BooksOfTheMoon

The Fractal Prince (Jean le Flambeur, #2)

By Hannu Rajaniemi

Rating: 4 stars

The sequel to Rajaniemi’s The Quantum Thief, this novel continues the story of master thief Jean le Flambeur and his quest for a great heist in exchange for his freedom, accompanied by a sardonic spaceship and a mistrustful Oortian assassin.

The Quantum Thief was the set-up, introducing us to le Flambeur’s post-Singularity world through the relatively sedate city of the Oubliette on Mars. This time the action takes place on the ancient homeworld itself, Earth. This book has a very Arabian Nights feel to it, particularly the segments following a woman called Tawwadud in the city of Sirr on Earth. With djinn, flying carpets and stories within stories, those segments are a marvellously energetic collision of old and new, of the technology within the ancient names, of stories and the meaning and value of stories.

Le Flambeur is as charming and ruthless as before, willing to use other people to get what he wants, but with a conscience and his own code of ethics. He wants to be redeemed, but he wants his freedom more, and is willing to do anything to win it.

Like its predecessor, this book doesn’t pander to the reader, with a show-don’t-tell approach that can leave you floundering at times. Stick with it and it will pay off, although after I read the final volume in the trilogy, I’m going to have to go back and read them all in quick succession to get a better feel for it.

Book details

ISBN: 9780575088924
Publisher: Gollancz
Year of publication: 2012

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