Dark Integers and Other Stories

Excellent collection of five stories by Greg Egan. "Luminous" and "Dark Integers" are about the discovery and communication with a parallel universe with different rules of mathematics. "Riding the Crocodile" and "Glory" are set in the Amalgam, a far-future galaxy-spanning civilization. "Oceanic" is a story of religion and faith on a long-isolated colony world. My favorites of the stories were "Dark Integers" and "Riding the Crocodile", but all the stories are worth reading.

Superb collection.

Luminous

Luminous is a quantum computer which provides a spectacular twist at the end of this rip-roaring tale of near future industrial espionage. The big bad corporation (the poetically named 'Industrial Algebra') is after the two protagonists because of their new theory about competing 'realms' of mathematics. A perfect SF story where plot, character and big ideas all dovetail.

Riding the crocodile

A post-human couple decide, as a way to mark the end of their existence, to try to penetrate that section of space known as the Aloof, which rejects contact with the Amalgam, the galactic civilisation. They have infinite time and resources, which serves to make this a somewhat dragging tale about puzzle solving.

Dark show more integers

The sequel to Luminous. Contact has been made with the other mathematics 'realm' and peace prevails. However a mathematician in New Zealand comes up with a better way of analysing mathematical realms and upsets the 'other realm'. Not quite as blistering as Luminous but still playing with big, dazzling ideas.
[Personal note: it is good to see an ex-employer, Victoria University of Wellington, getting a mention.].

Glory

An absolutely mind-boggling start which explains the super-science the Amalgam (a galactic civilisation) uses to insert two explorers into two warring states on a developing planet which once was home to an extinct race that possibly achieved complete understanding of mathematics.

Oceanic

A boy growing up on a devolved, lost, ex-colony world undergoes a religious experience which changes his life. However, he slowly discovers his faith is not what he thinks while the reader discovers more about the strange mutations wrought to human biology on this world. show less

Not very fond of most of his work. However, 2 of these were really good, the other three, meh.