Customer Reviews
Peerless - By: Morat, 31 Oct 2007 
IF you don't like sci-fi, don't like tightly plotted detective fiction, don't like tension, drama & emotion in your books then you should read this anyway & see what you are missing.
You might go back to the Mr Men books afterwards but at least you will have read a masterpiece in your lifetime.
cracking adventure story - By: P. G. Harris, 15 Oct 2007 
If there is a better SF writer than Alastair Reynolds currently working, I'd love to know who it is because he/she must be something extremely special.
This novel is a return to the universe of Revelation Space, & a very welcome return it is too. Reynolds has created a complex, consistent, fascinating background to his stories, richer than that produced by the vast majority of other SF writers.
This story is a cross between a detective novel & a page turning adventure yarn. It starts almost (almost gently) with an investigation of voting fraud (yes, voting fraud) but quickly ramps up into a complex multi-layered tale with potential civil war between factions of humanity, horrific robotic genocide, treachery, & insane artificial intelligences.
So if SF, & definitely hard SF, not fantasy, is your bag, this novel is definitely one for you. Highly recommended.
Space, space glorious space. - By: Gareth Wilson, 19 Sep 2007 A prequel to Alastairs much loved Revelation Space novels & one that will more than satisfy the already established fans. As a novel for the uninitiated it opens the gateway to the later tales & will also present a tale that whilst it seems to repeat many themes from Reynolds other novel, will thrill & excite the reader into forgetting about these errors. As an already established fan I can see how Alastair's writing has changed with each novel produced, as such its always good to see how an author tackles an already established history generating a tale, that whilst we know the outcome, will still keep us guessing as to how things will happen to pass. A sign of a good writer.
If you want to know why you should read Reynolds novels over say Star Trek, well lets face it, Star Trek only has the moral best of humanilty, here you get to see mankind in alll his honest glory as he has been throughout history & as he is today, a self serving person who may tow the line because it's the right thing to do but if a better offer comes along well who knows. To sum up this book is probably best thought of as a Space Soap Detective tale blending the best of each genre into one giant book of fun.
Masterful cross-genre from Reynolds - By: Big Ben, 16 Aug 2007 This is another good book set in Alastair Reynolds cleverly detailed universe - the action is mostly within the 'Glitter Band' - & prior knowledge of the series is not needed to enjoy it to its full.
In a casual display of talent, this book brings a well-wrought detective theme to space opera - a little less action intensive than some (but still *lots* of action - check out the very first incident where a whole habitat is torched open - but why?) & then a puzzle within a puzzle to further intrigue the reader as alll the while the stakes are rising & the very existence of life in the Glitter Band is at stake.
That & the well-fleshed humanity of the main 'Prefect' protagonist & his colleagues makes for a book that we reallly enjoyed. Recommended.
Quite entertaining - By: bob, 07 Aug 2007 Another Reynolds book based around his established universe. This time, set earlier than Chasm City, & the Glitter Band is threatened by takeover of the myriad satellites computer systems. Prefects have the responsibility for overseeing a sort of computerised Delphi democracy. Nicely paced, I never got bored & the protagonists were believable. A good read.
