Redemption Ark (Revelation Space)

I had to put this one down for a good long while. It was a mistake, and I feel foolish now for losing faith in it. This is a phenomenal book and probably the best I've read in its category.

Not quite as consistent as Revelation Space; one wishes the flesh-and-blood characters were as well nuanced as the artificial ones, and inconsistencies show up in both minor details and major plot twists. A war hero defects from his faction, the Conjoiners, to race toward a cache of doomsday weapons; characters returning from Revelation Space are also involved in the quest. Thumbnail...more

Not quite as consistent as Revelation Space; one wishes the flesh-and-blood characters were as well nuanced as the artificial ones, and inconsistencies show up in both minor details and major plot twists. A war hero defects from his faction, the Conjoiners, to race toward a cache of doomsday weapons; characters returning from Revelation Space are also involved in the quest. Thumbnail characterizations of the Inhibitors ("wolves") and of the weapons themselves (with their own agenda) allow Reynolds a chance to strut his stuff.   hide

A weaker book than either Revelation Space or Chasm City. A number of new characters are introduced, many of them "Conjoiners" a branch of humanity that has embraced heavy use of technology to enhance their minds. Several characters from Revelation Space and Chasm City show up, though the focus is much more on the new characters. The plot revolves around the Inhibitors, and their...more

A weaker book than either Revelation Space or Chasm City. A number of new characters are introduced, many of them "Conjoiners" a branch of humanity that has embraced heavy use of technology to enhance their minds. Several characters from Revelation Space and Chasm City show up, though the focus is much more on the new characters. The plot revolves around the Inhibitors, and their efforts to eradicate humanity. The origin and motives of the Inhibitors are touched on, and it makes some sense. They are a different kind of alien villain. Far future technology plays a prominent--if somewhat reduced from Revelation Space--role. Enjoyable, but probably only for people that really, really liked Revelation Space.   hide

Great fast moving (compared to the first in the trilogy) hard SF Space Opera. Truly engaging and far reaching plot great writing and intelligent depiction of extreme technologies. Quite a damn ride. This installment in the Revelation Space series skips around quite a bit, laying the groundwork well for the next installment without leaving one feeling like they missed out on quality. Spaceship...more

Great fast moving (compared to the first in the trilogy) hard SF Space Opera. Truly engaging and far reaching plot great writing and intelligent depiction of extreme technologies. Quite a damn ride. This installment in the Revelation Space series skips around quite a bit, laying the groundwork well for the next installment without leaving one feeling like they missed out on quality. Spaceship AI makes more of an appearance, one of my favorite things to read about in science fiction. Reynolds also delves more into how people who don't fit into poles on the Conjoiner-Demarchist axis live.   hide