A review by jobatkin
Annabel Scheme by Robin Sloan

4.0

It took me a little while to really get the setting and characters in this book, but after the first few scenes gave Annabel a chance to establish her character and identity and I had a better sense of the overall tone, I really started to like it. I especially loved the concept of Doctor Faustus as the demonic ebay for selling various elements of yourself in exchange for ... well anything you can think of. I'm still not too sure what 'quantum' computers really do but the eccentricity of it appealed to me, as did the parallel of Grail to Google. Hugin Nineteen as Annabel's sentient server with mini cameras as eyes in her earrings was really well done also. The book had some really clever and original ideas and characters, and a tone that somehow managed to be both suspenseful and light-hearted, funny and serious, far-fetched and relatable. The plot could have been developed a little better but it was a great read and I would happily read more if it developed into a series.