# The Causal Angel

![Book cover of The Causal Angel](/books/covers/the_causal_angel.jpg)

by [Hannu Rajaniemi](/books/authors/hannu_rajaniemi/)
Book 3 of [Jean le Flambeur](/books/series/jean_le_flambeur/)
★★☆☆☆

## Review

_The Causal Angel_ is the last book in the _Jean le Flambeur_ series trilogy. We finally learn le Flambeur was hired to steal the
Kaminari Jewel, a Zoku gem with the power to alter reality.

We discover that the Pellegrini extracted two people from the prison: Le
Flambeur and his corrupted copy, the All-Defector, who can predict and counter
anyone's actions. The Pellegrini intended to use the All-Defector as a backup
plan if le Flambeur failed, but it betrays her. The All-Defector starts taking
over the Sobornost and leads them into war against the Zoku to capture the
Jewel. It wants to create a new universe before anyone else can---the ultimate
defection.

Layers of scheming are revealed:

- Le Flambeur sent himself to prison to evolve a new personality the Jewel
  would accept.

- The All-Defector sets up Jean to disrupt the Zoku so the Sobornost he
  controls can take over.

- Barbicane set up Jean to disrupt the Zoku's quantum entanglement, allowing
  him to attempt to destroy the Kaminari Jewel.

The book fleshes out the characters more, and for the first time I actually
care about Mieli, but they're still the weakest part of the series. However,
the book does a good job of wrapping up storylines and the ending is
satisfying.

While I enjoyed [_The Fractal Prince_](/books/the_fractal_prince/) slightly more, _The Causal Angel_ was an ok
ending to an ok trilogy.

## Reviews that mention _The Causal Angel_
- [_The Fractal Prince_](/books/the_fractal_prince/)
- [_This Is How You Lose the Time War_](/books/this_is_how_you_lose_the_time_war/)†

† _Mentioned via a link to the series._

## Related Books
- [_The Quantum Thief_](/books/the_quantum_thief/) by [Hannu Rajaniemi](/books/authors/hannu_rajaniemi/) --- ★☆☆☆☆: The Quantum Thief is a sci-fi novel following the adventures of the gentleman thief Jean le Flambeur as he navigates a futuristic solar system to reclaim his lost memories and pull off an impossible heist.
- [_The Fractal Prince_](/books/the_fractal_prince/) by [Hannu Rajaniemi](/books/authors/hannu_rajaniemi/) --- ★★☆☆☆: The Fractal Prince is the second book in the Jean le Flambeur series. While the first book, The Quantum Thief, left me underwhelmed, the second book more than lived up to the hype.
- [_Field of Dishonor_](/books/field_of_dishonor/) by [David Weber](/books/authors/david_weber/) --- ★★★☆☆: Field of Dishonor, by David Weber, is the fourth book in the Honor Harrington series. It reduces the scale of the narrative, trading fleet battles for political maneuvering and personal grudges.