Sci-Fi Author Hannu Rajaniemi on his Quantum Thief Trilogy
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Hannu Rajaniemi is a Ph. D. in string theory and fellow SU alumni best known for his popular science fiction trilogy The Quantum Thief [Jean Le Flambeur]. His work has risen to prominence both because of its merits and the legend surrounding his signing up with a major book publisher. Rajaniemi has been suggested numerous times as a strong guest candidate for my podcast and I am extremely happy to have had the opportunity to finally fulfill those requests.
I have to admit that I enjoyed immensely reading Hannu’s Jean Le Flambeur trilogy and took that as an excuse to interview him on a variety of topics for over 90 min. During our conversation with Rajaniemi we cover his math background, writing passion, and entrepreneurial ventures; ethics, science and science fiction; the Higgs Boson, the multiverse, and other cosmological models; the definition of science fiction and the distinction between sci-fi and fantasy; the importance of “constraints and suffering” for creativity; how he sold the Quantum Thief trilogy to a major publisher; tips and tools for novice sci-fi writers; determinism, free will and the quest for self-knowledge; his take on transhumanism and the technological singularity…
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Who is Hannu Rajaniemi?
Hannu Rajaniemi is the author of science fiction novels The Quantum Thief (Jean Le Flambeur), The Fractal Prince and The Causal Angel, as well as several short stories. He holds a Ph.D. in string theory from the University of Edinburgh and co-founded a mathematics company whose clients included the UK Ministry of Defence and the European Space Agency. Currently, he divides his time between writing fiction and working as a co-founder at Helix Nanotechnologies, a biotechnology startup.
