I Read Books: Revelation Space

Revelation Space

Alistair Reynolds debut space opera, now twenty years on. How does it hold up?

His key setting detail, slower-than-light ships and communication (though only just slower-than-light), is not quite as innovative as when he started. Setting the novel in two different solar systems (and in the space in between) and having the clock roll forward decades while the Nostalgia For Infinity travels light-years between them is an interesting choice.

This highlights the arbitrary start point of the story. We are in media res quite a lot. Dan Sylveste, leading an archaeological dig on the planet Resurgam has already weathered a mutiny when he makes a breakthrough and there is a coup at the same time. The coup-leaders are Inundationists, the faction who want to terraform Resurgam, and this begins during the novel, slightly changing the planet.

Ana Khouri, in Chasm City on Yellowstone, is an assassin who hunts volunteers in the Shadowplay. Chasm City used to be the centre of the belle epoque, humanity’s golden age, but has been transformed by the Melding Plague into a weird and dark place. She’s hired to go after Sylveste, originally from Chasm City, but no suitable ship is available, so she is frozen for several years, during which Chasm City transforms again, though we only get a brief glimpse of this second version. But Khouri is a former soldier from Sky’s Edge, yet another planet, separated from her husband by decades and light-years, or maybe not.

Ilya Volyova, a triumvir aboard the lighthugger Nostalgia For Infinity has a number of problems; a cache of hideously over-powered weapons that is driving the gunnery officer mad, and also the captain is infected with the Melding Plague transforming his cyborg bits. Calvin Sylveste, Dan’s father, might be able to help, but he’s dead. Yet Dan might have a recorded personality that can help – not the alpha-simulation that he died to create but a beta-level one.

The ship itself is spooky, kilometres long, almost deserted but with rats and robots under the control of the systems, re-fitted and re-re-fitted many times, some areas filled with junk and water.

There’s a cool early bit involving the difference between gravity and acceleration to resolve a problem.

Anyway that's the set up, now the plot kicks in.

The point is, Reynolds was not short of ideas and he used them.

Read This: Cold hard space opera unafraid to use all the ideas at once.
Don’t Read This: Slower than light space travel is too slow