A review by malcolm_eckel
Century Rain by Alastair Reynolds

challenging informative mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

There is a lot of Alastair Reynolds's usual austere, beautiful sci-fi magic in this one, but the dramatic structure of the novel lets it down.  Several interesting characters drift out of the narrative around halfway through, and the ones that remain don't have any real agency over events for almost all of the rest of the novel.  It goes from being a complex sci-fi wonder, full of intertwining plot threads and strong character voices, overlapping noir mystery and space opera in a truly unique way, to a long roller-coaster of increasingly unbelievable near misses that the characters just react to, waiting with the reader for the book to wind its way to its obvious conclusion.  I love Reynolds, but this is not his best work.