The Quantum Magician

By: Derek Kunsken

Narrated by: T. Ryder Smith

Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

The breathtaking debut from acclaimed short story writer Derek Kunsken

Belisarius is a quantum man, an engineered Homo quantus who fled the powerful insight of dangerously addictive quantum senses. He found a precarious balance as a con man, but when a client offers him untold wealth to move a squadron of warships across an enemy wormhole, he must embrace his birthright to even try. In fact, the job is so big that he'll need a crew built from all the new sub-branches of humanity. If he succeeds, he might trigger an interstellar war, but success might also point the way to the next step of Homo quantus evolution.

©2018 Derek Kunsken (P)2018 Recorded Books

entertaining sf

An entertaining read with interesting and some over-the-top characters. Could be considered YA except for the crude language of one of the characters. Much in the vein of some classic science fiction such as The World of Null-A or the Stainless Steel Rat series. There are many mentions of multi-dimensional physics and genetics topics that seem to have put off other reviewers on this site, but it's nothing out of the ordinary for a regular science fiction reader.

Narrator and creepiness

I found that the narrator dragged the dialog out so far and in such a dull way that I had to change the speed to 1.25. This made the book move on a bit quicker and gave the humor a chance to come through better. The voices were distinctive but everyone sounded depressed.

Also, and this is only for my taste, there was an unexpected creepiness in parts that were a little off with the rest of the book.

Greater than the sum of its parts

At its core it's a heist story, but leaving it at that does the book a great disservice.

It has wonderful world-building, distinct and engaging characters, and smart but not unapproachable sci-fi. It's dark and vibrant, gritty and beautiful, disturbing and awe-inspiring. It's got a little bit of everything, but not only that, the RIGHT AMOUNT of everything. Consciously or not, Kunsken really captured the notion of "a candle burns brightest in the dark". I could go on but you should discover the rest for yourself.

T. Ryder Smith is not a narrator I've listened to before but he's perfect for the range this book demands.

Probably the best praise I can give it is that it's going to be painful waiting on the next installments in the series.

fantastic. author must be highly intelligent.

the book starts a bit slow, not in a bad way. but by the end the speed at the beginning just adds to the boom of a heart racing end. exciting in many ways. recommend you to read/listen. i can not imagine how any would not find it worth their time.

boring

I don't even want to finish it. don't waste your money
I want my money back. ugh

Excellent!

I love scifi writers that come up with novel and complex story ideas that challenge your conceptual understanding. This story, which I honestly did not think I would like, is outstanding. Highly recommended.

fun mix of heist and adventure

great listen. some of the most entertaining scifi I've listened to in a long time

More Hard SF than I expected & well done!

The “magic” is based on science, not incantations, etc. The plot was very well thought out & some of the characters are very interesting. I enjoyed the romantic relationship between the genetically engineered scientists (“homo quantus” subspecies of human.). The puppets & their religion are very creepy. God did not create us to be slaves. When some rich immoral dudes can develop puppets, I’m sure they will... This writer has skill. by Rick, June 18,2019.

Too many loose threds. Hard to follow

Too many loose threds. Hard to follow. Complex setup, with little justifikation. Narrator was ok

Smart, thoughtful, sci fi heist/con story

Plenty of action but also some surprisingly thoughtful scenes. The author raises some important questions about the meaning of life. Readers will have to decide if he answers any of them.