The Ten Percent Thief

by Lavanya Lakshminarayan
The Ten Percent Thief cover
Good Books rating 4.73
Technical:
  • ID: 230
  • Added: 2025-09-06
  • Updated: 2025-09-18
  • ISBN: 9781786188540
  • Publisher: Rebellion Publishing Ltd
  • Published: 2023-03-28
  • Formats: 20
  • Reviews: 3
Buy online
Waterstones
Paperback • £9.99 Hardback • £16.99

Set in the near-future Apex City, formerly Bangalore, The Ten Percent Thief explores a society governed by Bell Corp’s mathematically perfect Bell Curve, where individuals are ranked by productivity and social conformity. The privileged Virtual elite live under constant pressure to maintain perfection, while the marginalized Analogs are deprived of basic necessities and humanity. This cyberpunk mosaic novel unfolds through interconnected stories revealing the harsh realities of a technocratic caste system and the personal struggles within it. At the heart of the novel is Nāyaka, the Ten Percent Thief, a folk hero leading the Analog resistance against Bell Corp’s oppressive regime. Through her daring theft and a secret network, she plans to dismantle the system from within. The novel’s multi-perspective narrative highlights the limitations of any single viewpoint while painting a vivid picture of a society on the brink of revolution. It is a thought-provoking commentary on meritocracy, technology, and social injustice in a near-future world infused with artificial intelligence.

Reviews
Grimdark Magazine · 2025-05-01
thought-provoking 5.00

The novel presents a timely and deeply thought-provoking update on caste systems through a near-future meritocratic society dominated by a powerful corporation enforcing strict productivity standards.

This review highlights how the story immerses readers in a dystopian Apex City governed by Bell Corp, where individuals are ranked on a bell curve according to productivity and social media influence. The reviewer appreciates the novel's cruelly rigid meritocratic caste system that replaces traditional social hierarchies with a high-pressure, AI-driven surveillance state, making it a chilling and relevant critique of modern technocapitalism. They emphasize the psychological and social stress experienced by the elite 'Virtual' class, who live in a technologically lavish but ultimately dehumanizing world, while the lower 'Analog' caste faces exclusion and oppression.

Quick quotes

    The Ten Percent Thief is a deeply thought-provoking and timely novel that updates the traditional notion of castes for a near-future meritocratic society.

    Bell Corp has a zero-tolerance policy toward failure: anything less than perfection is unacceptable.

    The future caste system is every bit as rigid and frightening as the old system India discarded decades ago.

The Middle Shelf · 2023-05-01
insightful 4.70

This polyphonic sci-fi novel offers sharp social and political satire through interconnected stories, focusing on the limitations of authority systems and individual narratives.

The reviewer appreciates how the novel uses multiple distinct characters rather than a single protagonist to explore the oppressive technocratic society controlled by Bell Corp and the emerging resistance led by Nāyaka. They note the novel’s thematic focus on how systems of power inherently exclude certain experiences, and how the mosaic narrative style effectively reflects the fragmented reality of those living under surveillance and control. This approach allows the reader to deeply engage with the nuanced day-to-day lives of Apex City’s inhabitants, making the revolution against Bell Corp a complex backdrop rather than the sole focus.

Quick quotes

    The Ten Percent Thief is a fascinating polyphonic scifi novel presenting a sharp social and political satire through slices of life.

    Any system of authority... almost by definition must exclude those experiences that it has not been designed to process.

    While The Ten Percent Thief tells the story of Nāyaka’s revolution, it is the day-to-day lives of the novel’s individual characters that are of foremost importance.

Fantasy-Hive · Jonathan · 2023-04-01
engaging 4.50

The novel is praised for its mosaic structure and detailed worldbuilding, effectively exploring the impact of algorithmic social stratification and the brewing resistance among the oppressed.

Jonathan admires the book's structure of linked short stories which collectively paint a vivid picture of life under Bell Corp's rule in Apex City, showing perspectives from diverse characters across social strata. He particularly enjoys how the narrative captures the tension between the privileged 'Virtual' citizens and the marginalized 'Analogs,' emphasizing the themes of control, rebellion, and social injustice. The review reflects an appreciation for the novel as a speculative fiction work that is both engaging and socially relevant, with a strong sense of character and atmosphere.

Quick quotes

    The Ten Percent Thief brilliantly explores what it would be like to live in a world entirely circumscribed by Big Data and algorithmically monitored productivity.

    Lakshminarayan meticulously builds up her future world through a series of linked short stories.

    Nāyaka, the Ten Percent Thief, leads the Analog resistance, working together with other Analogs to engineer a daring plan to bring down the Virtuals.

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