The Human Abstract — George Mann

Guided by machines from Earth, the colony world of Copernica has become a stable human outpost, a world not dissimilar to Earth itself, with a burgeoning population and culture of its own. But Rehan Mihajlovic, a dealer in antiquarian goods, is about to find out that history is only as reliable as those who write it, and that death, when it comes, is never very far away... "George Mann has forgotten more about science fiction than most people will ever know, and he puts his expertise and his considerable narrative skills to excellent use in this canny, highly readable tale." Adam Roberts