Derek Künsken

The Quantum Garden is Derek Künsken’s sequel to The Quantum Magician (2018). All the usual suspects are back, zipping around the galaxy and the timelines in the good ship Calculated Risk. This time Belisarius and his crew are looking for a new home for the homo quantus. Along the way, they have to rescue a transtemporal vegetable consciousness dubbed the Hortus quantus. Saint Matthew is still convinced that he is not an AI. And our protagonist, Belisarius, is still as conflicted as ever: “His capacity for denial was pulling a con on his guilt, playing on his own desperation. People fell for cons because they wanted a quick fix, a magic bullet, something to shortcut slow suffering. He wanted to be conned, but he knew he couldn’t. He had to take responsibility for all that he’d done, intentional or not.”
Time travel is dangerous in the quantum realm. As the high-pressure specialist Vincent Stills, who I wish had more scenes, puts it: “I don’t know shit about time travel, but it seems to me that if some cocksucker sneezes wrong, history puts our huevos in the cutter.” But what do you expect from baseline humans who are, as Stills says, “spineless and chicken-shit.”
Post-human, time-traveling, quantum romance is also tricky. Consider this bit of marital discord: “I thought you invited me into your marriage because you saw something in me. And then, not even weeks ago, I realized you’d only married me to avoid a causal violation.”
Bottom line: The Quantum Evolution series continues to be fun.… (more)

This series is put together in interesting ways: the first book was a heist story, the second was a time travel novel. And The Quantum War is a very classic space opera, with space battles, impossible rescues and great powers negotiating. I felt that Quantum War lacked the sense of wonder of the first two books, but it was still a nice read.

The Puppets are creepy as #%*}%, but I did appreciate seeing so much of them (somewhat to my surprise). Also, it was interesting to have more insight into the Congregate and its motives. There wasn’t much space left for character development, a pity. The book should have been longer, perhaps?

Apparently, there is going to be a fourth book (after that ending, there really should be), and I am looking forward to it.… (more)

A re-read: for my book club, and because I want to finally get my hands on Book 3 ;-)

In my view, the second instalment in The Quantum Evolution is a richer and more enjoyable novel. (I loved the world-building, but had trouble with the rather standard heist plot in The Quantum Magician.) Here, there is more focus on character, together with some interesting plot twists involving time travel and quantum "magic". I liked following Colonel Ayen Iekanjika's POV as well, as she became one of the main characters in this book (and I hope to see more of her in the sequel).
Thank you, Derek Künsken, for a great space opera.… (more)

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The House of Styx is written in the same wavelength as the science fiction I read when I was younger: space exploration, alternative lifestyles, rebel characters, and cosmic heroes. Kunsken style is cinematic, ending chapters in stirring and emotional cliffhangers.
The majority of the characters are easy to like and comprehend, although not all. I, personally, thought Therese had a lot of potential when introduced but she fell flatter as the book progressed for me.
The House of Styx, in the vein of classic science fiction, deals with human earthly issues in otherworldly settings, which, counterintuitively, makes some of this issues more approachable. Kunsken master this quality of the genre with this book.
The ending left me a little deflated, but maybe this is another one of the author's masterful cliffhangers: after all this is the first book in a series.… (more)