Ra (novel)
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| Author | Sam Hughes (as qntm) |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Hard fantasy, Alternate history |
| Genre | Science fantasy |
| Publisher | Self-published (Web serial) |
Publication date | 2013–2014 (Serial) 2021 (Print) |
| Pages | 490 |
| ISBN | 979-8514084241 Search this book on  . |
Ra is a 2013 science fantasy novel by the British author and software engineer Sam Hughes, published under the pseudonym qntm. Originally released as a web serial on the author's website, it was later self-published in print and ebook formats.
The novel imagines an alternate history where magic was discovered in the 1970s not as a mystical force, but as a new branch of physics capable of being harnessed through engineering.
Synopsis
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In an alternate timeline, "magic" is discovered in the late 20th century. Rather than being mystical, it is treated as a natural resource that can be manipulated through complex mathematical proofs and "thaumaturgical engineering."
The story follows Laura Ferno, a student of magic whose mother was killed during a botched attempt to use magic for spaceflight. Laura discovers that magic is an artificial system created by a pre-human intelligence, and that the universe itself functions like a computer simulation with exploitable code.
Publication history
Hughes wrote the initial draft of Ra during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). He later reworked the material into a serialized format, publishing chapters freely on his website, Things of Interest, from 2013 to 2014.[1]
Following the success of Hughes's later work, There Is No Antimemetics Division (acquired by Ballantine Books), Ra received renewed attention as a foundational text in modern "internet fiction."[2]
Reception
Critic Andrew Liptak described the novel as part of Hughes's body of work characterized by "innovative writing" and ambitious conceptual scaling.[3] Reviewers have praised the novel's "hard magic" system, which treats spellcasting with the rigor of computer programming.[4]
See also
- Hard fantasy
- The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect
References
- ↑ "Ra". qntm.org. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
- ↑ "There Is No Antimemetics Division". Publishers Weekly. August 26, 2025. Retrieved January 1, 2026.
Qntm... makes his traditionally published debut (after the serialized online novel Ra)...
- ↑ Liptak, Andrew (November 15, 2022). "Even more books to check out this November". Transfer Orbit. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
- ↑ Na, Piaw (April 3, 2023). "Review: Ra". Piaw's Blog. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
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