of human genetic engineering, a homo quantus. Someone able to bridge the quantum world with the regular world. But Belisarius rejects his upbringing, leaves his homeworld and becomes a con artist. He is the best con artist the worlds have ever seen. He's presented with the ultimate con and readily accepts it. Interesting story. Great twist at end.

I loved the premise behind this book and really wanted to like it but couldn't get into it. The beginning was slow and then the religious element of the alien planet threw me. Not for me.

It's funny that, despite listing "found families" among my favourite tropes, this doesn't often translate into found family's grouchy, backstab-prone cousin, the heist story. It might be the much higher trust deficit and that's usually present in a team put together explicitly to do a single job, or the fact that characters trend towards chaotic neutral and don't tend to smooth out each other's rough edges in the same way. Or, maybe I just don't like the actual heist-y part of a heist, which sort of functions as a reverse mystery: by definition, we know in advance who did it, we're just not sure about the how. It's quite rare for the goal in a heist to be something an audience a priori cares about, so it's down to the author to invest us in some combination of characters, mechanics or worldbuilding so we want to follow our not-heroes through the inevitable failures, double-crosses and eleventh-hour plan revisions to get their job done.

The Quantum Magician goes in hard on many elements of its worldbuilding, putting us in a far future spacefaring society with some recognisable but unusual political powers. Bel's client, Iekanjika, works for the Sub-Saharan Union, a small player in galactic terms, and approaches him to move 12 warships through a puppet-controlled wormhole. Bel very quickly realises there's something "off" about these ships, which shouldn't exist in the first place and employ highly advanced technology beyond what most of the major players in the galaxy are using at this point. The first ten percent of the book puts us through some early sleuthing and action scenes which effectively set out Belasarius' abilities as a homo quantus who are able to enter mentally altered states known as savant - where the individual maintains their identity but has significantly higher data processing capacity, at the expense of interpersonal abilities - and fugue, which suppresses their identity entirely. These different brain states take a great deal of additional energy and there are clear physiological tolls to entering it, with fugue state in particular shown as inducing dangerous levels of internal heat which homo quantus are only partially adapted to cope with. Bel, we learn, is a highly unusual Homo Quantus, both in terms of his abilities, which don't function as intended, and because he has left the centre of population for the rest of his people and struck out on his own in the galaxy, turning his back on the purpose his species were effectively created for.

This sense of manufactured purpose also plays a part in the stories of the other two post human species introduced in The Quantum Magician. There's homo eridanus, a species adapted to live in a high pressure underwater environment after a terraforming accident, but whose racial psyche involves a lot of deep self-deprecation and disgust for their own position. And then there's homo pupa, known as "Puppets", who have a rather larger role to play in the book. Half the size of most baseline humans and genetically engineered to be perfectly servile to another race, homo pupa have channeled that biologically motivated religious awe into a culture which has murdered or enslaved their former owners and now have a deeply disturbing relationship to freedom, bondage and torture in general. The sections of the book involving the Puppets - and there are many, as they control the territory Bel is trying to heist is way through - were by far my least favourite elements of the book, veering quickly into gratuitous torture and gore with little narrative payoff. It doesn't help that two of the least compelling characters in the heist team get assigned to this subplot, meaning I was already starting from a position of indifference when it came to William and Gates-15's grim escapades in this thread.

As you'd expect, all three post-human species are represented in Bel's heist team (including the above mentioned Gates-15, as well as a homo eridanus) called , alongside an AI which believes it is the reincarnation of Saint Matthew (to the complete despair of the bank which programmed it), and a couple of vanilla humans. Despite having largely interesting back stories by virtue of the interesting worldbuilding, the personalities here were pretty classic for the genre: there's the leader, the war-weary veteran on his last job, the gleeful, morally adrift one, the unemotional, technical one, the highly-strung one, the naive one who is doing it for love, the sweary one... you get the idea.

Kunsken also builds a very dude-heavy team, made more frustrating by the fact that 50% of the women on the team are Bel's love interest (note: he only has one love interest). As a reviewer who recognises and owns my personal biases, I'm not ashamed to admit that having so few women inevitably limits my interest in the characters as a whole. Also, having so many characters with biologically defined quirks ironically makes it harder for an author to sell them on their personality quirks, and if you don't find yourself intrinsically invested in the tragic post-human condition in general, there's not much going on at the character level that is going to improve your connection. The exception, for me, was Stills the homo eridanus, whose contributions to the team come with a boatload of swearing and self-loathing and some inexplicably charming bonding with Marie, the amiable but morally adrift demolitions expert. I'd read a sequel if it were just Stills and Marie flying a dual pressure ship while swearing at each other and blowing things up.

There's a lot going on in the Quantum Magician, from the individual character plotlines to geopolitics to thematic elements about purpose and religious observances of such. Ultimately, none of the elements rose above "solid", which is probably both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, there's no big intrusive theme being pushed here (well, either its not there or I totally missed it) where all of these human conditions get somehow yoked to the service of a big moral or Observation about humanity, quantum philosophy-motivated or otherwise. There are things in The Quantum Magician because they are necessary to set up the conditions for a heist, and other things that exist as background in a world that's bigger than the plot of just one heist, and there's just enough of both of those that everything basically works. On the other hand, I did miss those hard-to-define touches that make a secondary world "pop", and despite all the creativity in the mechanics of the worldbuilding, it all fell a bit flat for me.

It always feels unfair to review a book in a genre you know you're not fond of, and, alas, The Quantum Magician didn't do much to overturn my scepticism about heists. Fans of the genre will likely find an entertaining adventure here, and there's some interesting ideas about the future of the human race and what we might evolve ourselves into, even if these possibilities are inevitably taken towards the grimmest outcomes possible. If the premise appeals, and you don't mind reading yet another story about dudes, this is likely to be an enjoyable diversion. As for me, I'm going to go back to my found family space stories and keep waiting for the daring heist adventure that changes my mind.

Belisarius Arjona, or Bel, is a man genetically engineered to immerse himself in the complexities of the quantum world, sifting for the type of data which could take humanity to the next level. But years ago he cut himself off from the carefully managed security of his own people. Now, living as a con man, this Homo quantus exile is about to take on a job which offers him access to unimaginable wealth, but only if he is able to move a squadron of warships across a wormhole controlled by his would-be employers’ enemies. Seemingly impossible, even by Belisarius’s standards. But it is a challenge he cannot resist.

The Quantum Magicianworks really well for a broad science fiction reading audience for several reasons. It is a tale which manages to take theoretical concepts and plays with them in a hugely imaginative and entertaining way. The different cultures, and their ways of life make you feel as if someone should be getting sociologists in there to make a study of them (particularly the puppets, whose beliefs and practices are particularly disturbing). There is a rattling good plot and a terrific cast of characters. As an added bonus, each of the main protagonists, selected for their capabilities, interacts really well with each other.

All the different genetically engineered humans are represented in the scheme, the Homo quantus, the Homo puppa, or Puppets and the Homo eridanus, the people of the Mongrel (the mercenary shock pilots of the Congregate navy engineered to survive the benthic depths of another world). There is also Saint Matthew an AI who believes he is a saint. William Gander is a normal human, conman and ex associate of Bels, serving time when Bel goes to collect him. Cassandra, or Cassie, Bel’s previous love and another Homo quantus residing within the security of the Homo quantus home world is a reluctant member of the team. But there are more than Bel’s powers of persuasion at work in her agreement to go along with him. Gates-15 is a puppet who is an outcast from the Puppet community. Human Antonio Del Casal is a doctor with a galaxy-class reputation for genetic manipulation.

My particular favourites though are the foul-mouthed Homo eridanus, Vincent Stills and Marie, the mentally unstable explosives expert with a penchant for baiting Saint Matthew and is more than a match for Stills in the face-off stakes.

The Quantum Magicianis the type of book you go back to the beginning and read again once you know how everything pans out and have those “why didn’t I see that the first time” moments. There’s a great deal to absorb between the pinch of theoretical physics and the insanely complex Ocean’s Eleven-style plot. But each chapter is relatively short, allowing for assimilation of its contents before plunging into the next one.

The Oceans’ cons are children’s games when compared to the heist central to The Quantum Magician. Derek Künsken’s novel is a masterpiece of character driven fiction, a hard sci fi heist that leaves the reader breathless from its scope. The universe is one where genetic engineering has resulted in three species at once human and alien - The puppets - miniature humans designed to experience religious awe in the presence of their creators, the quantum- beings of vast intelligence capable of discarding parts of their subjective persona to expand their perception and understanding, and the mongrels - beings whose forms have been engineered to survive in harsh aquatic environments, some of the most talented and most reckless pilots.

Belisarius is a quantum who long ago fled his world. His need for mental stimulation is satisfied by complex cons. When he is approached with the task of moving 12 warships from one side of the galaxy to the other, Belisarius isn’t given the luxury of being allowed to say no. The reward is great, but the cost could be monumental. Fortunately Belisarius is far more intelligent and far more perceptive than his client expects. He pulls together a team of unforgettable people - a puppet exiled for being unable to sense his deities, an AI who believes he is the reincarnation of St Peter, an explosives expert with a dangerous sense of humor, a mongrel pilot with giant cojones, a dying conman, and the quantum woman Belisarius once left behind.

Künsken makes the universe and the situation believable. Some hard sci-fi neglects the “human” element, but not The Quantum Magician. One of the topics central to the novel is the conflict between objectivity and subjective perception. It is not only form that separates humans from the puppets, quantum and mongrels, it is perception. The Quantum Magician is an amazing novel on many different levels. It is definitely one I plan to keep on my shelf and reread in future.

5 / 5

I received a copy of The Quantum Magician from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

— Crittermom

I enjoyed this immensely. My only criticism is that I found it hard at times to keep straight all the details of who was where and doing what, particularly the locations of all the space vehicles involved. A little more exposition of the plan would have helped.

Humanity is fractured into several genetically-altered type: the Numen and the Puppets who 'worship them; the Mongrel who can't live in less than 500 atmospheres of pressure; and the homo quantus, who become quantum computers. What happens when one of the homo quantus becomes a con man?
You spend the entire book wondering who is getting played.....

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this book. Eventually a good story with a great finish, but too much pseudo-science and "super-human" angst. Still recommended.

The Quantum Magician tells the story of "Homo quantus" Belisarius Arjona, a genetically-modified human who has the ability to switch off the communication and social interaction parts of his brain in order to allow him to better focus on mathematics, geometry and the quantum world. The Homo quantus were created to provide insights to the nature of the universe, but Belisarius is using his abilities to work as a confidence trickster. Early on he is approached by Major Ayen Iekanjika to run what will, perhaps, be the ultimate con. From here Belisarius sets about putting together his team: an explosives expert, a "Homo pupa" (a “puppet”) a "Homo eridanus” (a “mongrel”), a religious artificial intelligence, a genetics expert, another Homo quantus and a fall guy. This is an amazingly richly-imagined world, which blends hard science fiction with a classic heist story. The quantum physics is, perhaps. a little heavy-going in places. I have a background in the physical sciences myself, but am by no means an expert in quantum physics. I had the sense that someone who DID might find some of the details exasperating, while non-scientists might find it impenetrable. For me, personally, I felt the balance was pretty good and, after all, this is science fiction: some disbelief needs to be suspended. The characters are well-developed and sympathetic on the whole, although the female members of the team felt under-used. In particular, the other Homo quantus, Cassandra, has an poorly-developed story. She is critical to the success of the con, but we don't really get to know her. Similarly, explosives expert Marie is a potentially fascinating character who really comes to life early on, only to be lost later in the story. Still, these are relatively small complaints in an otherwise masterful piece of science fiction world-building. If you like the sound of a science fiction heist story, give this a try.

The Quantum Magician es una novela de contrastes. Basándose en una estructura más que conocida Derek Kunsken realiza un ejercicio de ciencia ficción de ideas apabullante y en ocasiones arrollador, pero abre tantos caminos para la reflexión que solo por eso merece la pena leerlo.

El hilo conductor de la novela es la planificación y ejecución de un timo. Como en El Golpe, hay un plan, un gancho, se recluta un equipo de especialistas, hay traiciones... Este guión un tanto estereotipado constituye un armazón sólido para la novela y da rienda suelta al autor para empezar a lanzarnos ideas y reflexiones de gran calado. Es una elección brillante, porque al aficionado a la ciencia ficción habitualmente le atrae más el fondo que la forma (sé que esta generalización es discutible y me gustaría que habláramos sobre ello) y al escoger esta "plantilla", tiene las manos libres para exponer otros elementos, posiblemente más de su interés.

La manipulación de la genética humana ha dado lugar a nuevos tipos de personas y en The Quantum Magician se nos presentan tres nuevas especies, muy diferentes entre sí pero todas intrínsecamente fallidas, al menos desde el punto de vista de "humano base". El Homo eridanus está modificado para resistir presiones de cientos de atmósferas y por lo tanto su cuerpo apenas se asemeja a un Homo sapiens. Su ámbito de actividad se restringe a las profundidades abisales de las colonias espaciales y para desplazarse necesitan tanques especiales capaces de proveer esa presión. Y sin embargo, son quizá la raza menos truncada de los experimentos, porque tienen claro su rol y, culturalmente, aceptan su papel en el mundo.

Los Puppets, sin embargo, son harina de otro costal. Modificados por los Numen para que los consideraran dioses, sienten la compulsión genética de servir a sus divinidades. Estos autoproclamados seres divinos, veleidosos como eran, han dado lugar a una estructura social profundamente depravada, donde no está claro quién es esclavo de quién. Algunas escenas son realmente repulsivas, ya que esta relación malsana se ha ido pervirtiendo aún más conforme ha pasado el tiempo. La escasez de auténticos Numen hace que los Puppets sufran incluso síndrome de abstinencia y entren en éxtasis solo con revolcarse sobre las deposiciones de sus dioses. Estas escenas son realmente perturbadoras y dejan para la reflexión particular de cada uno el verdadero significado de la religión, en este caso impuesta mediante la manipulación genética, reducida a respuestas hormonales a estímulos predispuestos.

La última raza que conocemos es el Homo quantus, verdadero protagonista de la historia. Humanos con capacidades de computación cuántica que pueden entrar en un estado de fuga donde abandonan la subjetividad de su persona y se convierten en máquinas computacionales capaces de ver todas las posibilidades de la función de onda sin llegar a colapsarla. Estos seres forman una colonia ajena al resto de los mundos y dedican su vida y su tiempo al estudio del cosmos, pero quizá su propio aislamiento les impide acceder a la información que precisan para conseguir sus ambiciones.

El variopinto equipo que se conforma para llevar a cabo la misión tiene un poco de todo, como en botica. Por supuesto, hay al menos un miembro de cada una de estas nuevas especies que he mencionado, pero algunas de las interacciones más interesantes se producen con los "humanos base". De nuevo, el contraste entre lo considerado "normal" y la "evolución" le da a Kunsken un espejo deformado en el que enfrentarnos a nuestros propios miedos, sobre todo el miedo a lo que es diferente, al extraño, al cambio.

Sin dejar de recurrir en ocasiones al humor, como en la escena de huida de la prisión, el autor nos plantea una obra seria y meditada, científicamente verosímil (al menos hasta donde yo entiendo) y exigente a la vez en la lectura.

Con estos mimbres, Derek Kunsken consigue hilvanar una historia tradicional en la forma pero rompedora en el fondo, lanzando ideas que no dejan descansar al lector en ningún momento. No digo que la novela sea perfecta, porque también existen algunos momentos en que la tecnojerga se apodera de la narración y puedes incluso comenzar a dudar de los derroteros por los que anda el libro, pero es una lectura más que recomendable para cualquier interesado en la ciencia ficción de ideas. Un autor al que sin duda habrá que seguir de cerca, al que algunos nombran ya como heredero espiritual del mejor Peter Watts.

I was very excited to read this book, but also a little apprehensive. In theory I love hard science-fi, because it seems so real, so true, so possible. But in practice, I'm easily lost: most hard science-fi books dwells on physics and, if I know that universe and space mean physics, and if I'm genuinely interested in the subject, it's alas a case of unrequited love there... I love science in general, but my kind of science is clearly biology  (which is not, in my opinion, enough developed in science-fi) and advanced physics are difficult for me.

I went through three phases reading this book.

At the very beginning I was quite happy: the story was immediately interesting, the characters were engaging, and the quantum magician seems to be absolutely there, in a human kind of way, not as a concept floating in an esoteric no-space or such as I had feared (in some hard science-fi I frequently have the impression of reading with my eyes closed, as in some dreams, when and where I can never focus whatever the efforts I make). So a good start!

At about ten per cent in the story, I had quite a shock: suddenly I was facing a long explanation about the functioning of the quantum man's brain. Quite fascinating in theory, but absolutely abstruse for the reader I am. And - have I told you yet? quite long. I read on, not understanding much, till I had to stop and think about my dilemma. I clearly wasn't able to appreciate this kind of explanation, but on the other hand had really loved the story so far and really wanted to know some more. So I pondered a few minutes and finally decided, sighing sadly, that I was perfectly able to skim through unintelligible passages and understand, if not all of it, at least the general idea. Not comfortable, but manageable. 

Actually, I had kittens for nothing ! Those difficult passages were very few in the books, and always useful, never gratuitous. After some more exposition I understood more and more about the quantum brain and was able to surf upon some other explanations (those less interesting in my point of view). In fact, during the book I never had another difficult moment before the final grand action, which is never my cup of tea anyway (during Still's parts to be precise). The whole read was delightful, and very supple.

In the end I had just two discomforts during my read. The brainy-quantum explanation which happened in my opinion to early in the book (not to mention too long :P). Also I was also frequently discountenanced, in the very beginning, by the narration using the third person, as it had clearly a first person vibe for me. Maybe the very first had been written at the first person before being rewritten in another way? This dissonance disappeared very quickly though (so I could have shut up about it; maybe).

I must seem quite a quibbler there ! If so, it's because I loved this book so much that I was frustrated by these little flaws... And also because I have a self-appointed mission: to reassure the readers who may feel lost at the same very point I was, that it won't be the general tone it the story, and that any reader may be able to appreciate it without any suffering!

The fantastic points are plentiful.

Firstly, absolute different voices for all the characters, which is finally quite rare. The characters are wonderful, their personalities, their stories, their interactions - just flawless!

The story in itself is quite interesting, with a strong general idea around quantum people and why the main character, who differs from the quantum people's norm, decided to chose another live, one of criminal projects. The sub-story around the Puppet people is so brilliant that it could be the only reason to read the book!

One particular aspect impressed me a lot and made for a wonderful read: the way the author skillfully develops its story's background, without never ever frustrating his reader. From the start some particularities of the science-fi world are exposed, as the three new human races, bio-engineered (I must confess a soft spot for this theme, what a treat here!), making the reader wanting to know more about it. Then, through future developments, all you'll need and want to know will be displayed, just at the perfect moment, without any info-dump nor artificial exposition: du grand art, vraiment :) The same thing can be said for the characters' stories, which are unveiled, little by little, with perfect subtlety.

I could rave and rave for hours about this book which, despite one or two details, turned out to be exactly what I expect from a science-fi story, but I'll stop there, hoping to have help future readers! And for me, I'm looking forward reading the next author's book... Soon I hope ?

Thanks to Netgalley & co for an early read.

I'm really proud of how science fiction has developed. We've gone from very loose constructs of the dreams of Asimov to talking about quantum entanglement and Planck theory in so many ways. It's a great time to be a reader.

This book was not a challenge. If you are looking for a fun tale, a story as one reviewer put, an Oceans 11 like romp, it should have easy appeal.

My criticisms I'll lay bare early. There is a bit much of exposition, which was good--but I like a show don't tell more than tell. There was also a character who I thought would understand their role better but when they were put into that role, they seemed to fold like a wet napkin. It might have been proper but there wasn't any supporting evidence of it. Maybe that was a rub all along is most of the characters we learn about are pretty shallow--not in substance just in history so we don't get our hooks deep into their manifestations. Same could be said for the era the book resides in. I don't quite understand it, how it got there, or what it's really doing. It just does. It's like a pocket story in a galaxy that has far more to be explained and shared. Future books I hope?

That's really it though. Easy stuff to overlook.

You get dropped in fast, without knowing a whole lot. It's ok though, you'll get it later. Catching up is a part of the misdirection. Keeps you on your toes for details. Humanity has grown, split among so many lines. Humans though look to have done some further genetic works; a race that is more able to shunt themselves into aspects--savant and a quantum worker. A race that was built for deep pressures and piloting fighters. Also, a race that was built to adore their maker--which has had interesting and disturbing repercussions.

Slap politics on top of that a dash of technology from a race long gone, and a need from a faction to move new technology across a contested quadrant of space. What could happen?

I'm not going to give away any details--it's early enough for you to dive in and find your own way. I like the heist, the great con, the psychology of all these factions and fractures of humanity. All wrapped up in something that was really digestible while still being science-techy.

Enjoy it! I did. :)

Belisarius Arjona was taught by a con man that there are only three bets: "Sometimes, you play the cards. Sometimes, you play the player. Sometimes, you just throw the dice."

Well, as the Quantum Magician, Bel played all three simultaneously in the ultimate con. For you see, Bel is a Homo quantus, born from a scientific project founded upon the precept that consciousness collapses quantum systems into clear outcomes, as epitomised by Schrodinger's cat. A Homo quantus brain has been engineered at will to discard the consciousness and subjectivity, to enter into a quantum fugue that does not collapse the quantum phenomena and thereby exposes an array of overlapping probabilities.

So begins the ultimate heist wherein he assembles a disparate team consisting of an experienced con man, inside man, demolitions expert, navigator, electronics wizard, exotic deep diver and a geneticist.

I really enjoyed the diverseness of advanced life from the loathsome Puppets and Numen, sentient AI, the Tribe of the Mongrel, to my absolute favourite, Homo quantus.

An eclectic cast of characters in a hard sci-fi setting where there is always a con. If you think that you know what is going on, you have no idea. If you have no idea, then you are right where you should be.

An imaginative, well realised world inhabiting by the most unique characters that we revile and adore, all at the same time.

Highly recommended for any sci-fi lovers wanting to read something very different.

Sorry but I had to give up on this book. I really do enjoy both science fiction and fantasy but just not this example of the genre. Too many potatoes and not enough meat! A great concept that drowned in words until, in my head at least, that concept vanished - into a worm-hole?

Gave up after 100 pages and im surprised i lasted that long frankly. One of the slowest most boring books ive ever read in my life. I have gotten to the point where the magician has discovered that they are hiding a miniature worm hole on one of the ships and can use it to go backwards and forwards in time. The thought was too ludicrous to entertain, nobody could ever contain a blackhole inside a spaceship. I may give it another go later when ive read the 20 books ive got waiting to be read, but for now i do not have the willpower to keep reading it.

Top-notch space opera from a first-time novelist. Hard to believe this is his first, because it's somewhat complex and very well-developed. He uses a technique to start the novel that I usually enjoy seeing when it shows up - he starts off with a brief episode unrelated to the larger work, just to give some background on the main character. It doesn't appear to be a reused short story, either. After reading this section, I thought we might be up for The Sting In Space. After the opening ends, however, it started to look more like Ocean's 11 In Space, as the protagonist goes around gathering his old cronies to assist him with this "quantum" con. This works well, as we get to meet and know each of them in sufficient depth to place them into the context of the greater story. He makes most of them unique, and he does a good job of showing them relating to each other. They stay in character as they do, and several of them grow and change as the plot unfolds. I was so caught up getting to know the characters as they started their various preparations for the con that I was a couple pages into its execution before I realized IT'S GOING DOWN NOW.

Who' are the good guys? Who are the bad guys? What's the real con - the one we're told about or something else entirely? Is that "throwaway" story at the beginning relevant to the plot? You'll have to read to find out!

This is a novel about science and factions and scheming and treachery and a heist, which sounds like fun, and it is, but it's also an intense read. This is no beach novel. The detailed science slowed me down, as did following the many different plot threads, but ultimately it was worth it for a smart and satisfying ending. There's so much in this, from the various factions of humans to their often similar but opposing goals. Most authors would have got about four books out of this one. That said, the worldbuilding is deep enough I can imagine this is the first of many.

This is a whip-smart hard sci-fi heist with the smarts of Oceans 11 and the heart of The Italian Job.

My background in quantum theory consists of understanding about one sentence in three in the quantum theory chapter of <i>Goedel, Escher, Bach</i> (which I thought was reasonably good going). And that was some years ago, so I am far from qualified to talk about the physics of this book.

That didn't matter to my enjoyment of the story; I just took the various bits of esoteric physics as sufficiently advanced technology being indistinguishable from magic, and concentrated on following the complicated heist.

I do enjoy a good heist, and this is definitely one. There's the "assembling the team" sequence, the planning, the mini-heists gathering resources, the things that go wrong, getting in, getting out, the moments when we learn about plans beneath plans, the team member who betrays the crew... all the classic elements are here. I will say that I could have done with more clarity about exactly why the client needed the mastermind's help, and the topology of the journey they were trying to make, but even though it wasn't really clear to me until late in the piece where they were, where they wanted to be, and how the two were connected, I enjoyed the ride.

The characters all tend towards the haunted, miserable end of things, though not all of them are without idealism or a higher purpose. And the Puppets (genetically engineered miniature humans created to have a reaction of religious awe towards the people who created them, who have turned on those people and imprisoned them in order to protect them) creeped me all the way out; that was a nasty situation, complete with torture and abuse, and I personally could have done without it. I also didn't love the foul-mouthed genetically engineered undersea being. But I can admire an author's skill without enjoying all the things he does with it, and the whole complex book was managed with great skill - and came to a conclusion that I found satisfying, in the end.

I received a copy from Netgalley for purposes of review. The author and I both participate in the same writers' forum, which is how I became aware of the book.