The Quantum War
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- Create Date：2021-10-16 09:16:27
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Derek Künsken
- ISBN：B09BMK3QGQ
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Summary
The eagerly awaited third volume in the number one bestselling Quantum Evolution series。 An all-new， ground-breaking， action-packed new science fiction adventure set in the universe of The Quantum Magician and The Quantum Garden。
The Union-Congregate war rages onward and the Union’s premier fighter pilots， the Homo Eridanus， start encountering deadly resistance from strange pilots on the Congregate side。 Among wreckage， they find that new Congregate pilots aren’t human， but Homo quantus， with strange wiring and AI connections。
At the same time， the Puppets come to the Union with offers of an alliance for a dangerous price: the rescue of the geneticist Antonio Del Casal who is a captive at Venus， with over a hundred Homo quantus。
The only one who might be able to break through the Congregate defences at Venus is a con man who has given up his profession。
The Union-Congregate war rages onward and the Union’s premier fighter pilots， the Homo Eridanus， start encountering deadly resistance from strange pilots on the Congregate side。 Among wreckage， they find that new Congregate pilots aren’t human， but Homo quantus， with strange wiring and AI connections。
At the same time， the Puppets come to the Union with offers of an alliance for a dangerous price: the rescue of the geneticist Antonio Del Casal who is a captive at Venus， with over a hundred Homo quantus。
The only one who might be able to break through the Congregate defences at Venus is a con man who has given up his profession。
Reviews
Asher
，
This volume continues to have a huge amount of weird， wonderful， genuinely new ideas， in particular about the nature of faith and biological drives。 Unfortunately， it just wasn't as fun as the previous two books。 The playful nature of the first heist and the excitement of the time travel adventure couldn't be matched by a book that spent this much time in combat and torture。 Kinda a downer， honestly。I will， of course， continue to read everything in this universe。 I'm assuming that there will be This volume continues to have a huge amount of weird， wonderful， genuinely new ideas， in particular about the nature of faith and biological drives。 Unfortunately， it just wasn't as fun as the previous two books。 The playful nature of the first heist and the excitement of the time travel adventure couldn't be matched by a book that spent this much time in combat and torture。 Kinda a downer， honestly。I will， of course， continue to read everything in this universe。 I'm assuming that there will be more to come， based simply on the number of hanging plot threads （view spoiler）[（Bel affecting quantum probability， the resurrection of the Hortus quantis， the Epsilon Indi scarecrow， the parallel axis mundi network， etc etc etc just of the top of my head）。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Daniel Lewis
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*I did not get this as a free copy like so many reviewers， I pre ordered this and read it because of my love of this type of book。 So many reviewers are reading outside of their genre of preference I think it should be noted when they give it a 3 star then say I usually read romance that they had no business reviewing a book like this to begin with！Derek Künsken is my favorite hard sci-fi author right now， I planned my reading around when this book was coming out， I made sure that I was done wit *I did not get this as a free copy like so many reviewers， I pre ordered this and read it because of my love of this type of book。 So many reviewers are reading outside of their genre of preference I think it should be noted when they give it a 3 star then say I usually read romance that they had no business reviewing a book like this to begin with！Derek Künsken is my favorite hard sci-fi author right now， I planned my reading around when this book was coming out， I made sure that I was done with the book I was reading prior to this book hitting so I could just jump right in。 thats how much I was looking forward to this book。 This was the third full book in the Quantum Evolution series， there is also a short that came out earlier this year that is worth the read。 You absolutely should start with The Quantum Magician as its a continuing story and you would be very confused if you were to start with this book。 These books are among the best science fiction books I have ever read and I have read a LOT of science fiction。 If you want a book that makes you think， has talk about the quantum mechanics of the universe and physics then this book will satisfy you greatly。 If you also want an exploration of what it means to be human then this book will also satisfy you greatly。 Thank you to the Author for writing more of these， I could not fathom how you were going to do another book after the end of the 2nd book but I am thrilled that you did！ Please keep writing these。 。。。more
Pile By the Bed
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Derek Künsken returns to the universe of The Quantum Evolution for his third of four planned volumes The Quantum War。 Although readers of Kunsken’s works may also know that this series links to his most recent book， The House of Styx， set five hundred years before。 Of the three Quantum Evolution books The Quantum War rests most heavily on that book with much of the action taking place in the skies of Venus。This volume opens shortly after the events of The Quantum Garden。 The war that Belasarius Derek Künsken returns to the universe of The Quantum Evolution for his third of four planned volumes The Quantum War。 Although readers of Kunsken’s works may also know that this series links to his most recent book， The House of Styx， set five hundred years before。 Of the three Quantum Evolution books The Quantum War rests most heavily on that book with much of the action taking place in the skies of Venus。This volume opens shortly after the events of The Quantum Garden。 The war that Belasarius Arjona had a hand in starting is gathering momentum。 As part of that war， and directly as a result of the events of The Quantum Garden， the Congregate has captured one hundred and fifty of Arjona’s fellow homo quantus and is modifying them to pilot their fighters。 Arjona hatches a plan to rescue the survivors – a plan that will mean using himself as bait putting his old team （from The Quantum Magician） back together and relying on a group of very unreliable Puppets to help him。Despite following directly on from the previous book， The Quantum War takes a while to get going。 This is because Künsken has to catch readers up on what has been going on in the broader galaxy。 The book also jumps between the present and the action of a few months before to tell the story of the man kidnapped by the Congregate to find a way to weaponize the homo quantus。 Once Arjona has organized to be captured and the plan starts to tick into place， the story kicks into a high gear that it never gets out of。Künsken has demonstrated over and over again his love of heist mechanics and his ability to keep a bunch of different plot strands in motion as events play out。 As always， nothing goes exactly to plan and the team have to either improvise or sacrifice in order to swing the action back in their favour。 And as always， there is a range of colourful supporting characters and moustache-twirling villains。 And much of the action takes place in the skies of Venus， a milieu that Künsken is incredibly comfortable in。 But there is more to this than the action。 Debates about religion， evolution and free will rage between the variously genetically engineered characters。The Quantum War is another fun entry in this constantly surprising series。 With one more volume expected it will be interesting to see how Künsken brings the series home。 At the same time， waiting for the sequel to House of Styx to start to show how the family that we were rooting for in that volume became the foundation of the villains of this piece。 。。。more
Fuego
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Thanks NetGalley for giving me a free copy。"The Quantum War，" the third installment of "The Quantum Evolution" series， is a wild yet enjoyable read， but I think there're still issues that inhibit its full potential。The story is pretty well-paced and gripping， especially the chapters where the Union vs Congregate war rages on。 Props to Künsken for still smoothly incorporating quantum physics and advanced technology into the storyline without distracting the readers by making them unfathomable。 I Thanks NetGalley for giving me a free copy。"The Quantum War，" the third installment of "The Quantum Evolution" series， is a wild yet enjoyable read， but I think there're still issues that inhibit its full potential。The story is pretty well-paced and gripping， especially the chapters where the Union vs Congregate war rages on。 Props to Künsken for still smoothly incorporating quantum physics and advanced technology into the storyline without distracting the readers by making them unfathomable。 I also enjoy his characterization of the Puppets just like I did in the first two books。 Can't say I like them and their fanatical obsession with the Numens， but I'm far more interested in them as a species than the Homo Quantus。 That said， the characterization in general is not very satisfying; all characters feel quite bland and forgettable to me。 Two details puzzle me， though。 In the third book， we get to know more about Marie Phocas， her background and whatnot。 But her interaction with Bel's group is way too scant and what happens to her is too abrupt。 So the aforementioned details turn out to be infodump and filler。 There's also a chapter dedicated to a new female Homo Eridanus character， but she never shows up again， so what's the point of introducing her？My main issue， again， is Cassandra。 She's still the most annoying and dull character like she's been in the first two books。 I felt like skimming through the chapters where she appeared。3 stars。 。。。more
Paul
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This is quite good and will certainly be enjoyed most by readers of the series。 This one has a darker tone than the other in the series。 The author writes well， although I didn't like one as much as the others。 That won't stop me from reading his next。 I really appreciate the free ARC for review！！ This is quite good and will certainly be enjoyed most by readers of the series。 This one has a darker tone than the other in the series。 The author writes well， although I didn't like one as much as the others。 That won't stop me from reading his next。 I really appreciate the free ARC for review！！ 。。。more
Ryan
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Review to come
Chris
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*copy from Netgalley in exchange for a review*The Quantum War is the third in Derek Künsken’s Quantum Evolution series， focused on the escapades of Belisarius， sometime con-man， and member of an engineered offshoot of humanity， designed as strategists and analysts， but typically instead shaped as contemplative， withdrawn introverts， driven in their genes to seek out knowledge。 This is a story of humanity， and how we define it， and what it is。 Alongside Belisarius’ group， there are the Mongrels， *copy from Netgalley in exchange for a review*The Quantum War is the third in Derek Künsken’s Quantum Evolution series， focused on the escapades of Belisarius， sometime con-man， and member of an engineered offshoot of humanity， designed as strategists and analysts， but typically instead shaped as contemplative， withdrawn introverts， driven in their genes to seek out knowledge。 This is a story of humanity， and how we define it， and what it is。 Alongside Belisarius’ group， there are the Mongrels， humanity designed to live in high G conditions， unable to survive outside of environmental pods or， latterly， space-fighters。 I have a soft spot for the Mongrels， coarse and bluff and with a streak of nihilism and cynical humour a mile wide。 They’re willing to die whilst giving everyone a bloody nose， and they’re a grand bunch。 And then of course， there’s the Puppets。 The Puppets are horrifying， and creepy， and also extremely real。 Engineered to worship their creators， for all the usual terrible reasons， they overthrew their creators， and now instead use the descendents of those creators to keep themselves fulfilled， genetically driven to interpret the commands of those they see as above them， and addicted to it。 Nobody likes the Puppets but you can admire their tenacity and conviction， even while being repelled by where that conviction leads them， and how it is derived。 Fanatics， killers， zealots， they know their truth， even as they know they were shaped into it， and that leaves them as a rather odd branch off the tree of humanity indeed。 And alongside these transhumans stride the common order of humanity， spanning worlds， skipping from star to star via archaeotech， managed by military and economic AI， and struggling to keep their footing。 And in that sprawling polity， rebellion has brewed。 Now war is upon them， and the stars are alight with the glitter of beams and the splash of carmine in the dark。 And somewhere in the weave of it all is Belisarius， trying desperately to atone for sins of his own devising。 The portrayal of a man living in the throes of guilt， but desperate to atone， well， that portrayal is detailed， vivid， and really very human。 He lives in and out of a fugue， a quantum state which allows objectivity， suppression of the self。 And that state offers new opportunities， new threats， and helps shape that small group of offshoots of humanity into a potential threat to the equilibrium of the worlds。Belisarius argues with his very nature in order to change the world， and to live out in it。 And in that struggle， in that endless fight to better himself and be who he wants to be， he is also essentially human。 There are others of course - old friends from the previous stories are here again， making better or worse choices。But also others - an intelligence officer turned interrogator， finding out where her lines lie and where she’s willing to go to defend humanity。 A biomechanical menace， deciding policy from the hot ice of cybernetics。 Puppets aplenty， being childlike， horrifying and pitiable by turns。 And members of the Banks， the financial institutions whose creepers stretch everywhere， tying everyone together in a web of money and superior firepower。 Oh， and the petits-saints， the moral center of the human Congregate， Down's-syndrome individuals， whose sympathetic and layered portrayal here is both in line with the origins of interstellar humanity in the author’s prequel novel， The House of Styx， and also absolutely marvellous。 The story is， well。 I won’t get into it。 But it’s a marvellous blend of high concept science fiction， personal stakes， and politics， blood and fire。 Questions are asked about how we define humanity。 About what atrocities are justifiable， for whom， and under what circumstances - and some of them are skin-crawlingly awful， and performed under high stakes by individuals who may or may not know better。 About where humanity is going， and what it will look like when it gets there。 About faith， and truth， and how we look at either， or both together。 And more， scattered like gems through the text and subtext。 They are hard questions， and they are an exercise for the reader， which is a joy。 In part， that’s because they’re wrapped around the very personal story of Belisarius and his confederates and his antagonists， who bring the stakes to a human level。 That story is compelling， convincing and tightly written; I was turning pages way into the night。 In the end， this is another fine entry in a series filled with interesting ideas， fascinating people， and intriguing stories - so go give it a read。 。。。more
Mike
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I've kept reading this series because the storytelling is so good， because I'm so captured by the dilemmas of the characters and their strivings to deal with a universe that's too big and too cruel （but rather amazing）。 But it's not at all the kind of thing I usually like， and with this instalment I think I'm out。 In particular， I'm turned off by the high squick factor of the Puppets， people genetically engineered to be addicted to the pheromones produced by their enslavers， which fill them with I've kept reading this series because the storytelling is so good， because I'm so captured by the dilemmas of the characters and their strivings to deal with a universe that's too big and too cruel （but rather amazing）。 But it's not at all the kind of thing I usually like， and with this instalment I think I'm out。 In particular， I'm turned off by the high squick factor of the Puppets， people genetically engineered to be addicted to the pheromones produced by their enslavers， which fill them with artificially generated religious awe; they are childishly naïve （even their names are often childish diminutives）， fanatical to the point of becoming suicide bombers， unreliable， and utterly creepy， even to most of the other characters。 I don't love this as a characterization of religious people， and the only other religious person （the AI who believes himself to be a reincarnation of St Matthew） talks about his convictions， but never appears to act on them in any detectable way， or even act in accordance with his supposed delusion very much。 Meanwhile， even though Catholicism has supposedly died out years ago， Catholic-based swearing persists。 I'll also mention that， in the pre-release review copy I received via Netgalley， the number of copy editing issues was epic， seemingly （at least in part） because the pace of the typing had matched the frenetic pace of the story。 Because the story is well-paced， a relentless dark SF thriller that， even though it doesn't once slow down in order to infodump， manages to use quantum physics and other sufficiently advanced science indistinguishably from magic to pull off a complex-but-understandable plot driven by believable human （and human-adjacent） motivations。 These motivations range from the absurd fanaticism of the Puppets through the paranoid， but understandable， misapprehensions of an intelligence officer to the moral disquiet and guilt of the series hero， Belisarius， who， in this third book， is trying to make up for and in some cases reverse the consequences of his decisions and actions from the first two volumes。 His unique talents mean that his striving continues to have far-reaching political and personal consequences， costing a number of lives and wreaking widespread property damage， and putting entire sub-races of humanity， including his own， under increasing threat。 （view spoiler）[Incidentally， I thought at least some of the loss of life was unnecessary even in in-universe terms。 The Puppets were wired to blow up when killed， but the bombs weren't inside them; they were attached to them。 I saw no reason （apart from dialing up the horror） why they couldn't be detached again and used without having to kill their bearers， once the main fight was over and the deterrent effect of "if you kill us， we explode" was no longer needed。 （hide spoiler）]There's a scene partway through in which the intelligence officer is talking about how she despises her grandmother for her crimes against humanity while， at that exact moment， committing the absolutely identical crime against humanity in order to motivate a captive scientist to commit yet further crimes against humanity （which wouldn't be his first）。 It's utterly believable， and truly awful。 And that， for me， was the problem; this book is meant to be disturbing， and it absolutely is。 It does such a tremendous job of being disturbing that it's disturbed me right out of the readership for both the series and the author。 。。。more
Bradley
，
Homo Quantus return in the Quantum War， providing us fantastically evolving humans five hundred years in the future。 This is a mix of space opera， wartime footing action， and deeper characterizations than straight action。Whereas The Quantum Magician was more of a heist novel and The Quantum Garden was more of a rescue operation， The Quantum War was more of an exploitation/war-readiness moral quandary issue than either of the ones that came before。The best parts， at least to me， all revolve aroun Homo Quantus return in the Quantum War， providing us fantastically evolving humans five hundred years in the future。 This is a mix of space opera， wartime footing action， and deeper characterizations than straight action。Whereas The Quantum Magician was more of a heist novel and The Quantum Garden was more of a rescue operation， The Quantum War was more of an exploitation/war-readiness moral quandary issue than either of the ones that came before。The best parts， at least to me， all revolve around the question and use of the Homo Quantus。 At certain times they are highly revered， sweet people with Down Syndrome， and at other times， they're cyborged-out savants that think a thousand times faster than normal humans。 And they are forced into war。 Refugees， the powerful fearful， and the exploited are all forced on a very circuitous path。As always， I love Künsken's exploration of what it means to be human。 Even getting into SEVERAL new branches of humanity: the kind we create or the kind we become and whatever is left behind。 Shake all of this up into some wild， often highly high-brow SF possibilities （damn， I love the possibilities of that Iron） and even some timey-wimey stuff that's only possible thanks to this new evolution。If you are waiting for some great new Hard-SF that doesn't fear to push those boundaries， then definitely read these。 I do recommend reading them in order even if we explore new characters。 It's totally possible to read these out of publication order， mind you， but I got a lot more out of this because I was already familiar with so much of the tech， the cool combinations of AI and Human， and the big stuff on the fringes。Definitely a fun ride。 。。。more
Evan Ladouceur
，
This excellent addition to the Quantum series （book 3 of 4） ups the tension for the various players/factions in the book。 For those who have read the first two books， this progression will flow naturally， as different human “species” （quantus， Puppets， mongrels）， nations （Union， Congregate， Plutocracy， Puppets）， and series characters （Bel， and others） deal with pretty existential questions around freedom， self-determination， evolution， slavery， and genocide。 Coupled with plenty of action （though This excellent addition to the Quantum series （book 3 of 4） ups the tension for the various players/factions in the book。 For those who have read the first two books， this progression will flow naturally， as different human “species” （quantus， Puppets， mongrels）， nations （Union， Congregate， Plutocracy， Puppets）， and series characters （Bel， and others） deal with pretty existential questions around freedom， self-determination， evolution， slavery， and genocide。 Coupled with plenty of action （though maybe a bit too much talk）。 Much more than a war or caper story。 I like the favorable treatment of Luc， Down-syndrome character， who provides moral balance to both the Congregate and the book。 I also like the intelligence agent Bareilles， who is harsh and manipulative but also sincere in her beliefs and not a simple fanatic。 I did grow uncomfortable with how she manipulates “Le petit saint” but it fit the story and her characterization。 Even the Scarecrows， who could easily be stock cardboard villains， are rounded。 I think that while author Künsken works to make this standalone， it would be hard to pick up this book and read it cold。 It is mercifully low on data dumps of backstory but that makes it more imperative to start at Quantum Magician。 And well worth it， too。 I look forward to the concluding volume and the sequel to House of Styx as Künslen fills out this fascinating universe。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Quantum War
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Quantum War&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Quantum War&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0