Alastair Reynolds is one of the newish faces of British SF. It's not so many years since he first hit the scene with Revelation Space, which really was a revelation. A great new space opera full of neat ideas, and characters that weren't just one-dimensional, and a plot with twists and turns that kept you going right up until the end. The sequels (Chasm City, Redemption Ark and now Absolution Gap) have not disappointed. They're all set in the same universe, and are a definite series in terms of long-term plot, though each probably stands fairly well on its own. Characters return from one to the next, despite spans of centuries, but new characters keep being woven in, along with the occasional new and interesting race of aliens, or unusual strain of humanity. This one weaves two stories in systems light-years apart in space and a quarter of a century apart in time. Gradually it becomes clear how they are connected, and why, but it's a great journey. I'd recommend these to anyone who loves good SF, and certainly recommend reading them through in order. A new novel, Century Rain, is due in October. Whether it's in the same series or something new I don't know, but I shall be looking forward to it. ( )

Livejournal entry ( )

Loved it! The story grabs you and sucks you right back into the Revelation Space universe. I'm still not sure about the ending, but I'll be sure to read the other stuff Reynolds writes.

http://yet.org/2008/05/le_gouffre_de_... ( )

In this next installment of the Revelation Space series, the story continues basically from where we left off in Redemption Ark, on the pattern juggler planet Ararat, but a couple of decades later. Clavain has stepped back from day-to-day running of the colony, but is called back to manage a new crisis: a reefer sleep casket was found in the ocean. Turns out it contains Khouri, who is chasing Skade after she transplanted her child from Khouri's womb to her own. Khouri's daughter is special, and is a link to developing technologies that will help the human race fight the inhibitors.

Roughly during this time, a small moon is colonized by a man named Quaiche who is infected with an indoctrinal virus, and when a miraculous momentary disappearance of a gas giant saves his life, he founds a religion based around the odd planet, around which the moon Hela orbits.

The story progresses to a showdown between humans and two other alien races besides the inhibitors.

I think my favorite character from this book has to be Scorpio, the hyperpig. His part in the story was great, and his character was amazing. I loved the writing, and how things ended with him were better than I thought they'd be.

I stand by my earlier reviews, and would highly recommend this entire series to anyone that enjoys good science fiction. Reynolds is a good author, and knows how to keep a reader turning pages. ( )