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A review by theaurochs
The Fractal Prince by Hannu Rajaniemi
5.0
The sheer glee of the Jean Le Flambeur novels is almost unparalleled. In this second book, the relentless pace of fast-turning twists does not let up, and neither does the unstoppable onslaught of mind-blowing ideas. Ideas which somehow, against all odds, coalesce into a coherent and deeply believable world. We’ve got disembodied conciousnesses living in the sand of the smartmatter deserts on old Earth, we’ve got self-recursive dragon-entities that eat everything in their path, we’ve got quantum gods with so much computing power they’re about ready to bootstrap a new universe or two. Every time something new pops up in these books it gives me a fresh little hit of wonder and awe. The sweeping vision of a post-post-singularity solar system is a true joy to experience, even from just a worldbuilding perspective.
Incredibly, pure worldbuilding is not the only thing these books have to offer. Despite my love for the world and tech, they are not even remotely the focus of the books; in fact the vast majority of the concepts are completely unexplained. They are simply there, and inform the ways in which the characters interact with each other and with the world. It is up to the reader to puzzle out what much of this stuff is or was or could be. This is an experience that I expect could be frustrating for some readers; there is absolutely no handholding and you have been thrown into the deepest of deep ends. What really saves it is how not understanding the world barely even matters. The story and characters are so excellent that you can follow along without ever really having to care what a zoku router is. Le Flambeur is a master thief, very much after the fashion of Maurice LeBlanc’s Lupin, and the whole book evokes that magnificent smooth criminal vibe; that delicious Oceans Eleven-style fun of watching someone pull off a really clever heist.
The heist in question in this book is how to effective steal a memory. The minds of the “founders” of the Sobornost, the entity that control the inner solar system, use specific memories as passwords/identifiers. In order to break in to some of the inner system computers, Jean is going to need one of these passwords. In attempt to do this, they need to convince a founder mind to tell them. Not an easy feat, and it’s going to involve layers upon layers of nested virtual-realities and stories; Inception-style dreams within dreams within dreams. This complicated fractal of realities is reflective in the narrative style, which is told in nesting stories, a Russian doll of Arabian nights that brings the audience with the characters; whose story am I listening to now, and why? What agenda do they have when they tell it? It’s easy to see how the body-thieves can take over minds with pure stories, if the stories they tell are half as fascinating and well-crafted as this one. Honestly, the sheer craft needed to create something so well-constructed is infuriating in its brilliance. The prose continues to be electric and it’s crazy how much thought is packed into so small of a space.
I've read so few authors where there is such grand ambition, actually backed up by the talent to pull it off. Rajaniemi is a revelation, and this book has it all. It's got a rip-roaring plot with joyous twists and turns. It has a thoroughly well-realised world with intriguing concepts packed in. It has deep philosophical and social commentary, without ever shoving these in your face. It has incredible literary inventiveness and deft skill. It has well rounded characters even when they are detached from what we might recognise as human; we still comprehend them and their drives. I've tried to keep this review short, because I could gush about every aspect of this book and still have more to say. Wholeheartedly recommend.
Incredibly, pure worldbuilding is not the only thing these books have to offer. Despite my love for the world and tech, they are not even remotely the focus of the books; in fact the vast majority of the concepts are completely unexplained. They are simply there, and inform the ways in which the characters interact with each other and with the world. It is up to the reader to puzzle out what much of this stuff is or was or could be. This is an experience that I expect could be frustrating for some readers; there is absolutely no handholding and you have been thrown into the deepest of deep ends. What really saves it is how not understanding the world barely even matters. The story and characters are so excellent that you can follow along without ever really having to care what a zoku router is. Le Flambeur is a master thief, very much after the fashion of Maurice LeBlanc’s Lupin, and the whole book evokes that magnificent smooth criminal vibe; that delicious Oceans Eleven-style fun of watching someone pull off a really clever heist.
The heist in question in this book is how to effective steal a memory. The minds of the “founders” of the Sobornost, the entity that control the inner solar system, use specific memories as passwords/identifiers. In order to break in to some of the inner system computers, Jean is going to need one of these passwords. In attempt to do this, they need to convince a founder mind to tell them. Not an easy feat, and it’s going to involve layers upon layers of nested virtual-realities and stories; Inception-style dreams within dreams within dreams. This complicated fractal of realities is reflective in the narrative style, which is told in nesting stories, a Russian doll of Arabian nights that brings the audience with the characters; whose story am I listening to now, and why? What agenda do they have when they tell it? It’s easy to see how the body-thieves can take over minds with pure stories, if the stories they tell are half as fascinating and well-crafted as this one. Honestly, the sheer craft needed to create something so well-constructed is infuriating in its brilliance. The prose continues to be electric and it’s crazy how much thought is packed into so small of a space.
I've read so few authors where there is such grand ambition, actually backed up by the talent to pull it off. Rajaniemi is a revelation, and this book has it all. It's got a rip-roaring plot with joyous twists and turns. It has a thoroughly well-realised world with intriguing concepts packed in. It has deep philosophical and social commentary, without ever shoving these in your face. It has incredible literary inventiveness and deft skill. It has well rounded characters even when they are detached from what we might recognise as human; we still comprehend them and their drives. I've tried to keep this review short, because I could gush about every aspect of this book and still have more to say. Wholeheartedly recommend.