mraymer9's review
4.0
More than a few times, I felt this book was going to lose me in a whirlwind of chaotic and seemingly unconnected stints of highly technical storytelling, but Reynolds managed something quite wonderful by the end. The characters in this book are wooden, their relationships lifeless and motivations often confused. Additionally, I regularly felt that Reynolds was making arbitrary decisions about the functions of certain technologies and the whims of characters merely to heighten the sense of tension. But perhaps that observation speaks more to the fact that I'm no astrophysicist than to a lack of consistency on Reynolds' part. In any case, the book is successful despite these apparent flaws.
In a genre that depended less on big ideas, such shortcomings would be deal-breakers, but here they amount to mere annoyances. And if big ideas were currency, Reynolds would be a rich man indeed. It's hard for me to keep all the facets of his conceptual world in mind at once, but the parts meld into a rich, far-reaching and highly imaginative exploration into the possible future (and past) of our little galaxy. I particularly like his treatment of the Fermi Paradox, which is quickly becoming my favorite cosmological concept––probably because many of my favorite science fiction books seem animated by it. I love the different ways authors find to answer the question of why humanity finds itself so solitary in a field of stars that, by all mathematical accounts, ought to be teeming with life (intelligent and otherwise). I also thought the tension between curiosity and caution was intriguingly toyed with in this novel. Reynolds spends a lot of time urging the reader to ponder if the thirst for scientific understanding is worth an undefined but certainly significant risk, and it is time well spent.
The final act of this book jacked my heart rate in the manner of a proper thriller, but my excitement grew from desperately wanting to lift the veil on Reynolds' ideas rather than from caring about what would happen to characters in whom I had invested very little emotional energy. The denouement didn't disappoint; it left me with an appropriate melange of concrete knowledge and continuing mystery. I also think a book of this scale has an obligation not necessarily to paint humans as puny or insignificant, but certainly to show us as often unwitting participants in a greater story we can only come to understand once we have walked too far down a certain path to turn back. And while my darker self might have been appeased by a slightly bleaker ending, I didn't feel betrayed by the ability of the protagonist to, at least ostensibly, avert total disaster.
Highly recommended for anyone willing to put up with the less savory elements of the space opera universe. I will definitely read the others in the series at some point.
In a genre that depended less on big ideas, such shortcomings would be deal-breakers, but here they amount to mere annoyances. And if big ideas were currency, Reynolds would be a rich man indeed. It's hard for me to keep all the facets of his conceptual world in mind at once, but the parts meld into a rich, far-reaching and highly imaginative exploration into the possible future (and past) of our little galaxy. I particularly like his treatment of the Fermi Paradox, which is quickly becoming my favorite cosmological concept––probably because many of my favorite science fiction books seem animated by it. I love the different ways authors find to answer the question of why humanity finds itself so solitary in a field of stars that, by all mathematical accounts, ought to be teeming with life (intelligent and otherwise). I also thought the tension between curiosity and caution was intriguingly toyed with in this novel. Reynolds spends a lot of time urging the reader to ponder if the thirst for scientific understanding is worth an undefined but certainly significant risk, and it is time well spent.
The final act of this book jacked my heart rate in the manner of a proper thriller, but my excitement grew from desperately wanting to lift the veil on Reynolds' ideas rather than from caring about what would happen to characters in whom I had invested very little emotional energy. The denouement didn't disappoint; it left me with an appropriate melange of concrete knowledge and continuing mystery. I also think a book of this scale has an obligation not necessarily to paint humans as puny or insignificant, but certainly to show us as often unwitting participants in a greater story we can only come to understand once we have walked too far down a certain path to turn back. And while my darker self might have been appeased by a slightly bleaker ending, I didn't feel betrayed by the ability of the protagonist to, at least ostensibly, avert total disaster.
Highly recommended for anyone willing to put up with the less savory elements of the space opera universe. I will definitely read the others in the series at some point.
miketilford's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Revelation Space is the first book in the series by the same name. I have to say that I really have mixed feelings about this.
The story follows the POV of the three main characters of Sylveste, a sort of archeologist, and leader of his planet, Khouri, an ex-soldier recruited as an assassin to kill Sylveste, and Volyova, a human weapons expert living on an interstellar spacecraft. Of the three, Khouri feels like the main protagonist.
The story starts off with the mystery of the Amarantin civilization, and what caused the event which destroyed their species. We jump between the three characters and even more mysteries arise as we slowly learn more and more about the universe. What are these creepy objects in the cache of the Lighthugger vessel? Who are the Jugglers? What is in Shrouder space? What's the relevance of the 80? What's with the Captain?
After such a strong start, the story really drags in the middle as the three POV characters are finally brought together. Things pick up again at the end, but there is so much left unanswered that I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Since this is the first of a series, I can only hope that future books address some of these loose ends.
Overall, it's a good start to the series, so long as Reynolds picks up the loose strings moving forward. It did a decent job of setting up the universe, and as a first novel, Reynolds did a decent job with all the ideas that he set forth.
The story follows the POV of the three main characters of Sylveste, a sort of archeologist, and leader of his planet, Khouri, an ex-soldier recruited as an assassin to kill Sylveste, and Volyova, a human weapons expert living on an interstellar spacecraft. Of the three, Khouri feels like the main protagonist.
The story starts off with the mystery of the Amarantin civilization, and what caused the event which destroyed their species. We jump between the three characters and even more mysteries arise as we slowly learn more and more about the universe. What are these creepy objects in the cache of the Lighthugger vessel? Who are the Jugglers? What is in Shrouder space? What's the relevance of the 80? What's with the Captain?
After such a strong start, the story really drags in the middle as the three POV characters are finally brought together. Things pick up again at the end, but there is so much left unanswered that I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Since this is the first of a series, I can only hope that future books address some of these loose ends.
Overall, it's a good start to the series, so long as Reynolds picks up the loose strings moving forward. It did a decent job of setting up the universe, and as a first novel, Reynolds did a decent job with all the ideas that he set forth.
julesjim's review
4.0
Slow-going, but read the last 150 pages almost in one sitting. It was written in 2000 and interestingly it seems to have been quite a bit ripped off by the writers of Mass Effect.
wunder's review
2.0
I like this, but as I kept reading the series, I got tired of reading about people being tortured.
vbroes's review
3.0
3.5 stars. Excellent, interesting 'hard' science. Not so excellent nor interesting characters.
anne_seebach's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
jonvarner's review
3.0
Starts out strong with intriguing ideas about alien archeology, age extension, and various transhuman techniques ranging from aesthetic enhancements to digitized consciousness. The universe is both technically advanced and believably decrepit. Three protagonists separated (at first) by both space and time set up an epic tale of intergalactic intrigue, told with plenty of page-turning action.
Unfortunately, these protagonists meet about halfway through and the story contracts into something much less interesting. Every conversation consists of the same drily sarcastic banter, regardless of the circumstances. Characters with wildly different backgrounds, experiences, ages, and motives all have the same voice (one of them differentiates herself only because she constantly interjects "svinoi"). Even more frustrating is when one character reveals something Very Important to another character, but not to the reader. Such a cheap, lazy technique to keep us in suspense.
Ultimately, the big ideas were enough to convince me to finish this, but the weak characterization and dialog made it a bit of a chore.
Unfortunately, these protagonists meet about halfway through and the story contracts into something much less interesting. Every conversation consists of the same drily sarcastic banter, regardless of the circumstances. Characters with wildly different backgrounds, experiences, ages, and motives all have the same voice (one of them differentiates herself only because she constantly interjects "svinoi"). Even more frustrating is when one character reveals something Very Important to another character, but not to the reader. Such a cheap, lazy technique to keep us in suspense.
Ultimately, the big ideas were enough to convince me to finish this, but the weak characterization and dialog made it a bit of a chore.