Just finished reading “Redemption ARK” by Alastair Reynolds. An excellent highly recommended Sci-Fi novel. It keeps the reader glued to the pages all throughout with it’s fast paced events and sudden changes in action. I spent several late nights essentially gobbling up the book never being bored by a single paragraph.
One of the best things about this novel is that it’s author is also a scientist by profession. This means that all the explanations about cosmic happenings and advanced technology are grounded on actual theoretical basis. The explanations were lucid and highly interesting though can be a little tricky to grasp for a layman.
Having said all this, there are a couple of things that I’d like to complain of. One, the so called hell-class doomsday weapons forming a primary thread of the storyline. The author’s description of the weapons in action lacks depth and detail. They seem to be less of doomsday stuff even compared to a nuclear warhead of today. Their action against the inhibitor machinery are not described much leaving the reader to wonder what is happening, how much damage etc. The conclusion to the novel also is a little of a let-down after the fantastic and furious journey till just before the end. It is a kind of an anti-climax leaving the reader not fully satisfied at the end. These shortcomings are but small kinks on an otherwise spotless surface. I highly recommend SF addicts to get their paws on this novel.
February 22, 2009 at 6:10 am
“Redemption Ark” is the second book in the “Revelation Space” series. The third book, “Absolution Gap”, gives you more insight into the hell-class weapons and closes off the series pretty decently. I found it rather long-winded but worth reading (mainly given that I enjoyed “Revelation Space” and “Redemption Ark” so much).
If you haven’t read RS, I don’t know how you got through RA!
There are also some short stories associated with the RS universe, which are pretty enjoyable. Check out his collections.
If you liked this series, you might also enjoy “Night’s Dawn Triology” by Peter F. Hamilton. It’s more keenly space opera as opposed to hard-scifi. Also check out the “Succession” series by Scott Westerfeld. Some of the most well-written space battles around!
February 22, 2009 at 7:26 am
Thanks for the pointers. I think there are enough flashbacks and historical anecdotes scattered throughout the novel to make it readable as a standalone piece.
March 1, 2009 at 12:05 pm
Just passing by.Btw, your website have great content!
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