Reviews & Overviews by Rod Cameron

        

Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds

Almost one million years ago, a supernova wiped out an alien bird-like species called the Amarantin. Humans now colonise their home planet of Resurgam. Dr Dan Sylveste is obsessively trying to find out how and why the long-dead Amarantin were wiped out. Meanwhile, the lighthugger "Nostalgia for Infinity" is coming for Sylveste. The crew, including Ilia Volyona who runs the ship, the captain who is a frozen corpsicle, and Khouri the weapons officer and reluctant contract assassin, each have their own problems and agendas. In particular, the ship is well past it's sell by date. Large areas are dead or infested by plague and ship-slime, and the computer seems to have a virus called Sun Stealer. Also the ship is well stocked with Hell Class weapons - some of which are missing their instruction manuals. There is also a lot of strange alien technology lurking around the universe. Revelation Space is a brilliant first novel, reminiscent in parts of both Iain M Banks and Peter Hamilton. However, Alastair Reynolds has developed a style of his own. The lighthugger Nostalgia for Infinity although still kilometres in length, is much smaller and accessible than a Banks' ship. It is also dirty and smelly, and full of character. The people are not nearly as likeable as Hamilton's. In fact they are all pretty nasty. But the plot holds them all together, and sucks the reader in. This is a superb story, well worth a read. His second book Chasm City has just been published in paperback.

Publisher: Gollancz Date: 2001 Pages: 545 Price: £6.99 Format: Paperback  ISBN: 1 85798 748 9 Reviewed by: Rod Cameron Review Date: April 2002

Copyright : Roderick Alasdair Cameron 2001 - 2012                   rod@rodcameron.co.uk