(2000) Alastair Reynolds, Gollancz, trdpbk, £10.99, 476pp, ISBN 0-57506-876-0
(2007 reprint) Gollancz, pbk, £7.99, 585pp. ISBN 978-0-752-8-8908-5
(2012 reprint) Gollancz, pbk, £7.99. ISBN 978-1-409-13845-7
Dan Sylveste is exploring the archaeological remains of a million-year gone race, the Amarantin. Ilia Volyova is looking for him so that he can help cure her plague-ridden captain; Ana Khouri has been hired to kill him. Their destinies entwine aboard the ship Nostalgia for Infinity, with its cache of planet-killing weapons, and the billion year-old entity, Sun Stealer, that inhabits it. Though this novel is somewhat dense, it does reward reading: the backdrop is compellingly drawn, the characters are engaging, and the central mystery does draw the reader in. Reynolds manages to tell a complex (though, ultimately, simple) story without too much confusion, but his pacing needs work. Still, all in all a very good book and, on the strength of it, I would say that he’s worth looking out for in future.
Tony Chester
See Jonathan's slightly more detailed review of Revelation Space.
Since the above we have also reviewed other Reynolds novels including: Century Rain, Chasm City, Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days, Pushing Ice (hardback), Pushing Ice (paperback) and Redemption Ark.
So, was he worth looking out for in the future?
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