Revelation Space

“Revelation Space” is a novel by noted author Alastair Reynolds. It was published in 2000, and begins a series of three novels known as the Inhibitor Trilogy. It is also the first work in his larger Revelation Space Series.

The book would have to be considered space opera, and is set in the far future. There are colonized star systems, in spite of humanity never having developed faster than light travel. Nanotechnology and other advanced materials are commonplace. The remains of civilizations of other alien species have been found, but only the Pattern Jugglers and Shrouders appear as extant species. Both are enigmatic, and entirely dissimilar to humanity.

This novel begins with three narratives, the first involves Dan Sylveste, who is an archaeologist studying an extinct civilization on the planet Resurgam. The second involves Ilia Volyova aboard the Nostalgia for Infinity, a starship which can accelerate to near lightspeed. The third focuses on Ana Khouri, a soldier who we encounter on the planet Yellowstone. These three stories come together in the Delta Pavonis system.

This is one of those novels where the author just throws you into the universe and allows you to discover what’s going on as the narrative progresses. I found that the beginning of the novel was interesting, but I sort of lost steam in the middle of the book. However, I powered through and found the ending to be both interesting and exciting. I’m definitely going to try out the second novel “Redemption Ark.”

I read many things and have a very tolerant view of all types of literature, from all periods and places in human history.

But I have to say, this novel strikes me as one long, tedious, often gruesome joke.

The author is all too often caught up with over elaborate depictions of tunnels and rooms, and the narrative is an endless series of moves through these spaces. But all too soon, they all begin to look and feel very much alike.

The science such as it is in this fiction is no doubt reasonably consistent, at an elementary school level, but it is often utterly pedantic and tiresome. Every now and then there is a pause and we are treated — if one can deign to call it that — to some excursus in some basic scientific principle. But really, reading any such thing in a school room textbook would be more interesting, and have better context.

As to characters, interactions, motivations? They are all utterly two dimensional and unappealing. There is no single, likable persona in the entire panoply of people presented to us here, and the author’s capacity for delineation of emotion and psychology and motivation is almost non-existent.

I rarely go to such lengths to warn strangers away from a work of fiction, but this one merits a big warning sign.

I have no idea how Reynolds gained any attention. Acts of nepotism, patting on the back, money changing hands all come to mind.

No thanks to this author for having wasted a moment of my precious time.

Reading this novel has been a truly nauseating experience. I’m one who has to push through to the end, so I will finish it. But I already know, with only a few pages left to go, that it was a horribly over long and tedious trip to get to the store and find it closed, out of business, with only an outhouse where I’d hoped I’d find at least a hot dog stand.

Infuriating. I think this author, like all too many British sci-fi authors, is at heart a misanthropic wannabe serial killer. Publication of this novel has been a crime against humanity. Shameful.

I'm nearly half way through the book, and *every* character is without any purpose, other than some sort ghostly hand of the author pushing them around. I *wish* they were at least 2D. This reads like a very complicated version of a teenager daydreaming about his favorite heroes having a Really Bad Time™.

Not worth buying; certainly not worth my time to finish.