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Revelation Space

Book 1 in the series:Revelation Space

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'Revelation Space' by Alastair Reynolds is a space opera that delves into a complex universe filled with alien civilizations, advanced technologies, and mysterious ancient artifacts. The story follows characters like Dr. Dan Sylveste, Ana Khouri, and Sajaki as they navigate through a plot that involves lost civilizations, rogue AIs, and interstellar conflicts. The writing style of the book is often described as imaginative and intricate, with a focus on detailed descriptions of futuristic settings and technologies.

Characters:

The characters are complex and often unlikable, with motivations that are sometimes selfish and unclear, featuring strong female leads that add depth to the narrative.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is dense and technical, featuring a mix of rich descriptions and heavy exposition, which at times leads to awkward or clunky passages.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot features a complex narrative involving alien archaeology, extinction, and interconnected characters, culminating in themes that address the Fermi Paradox and dystopian futures.

Setting:

The setting spans a lonely and sparse universe in the 26th century, featuring decaying spaceships and remnants of alien civilizations, creating a bleak and atmospheric experience.

Pacing:

The pacing starts slow with complex viewpoints and gradually picks up speed, though some readers found it inconsistent and lagging at times.
Sylveste stood on the edge of the excavation and wondered if any of his labours would survive the night. The archaeological dig was an array of deep square shafts separated by baulks of sheer-sided so...

Notes:

Revelation Space was first published in 2000 and is Alastair Reynolds' debut novel.
The story is set in the 26th century, where humanity has begun colonizing space but lacks faster-than-light travel.
The narrative follows three main characters: Dan Sylveste, Ana Khouri, and Ilia Volyova.
Dan Sylveste is an archaeologist studying the remains of the extinct alien civilization known as the Amarantin.
Ana Khouri is a contract assassin who gets involved in the story through a series of manipulations.
Ilia Volyova commands a giant spaceship, Nostalgia for Infinity, which is struggling with a deadly virus called the Melding Plague.
The book explores themes related to the Fermi Paradox, questioning why we haven't found evidence of intelligent extraterrestrial life.
Reynolds incorporates his background as an astrophysicist, which lends a sense of realism to the science fiction elements in the story.
There is a focus on the blending of human and machine, with some characters being cybernetically enhanced or through AI constructs.
The writing style is noted for being dense, with some readers finding it difficult to follow at times due to its complexity.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

There are themes of body horror, death, and existential dread present throughout the novel.

From The Publisher:

Nine hundred thousand years ago, something wiped out the Amarantin. For the human colonists now settling the Amarantin homeworld Resurgam, it's of little more than academic interest, even after the discovery of a long-hidden, almost perfect Amarantin city and a colossal statue of a winged Amarantin. For brilliant but ruthless scientist Dan Sylveste, it's more than merelty intellectual curiosity - and he will stop at nothing to get at the truth. Even if the truth costs him everything. But the Amarantin were wiped out for a reason, and that danger is closer and greater than even Syveste imagines …

REVELATION SPACE: a huge, magnificent space opera that ranges across the known and unknown universe … towards the most terrifying of destinations.

Ratings (37)

Incredible (6)
Loved It (16)
Liked It (8)
It Was OK (5)
Did Not Like (1)
Hated It (1)

Reader Stats (99):

Read It (38)
Currently Reading (1)
Want To Read (56)
Did Not Finish (1)
Not Interested (3)

About the Author:

Alastair Reynolds was born in Wales in 1966. He has a Ph.D. in astronomy. From 1991 until 2007, he lived in The Netherlands, where he was employed by The European Space Agency as an astrophysicist. He is now a full-time writer.

 
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