The Fractal Prince
If, after beginning this sequel to The Quantum Thief (2011), you find yourself wondering what the heck is going on here, don’t panic: Jean de Flambeur, the novel’s centerpiece, is wondering the same thing. Sprung (in the first novel) from a virtual prison by Mieli, a powerful woman who offers Jean his freedom in exchange for a service, he must return to his thieving ways and steal something for the pellegrini, a sort of godlike entity. But, even now, Jean still doesn’t know exactly why he was busted out of prison, or what, precisely, he’s stolen. He does know that, until he can pay off his debt to Mieli, he won’t be able to recover his lost memories. To repay his debt, he must safecrack a Schrödinger box and release the god that might or might not be trapped inside. Fans of the author’s popular debut novel, which mixed hard science with wild fantasy, will probably be lining up for this follow-up, which resolves some of the questions posed in The Quantum Thief but, on the other hand, asks several more, for which there are, as yet, no answers. --David Pitt