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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Too complicated, the story and characters didn't grab me and didn't feel worth putting in the intellectual effort in to follow. Skim read second half. Just not for me.
I hated this book for the first few chapters. I had no idea what was going on. There were tons of terms that weren't defined, and characters who appeared with almost no introduction.
BUT... there are wikis and other sources of information Out There In The Internet. I availed myself of some of them. I kept going. I didn't let myself be put off when I didn't quite understand what was happening.
And I grew to like it quite a lot. It's an amazing and imaginative creation. Martian walking cities; guilds that derived from ancient Earth MMORGs. Nanotech and virtual reality stuff EVERYWHERE. Wow.
I'm sure this book reward re-reads. I'm old, so I may not have time to do that, especially when there is some much I haven't read even ONE time. It'll be interesting to see what the book club folks think of this too.
BUT... there are wikis and other sources of information Out There In The Internet. I availed myself of some of them. I kept going. I didn't let myself be put off when I didn't quite understand what was happening.
And I grew to like it quite a lot. It's an amazing and imaginative creation. Martian walking cities; guilds that derived from ancient Earth MMORGs. Nanotech and virtual reality stuff EVERYWHERE. Wow.
I'm sure this book reward re-reads. I'm old, so I may not have time to do that, especially when there is some much I haven't read even ONE time. It'll be interesting to see what the book club folks think of this too.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a wicked weird book. There's a lot that doesn't become clear until you get pretty deep into the book. Definitely a lot of wild mysteries all knotted up together. I'd definitely read more by this author.
This was a completely awesome thrill ride but I have absolutely no idea what happened! I couldn't keep up with the flow of strange and unusual words so I decided to set those aside and enjoy the flow of the story. Which worked until the end, when you had to know the meanings of those terms. This just left me confused and frustrated. Still, there was much to enjoy, and I especially loved the nod to Sherlock/Moriarty. Oh, and the wiki page was terrible! It was vague and didn't give me any actual info beyond what I figured out in 10 seconds.
This one reminds me strongly of Charles Stross's work. You kind of get thrown in the deep end of an alien future world and figure out what's going on as you read.
I didn't find it too difficult or intimidating- it was fun! We get game theory, a society that uses time as money and has an actual physical sense of privacy that they can use as they like to alter how much someone knows about them or even if someone remembers them, and an artificial death called the Quiet. Lots of great ideas, explored through the lens of a caper novel.
Our main character, Jean le Flambeur, is actually somewhat of a cypher, with only one defining character trait- if he wants something, he'll get it. Curiosity, whim, profit, all are equally viable motives to him. I'd like to see him developed more in the second book.
Because everything is new and it's hard to find context, it's hard to know exactly how good a thief he is. In addition, he is constrained in the technology he has at his disposal by Mieli, the warrior-who-really-isn't that broke him out of prison. So we never see the full extent of technology in this universe, or anything beyond our own solar system. The technology of the Oubliette, where the bulk of the novel takes place, also places constraints upon technology.
I enjoyed exploring this world immensely. Probably it's more setting-driven than either plot- or character- driven. I'd like to see more of the latter in his next book. But I'll definitely be picking it up- I'm very interested to see what ideas the author comes up with next.
I didn't find it too difficult or intimidating- it was fun! We get game theory, a society that uses time as money and has an actual physical sense of privacy that they can use as they like to alter how much someone knows about them or even if someone remembers them, and an artificial death called the Quiet. Lots of great ideas, explored through the lens of a caper novel.
Our main character, Jean le Flambeur, is actually somewhat of a cypher, with only one defining character trait- if he wants something, he'll get it. Curiosity, whim, profit, all are equally viable motives to him. I'd like to see him developed more in the second book.
Because everything is new and it's hard to find context, it's hard to know exactly how good a thief he is. In addition, he is constrained in the technology he has at his disposal by Mieli, the warrior-who-really-isn't that broke him out of prison. So we never see the full extent of technology in this universe, or anything beyond our own solar system. The technology of the Oubliette, where the bulk of the novel takes place, also places constraints upon technology.
I enjoyed exploring this world immensely. Probably it's more setting-driven than either plot- or character- driven. I'd like to see more of the latter in his next book. But I'll definitely be picking it up- I'm very interested to see what ideas the author comes up with next.
adventurous
challenging
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
One of those books that throws you into the deep end—and all you can do is doggie-paddle through confusion and keep going.
The book unapologetically drops you into a solar system full of bizarre, layered tech, fragmented time, and characters with encrypted memories. It’s disorienting, but also intriguing. You don’t always get what’s happening—but you still want to see what happens next. That’s kind of the charm, I think.
The plot unravels with stylish flair—a mix of heist, identity mystery, and high-concept classic sci-fi philosophy—and the world-building is clever. And even when I didn’t like what was going on, I was never bored. Which says something.
That said, it’s not without flaws. The female (or female-presenting) characters really didn’t hold up compared to their male counterparts. They felt underwritten and lacked the complexity that Jean le Flambeur and Isidore got to revel in. It was a disappointing oversight.
So yeah, The Quantum Thief is sharp, eccentric, and genuinely entertaining, but it’s also not something I'll probably continue despite enjoying the voice. I'm content to leave the story there. It’s an impressive piece of science fiction—but one that I admired more than I loved.
The book unapologetically drops you into a solar system full of bizarre, layered tech, fragmented time, and characters with encrypted memories. It’s disorienting, but also intriguing. You don’t always get what’s happening—but you still want to see what happens next. That’s kind of the charm, I think.
The plot unravels with stylish flair—a mix of heist, identity mystery, and high-concept classic sci-fi philosophy—and the world-building is clever. And even when I didn’t like what was going on, I was never bored. Which says something.
That said, it’s not without flaws. The female (or female-presenting) characters really didn’t hold up compared to their male counterparts. They felt underwritten and lacked the complexity that Jean le Flambeur and Isidore got to revel in. It was a disappointing oversight.
So yeah, The Quantum Thief is sharp, eccentric, and genuinely entertaining, but it’s also not something I'll probably continue despite enjoying the voice. I'm content to leave the story there. It’s an impressive piece of science fiction—but one that I admired more than I loved.
Let's just say that Rajaniemi's got a lot of ideas running around in his head. Lots of stuff going on in this book. Not a lot of back story, and what did came out in dribs and drabs. Kind of a jarring, disjointed read. I didn't find any of the characters likeable,except maybe Perhonen. I found that the book just kinda wound down at the end. Edgy? Maybe... I won't be jumping to read the next installment.