Synopses & Reviews
Alastair Reynolds's critically acclaimed debut has redefined the space opera with a staggering journey across vast gulfs of time and space to confront the very nature of reality itself.
Review
"Intensely compelling; darkly intelligent; hugely ambitious."
Paul J. McAuley, author of Ancients of Days "A terrific treat. I was hooked from page one. Billion-year-gone alien wars, killer intelligencesand perhaps the most stunning and original alien artifact in modern science fictionand all rendered with the authentic voice of a working scientist. Ferociously intelligent and imbued with a chilling logicit may really be like this Out There." Stephen Baxter, co-author of The Light of Other Days
"A striking first novel. Revelation Space delivers the goods. Certain to be one of the year's most impressive debut novels, and one of the most significant large-scale epics of the year. Reynolds is the next writer to watch in the resurrection of the conceptually intelligent space opera." Gary Wolfe, Locus
"Complicated, and very clever and well-written...a spectacular first novel."Aboriginal SF
"A delight. A refreshing and entertaining reconsideration of some of the genre's oldest tropes. An impressive first novel, quite possibly the space opera of the year. Watch for it at awards time."Jonathan Strahan, Locus
Synopsis
The highly-acclaimed first novel in the Revelation Space universe When human colonists settled the Amarantin homeworld, few of them bothered to question the disappearance of its native population almost a million years before. But in the year 2551, one man, Dan Sylveste, is convinced that solving the riddle of the Amarantin is vital to human survival. As he nears the truth, he learns that someone wants him dead. Because the Amarantin were destroyed for a reason. And if that reason is made public, the universe--and reality itself--could be forever altered. This sprawling operatic novel ranges across vast gulfs of time and space to arrive at a terrifying conclusion.
Alastair Reynolds, who holds a Ph.D. in Astronomy, has written a vivid and action-packed story that will linger in the minds of its readers.
" A] tour de force...ravishingly inventive." --Publishers Weekly
"Best science fiction novel of the year" --Science Fiction Chronicle
Synopsis
The highly-acclaimed first novel in the Revelation Space universe--a debut that has redefined the space opera with a staggering journey across vast gulfs of time and space to confront the very nature of reality itself... " A] TOUR DE FORCE...RAVISHINGLY INVENTIVE."--Publishers Weekly
Nine hundred thousand years ago, something annihilated the Amarantin civilization just as it was on the verge of discovering space flight. Now one scientist, Dan Sylveste, will stop at nothing to solve the Amarantin riddle before ancient history repeats itself. With no other resources at his disposal, Sylveste forges a dangerous alliance with the cyborg crew of the starship Nostalgia for Infinity. But as he closes in on the secret, a killer closes in on him. Because the Amarantin were destroyed for a reason--and if that reason is uncovered, the universe--and reality itself--could be irrevocably altered...
About the Author
Alastair Reynolds was born in Barry, South Wales, in 1966. He studied at Newcastle and St. Andrew's Universities and has a Ph.D. in astronomy. A former astrophysicist for the European Space Agency, he lives in the Netherlands, near Leiden. He is now writing full-time.