The Quantum Thief
The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemiby Hannu Rajaniemi
Hacker ApprovedShares rank 44 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
Recommended as unique science fiction with plausible weirdness, and readers call it some of the best sci-fi they have read.
Recommended as unique science fiction with plausible weirdness, and readers call it some of the best sci-fi they have read.
11 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 11
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it carries the badge
- 11 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Unique, weird, top-tier science fiction
“That combination of plausible weirdness is unique and I’d highly recommend The Quantum Thief”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “Accelerando (2005)” “It's some of the best sci-fi I've read.”
Comment from 30 Sep 2026 in “Ask HN: What are you reading?” Favored over comparable sci-fi
“scratch roughly the same itch for me”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “Accelerando (2005)” “I enjoyed the Quantum Thief more”
Comment from 16 May 2026 in “Accelerando (2005)”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Hail Maryby Andy Weir | 117 | 24 | 83% | 12 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 98 | 34 | 74% | 9 | 1.5 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 96 | 27 | 78% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Duneby Frank Herbert | 82 | 25 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| The Quantum Thiefby Hannu RajaniemiThis page | 11 | 0 | 100% | 4 | — | Approved |
What people said
7 of the 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I found it quite good, but super complex.”
“It's some of the best sci-fi I've read.”
“Basically, you had fine-grained control over what others perceived of you.”
“scratch roughly the same itch for me”
“I enjoyed the Quantum Thief more”
“That combination of plausible weirdness is unique and I’d highly recommend The Quantum Thief”
“I highly recommend reading these instead.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.