Reviews

A wonderful, hard science fiction anthology that masterfully spins science and reality to create settings and environments that border on fantasy. If you were ever interested in reading hard science fiction but were put off for whatever reason then this is the best book for you. The stories are not really short (blurs the line between short story and novella) and really pull you into them. They don't focus on science or aliens or even technology but on humanity, how across ages humanity changes very little and how easy it is to lose that humanity. At least that's how I felt. Definitely worth reading.

steventhescourge's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

eb00kie's review

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Hit the 10% - stories “Martian Great Wall” and “Weather”

Strong buildup, very underwhelming payoff:
- weak characterisation - resulting in cardboard emotional expression and minimal reader involvement
- mysterious hive-like civilisation not explored, but everyone who doesn’t want to join is prejudiced
- more action than plot
- 0 meaningful choices

eol's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

starbuck34's review

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adventurous dark inspiring mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

leilin's review

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5.0

I am only sorry I have not been reading Alastair Reynolds sooner!
It's unbelievable that it took me so long to find his books.

I love the fact that the science is as well done as the fiction in this.

I spent a non negligible amount of time throwing myself in Wikipedia rabbit holes about space, time and the universe as we understand it. Looking up terms and locations and concepts I encountered... and I learned a lot in the process, which was awesome!

The fact the man was an astrophysicist shows, because it goes without saying that of course all those references were used in a perfectly accurate way, throughout those stories... But it is not just science and technicalities, all those references were also used in a ever flowing, clever and artful manner. It is nice to see that Sci-Fi does not always have to be one or the other of the nouns composing its name (looking at you Isaac Asimov!).

Here, the writing style and the narration are skillfully crafted and bring us along sometimes complex stories and settings like on an effortless stroll. Effortless, but involved! I was in there with the characters at every turn, and I spied concepts and ideas, entire new horizons that I had not thought about, before reading those shorts. Some were breathtaking and each story was a journey!

wyrmbergmalcolm's review against another edition

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5.0

This was a brilliant collection of tales, each one memorable and immersive. At nearly 800 pages, this Book of the Month very nearly took me all month to read. At the back of the book are some of Alastair Reynolds’ thoughts behind each story. I read each thought before I read the stories, unfortunately a couple did contain spoilers.

Storytastic

Buy the book for this story

Worth reading

Buy the book for this story

Worth reading

Storytastic

Buy the book for this story

Buy the book for this story

Storytastic

Storytastic

Buy the book for this story

Storytastic

Buy the book for this story

Storytastic

Worth reading.

Worth reading

Worth reading

Worth reading.

Story Name:	Beyond the Aquila Rift
What is it about?	Following a warp-gate mishap a ship’s crew find themselves a bit further from home than expected.
Thoughts:	Full of an atmosphere of disquiet, this story can kept me guessing all the way through. Great world-building coupled with masterful storytelling, this was a joy to read.
Score:
Story Name:	Fury
What is it about?	The Galactic Emperor is assassinated (sort of) and his chief of security embarks on a quest to find the ‘killer’.
Thoughts:	A fascinating procedural story, that has some fun and unexpected developments. Again, this features wonderful world building and a likable main character.
Score:
Story Name:	In Babelsberg
What is it about?	A space probe returns to Earth and ends up as a celebrity doing the interview circuit.
Thoughts:	An interesting exploration as to how AI could not only take the stars from us, but also stardom. Noteworthy for it’s very odd talk show hosts…
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Story Name:	Minla's Flowers
What is it about?	From the Merlin Universe, the story follows Merlin as he is forced to land on a planet with two warring factions. Spotting an oncoming disaster he is forced to guide the population’s development to reach the stars.
Thoughts:	This is the first I’ve read from this particular Universe and again praise the world building here. This also has the feel of Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series to it. A cautionary tale on the dangers of meddling that takes quite a few unexpected turns, though I did see the ending coming.
Score:
Story Name:	The Old Man And The Martian Sea
What is it about?	A girl runs away from home only to be reminded of how significant she can be.
Thoughts:	A gentle tale that has some interesting world-building behind it. It could have been a bit longer, perhaps, but a delight all the same. The unbroken innocence of it was also refreshing.
Score:
Story Name:	Diamond Dogs
What is it about?	A team set themselves against a mysterious spire chock-full of trap-filled rooms with puzzles to solve.
Thoughts:	From the Revelation Space Universe (though could be a stand-alone and be no different at all), this story actually references the film The Cube from which it was inspired. As the story progresses, it becomes less about the solving of the rooms, but more about the obsession behind solving them. Particularly as, unlike in The Cube they can leave at any time. Brilliantly described, I could visualise this as clearly as if I had watched it.
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Story Name:	The Great Wall Of Mars
What is it about?	Chronicling the beginning of the Conjoiners and their escape from extermination.
Thoughts:	Chronologically, this is currently the earliest Revelation Space story. Having yet to read the main stories yet, the significance of the named characters was lost on me until I did a bit of research into the story. A very satisfying origin story with some great set-pieces.
Score:
Story Name:	The Last Log Of The Lachrimosa
What is it about?	This Revelation Space story follows a crew of Ultras as they explore a mysterious cave on an otherwise nondescript world.
Thoughts:	Sometimes, if a message says “Stay Out”, it’s perhaps best to do as it says. Told from two different POVs this gets less confusing as it goes along. Considering how alien-free this Universe is, this was a nice addition to it and features a satisfying ending.
Score:
Story Name:	Weather
What is it about?	Another Revelation Space story where a crew of Ultras (space faring Cyborgs) pick up a stranded Conjoiner (think Star Trek’sBorg, but less hostile)against the better judgement of their captain.
Thoughts:	This turned out to be a somewhat surprising , yet compelling love story, of a sort. Great characters, strong themes, very enjoyable.
Score:
Story Name:	The Sledge-Maker’s Daughter
What is it about?	A story featuring a world within a world, where the population of a planet exist in a Victorian-era level of technology and society, but occasionally encounter things that fall from the sky giving hints that far more is going on.
Thoughts:	Not every story needs to be epic, far-reaching or grandiose for it the have a significant impact. This tale that follows a teenage girl as she encounters the benign and malevolent inhabitants of her world is very low-key compared to the other stories here. What’s more, it finishes just on the cusp of potential. However, there is joy in coming to your own conclusions as to how it will all play out. I would like to see more from this Universe.
Score:
Story Name:	Sleepover
What is it about?	A man wakes on sea platform and finds himself in the middle of a battle over reality itself.
Thoughts:	This is a bit like a cross between The Matrix and Pacific Rim. I can’t tell you more than that. It’s a mind-bending concept that’s brilliant if you get it.
Score:
Story Name:	The Star Surgeon’s Apprentice
What is it about?	A guy on the run signs up to crew on a ship without asking too many questions. He finds himself apprentice to the ship’s surgeon working on the cyborg crew. However, he soon realises just what kind of ship he’s found himself on.
Thoughts:	This is visually rich with graphic body horror and intrigue. An old tale retold again, this time with body parts. Great fun. This also boasts a very satisfying ending.
Score:
Story Name:	Thousandth Night
What is it about?	Cloned copies of a long-dead explorer gather together to share their experiences and memories of their travels. During one gathering, a mystery turns into a murder mystery leading to quite the showdown.
Thoughts:	A story epic in scale. Expertly told and very enjoyable. I love the concept of a traveller deliberately focusing on just sunsets for the thousands of years he travels just to irritate his cloned siblings. I also like the concept of them being all the same, so equally capable of being the potential perpetrator.
Score:
Story Name:	Trauma Pod
What is it about?	A soldier wounded in battle is treated by a trauma pod, a mini-hospital designed to treat battle injuries during the battle.
Thoughts:	A fantastic story that focuses on a real practical use of technological advances on the battlefield. Every concept in here was inspired and totally believable as a technology that could come to pass.
Score:
Story Name:	Troika
What is it about?	A mysterious artefact appears in the middle of the Solar System. It also seems to be singing.
Thoughts:	A bit of an odd one told in two timelines. Avoid reading the author notes beforehand because they contain some significant spoilers. The story read fine, but not the best of the collection. Possibly because the ending was spoiled when I read the author notes, but also I think I wanted to know more.
Score:
Story Name:	Vainglory
What is it about?	An artist is tracked down by a private investigator. Revelations are then had about a piece she did that caused the deaths of many people and the destruction of a moon.
Thoughts:	Told over two timelines, this read well enough but wasn’t as good as the others. There was no reason given as to the why and I think that’s bugging me.
Score:
Story Name:	The Water Thief
What is it about?	A robot operator, who remotely operates the tools of her trade, finds herself in a moral dilemma when she holds the life of a thief in her robot’s hands.
Thoughts:	Unlike most of Reynold’s optimistic futures, this one’s decidedly less so, yet also feels all the more real for it. That it’s based as a very near future story, possibly helps with that.
Score:
Story Name:	Zima Blue
What is it about?	A renowned artist, who specialises in painting increasingly more vast areas a specific shade of blue presents his final masterpiece, a work that not only disappoints his critics, but also places everything else he’s done into question.
Thoughts:	A fun story I can’t say much about. The notes are a bit spoilery.
Score:

All in all, a great collection of stories. Not a duff one in the bunch. Some are perhaps a bit long, others could have been longer. The common theme is the fantastic world-building: there are so many Universes I would like to revisit and see more from. At 779 pages, this was quite a mammoth read, but well worth it.

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