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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Enjoyed roughly two-thirds of it, but really disliked the last third, and especially the ending.
Great continuation to the so called Dreyfus emergencies. The twists and turns Reynolds is putting us through with this series are brutal. There's one part where everyone who has been thinking of Dreyfus as a paladin will have their jaw drop... So enjoy. I'm definitely reading the next one when it comes out in September.
Alastair Reynolds, Revelation Space universe and John Lee narrating - Perfect Bliss
The second Dreyfuss novel takes off more or less immediately after the first and even though there are 10 years between the publication and my reading of them, i felt very instantly at home in the revelation space universe, the few important references to the first novel was quickly recapped as part of the narrative.
As usual it's a mixture of grand scale Space Opera and a small cast detective noir storyline, it's a wild ride with a lot of action, but unfortunately also with some obviously plot holes in a story that could have been a 5 star experience.
The second Dreyfuss novel takes off more or less immediately after the first and even though there are 10 years between the publication and my reading of them, i felt very instantly at home in the revelation space universe, the few important references to the first novel was quickly recapped as part of the narrative.
As usual it's a mixture of grand scale Space Opera and a small cast detective noir storyline, it's a wild ride with a lot of action, but unfortunately also with some obviously plot holes in a story that could have been a 5 star experience.
A short review this time, as I didn't finish.
But wait, how can you review a book you didn't finish and why are you giving it so many stars?
To be honest, this is all on me. When I requested the book, I didn't realize it was a sequel. I just knew it was Alastair Reynolds and I had really liked some of his previous works. I dove in and soon realized I was missing a chunk of information, and though the book does an excellent job of parcelling it out in bits and pieces that feel digestible and don't interfere with the flow, the perfectionist in me demands I read the first as well. I don't actually think it's necessary; you can pick the series up at book two and be perfectly fine. But I loved the world Reynolds created and laid out on the pages, and I wanted to see more, and isn't that endorsement enough?
After making it only about one hundred pages in, I was wholly on board with the world and the situation he had laid out. The characters felt open and honest, the world-building top notch as you would expect from Reynolds. I'm looking forward to this immensely, once I've gone back and read the first- cheers!
Thank you to NetGalley for the book.
But wait, how can you review a book you didn't finish and why are you giving it so many stars?
To be honest, this is all on me. When I requested the book, I didn't realize it was a sequel. I just knew it was Alastair Reynolds and I had really liked some of his previous works. I dove in and soon realized I was missing a chunk of information, and though the book does an excellent job of parcelling it out in bits and pieces that feel digestible and don't interfere with the flow, the perfectionist in me demands I read the first as well. I don't actually think it's necessary; you can pick the series up at book two and be perfectly fine. But I loved the world Reynolds created and laid out on the pages, and I wanted to see more, and isn't that endorsement enough?
After making it only about one hundred pages in, I was wholly on board with the world and the situation he had laid out. The characters felt open and honest, the world-building top notch as you would expect from Reynolds. I'm looking forward to this immensely, once I've gone back and read the first- cheers!
Thank you to NetGalley for the book.
This is a sequel to The Prefect, and a part of the wider Revelation Space series, but it's not essential to have read the other books before this one (I read The Prefect about ten years ago and given that these days I can't remember what I had for breakfast by half past two I was a bit daunted about jumping straight into this one, but I needn't have been).
Good Sf should always reflect the times in which it was written, and this is probably Reynolds' most political novel yet. Reynolds of course spent a large part of his career in Europe, and this book is haunted by Brexit. A key plot element concerns a demagogue whipping up secessionary sentiment, and there's an underlying theme about the use and fragility of democracy. But it's not a dull, dry read. There is more of a crime novel feeling than his previous books, with plenty of incident and mystery. The action keeps rollicking along, with well timed shifts and developments in the case. The very end is possibly slightly too infodumpy but it's a niggle, that's all. I suspect that given the simultaneous rebranding of The Prefect to Aurora Rising, this is intended to kickstart a Dreyfus series, and I'll happily be along for the ride.
Good Sf should always reflect the times in which it was written, and this is probably Reynolds' most political novel yet. Reynolds of course spent a large part of his career in Europe, and this book is haunted by Brexit. A key plot element concerns a demagogue whipping up secessionary sentiment, and there's an underlying theme about the use and fragility of democracy. But it's not a dull, dry read. There is more of a crime novel feeling than his previous books, with plenty of incident and mystery. The action keeps rollicking along, with well timed shifts and developments in the case. The very end is possibly slightly too infodumpy but it's a niggle, that's all. I suspect that given the simultaneous rebranding of The Prefect to Aurora Rising, this is intended to kickstart a Dreyfus series, and I'll happily be along for the ride.
Série Odhalený vesmír patří k tomu nejlepšímu co jsem v žánru četl, dokonce se mi před mnoha lety stala svým způsobem iniciační do sci-fi literatury a bylo by tedy skvělé se do Reynoldsova světa zase po dlouhé době vrátit... no a kupodivu nebylo.
Problémů bych našel víc, od předvídatelnosti po mnou nepochopené (podivné) motivy záporáků, ale ten hlavní asi byl, že mi kniha přišla jen jako takový tuctový záznam policejní procedurální práce, za využití jen velmi malého fragmentu světa Odhaleného vesmíru, bez nějakých nových, originálních a uspokojivých technologických nápadů, jakými Alastair Reynolds v sérii dřív dokázal udivovat.
Nechci působit jen jako kverulant, ale plusy se mi hledají jen opravdu těžko, takže v mém hodnocení se kladně odráží v podstatě jen nostalgický pocit jaký jsem zažíval při návratu do světa Odhaleného vesmíru.
Problémů bych našel víc, od předvídatelnosti po mnou nepochopené (podivné) motivy záporáků, ale ten hlavní asi byl, že mi kniha přišla jen jako takový tuctový záznam policejní procedurální práce, za využití jen velmi malého fragmentu světa Odhaleného vesmíru, bez nějakých nových, originálních a uspokojivých technologických nápadů, jakými Alastair Reynolds v sérii dřív dokázal udivovat.
Nechci působit jen jako kverulant, ale plusy se mi hledají jen opravdu těžko, takže v mém hodnocení se kladně odráží v podstatě jen nostalgický pocit jaký jsem zažíval při návratu do světa Odhaleného vesmíru.
Elysium Fire was a brilliantly creeping and engaging space opera. I'm not sure how creepy it's meant to be, but I have a (genuine) fear of abandoned space stations and they visit about 4 over the course of this novel. It's nice to see the characters from Aurora Rising fleshed out a little more, especially Sparver, although I wish we'd seen a bit more of Thalia. The story it tells is complicated, told across two different timeframes, with many different POVs. Somehow, it still doesn't feel crazy fast-paced, which is both a blessing and a curse. It did take me forever to finish, but it's also impressive that 400 pages that were jam-packed with plot didn't feel hurried. The twists & turns of the story are great - some are guessable, some will have you kicking yourself, and others come totally out of the blue. I really was still guessing right up until the end - and I mean the end as the book ends on a slightly ambiguous note. Honestly, I wish the ending had been a little clearer, as my understanding is there isn't a direct sequel to Elysium Fire meaning we'll be left with some of these loose threads forever. That being said, the main storyline itself is wrapped up well, and it can be nice to really have the impression of this just being a small snapshot of the life in the Glitter Band. Where the last book had a lot of interesting exploration of democracy, this one had a number of moral/ethical quandaries that I also found really fascinating. All in all, I thought this was a really great complex story, and I'm so glad I finally read it.
(Also: I must give kudos to Reynolds for the diversity of this novel. You'd think that would be kind of obvious in a sci-fi novel - they're in the future AND in space - but it can actually be really rare. I was so goddamn excited to see a non-binary character in sci-fi - good work Alistair)
Spoiler
Aurora and the Clockmaker are still out there and they're not sure who is inhabiting a body at the end?? (it's complicated to explain)(Also: I must give kudos to Reynolds for the diversity of this novel. You'd think that would be kind of obvious in a sci-fi novel - they're in the future AND in space - but it can actually be really rare. I was so goddamn excited to see a non-binary character in sci-fi - good work Alistair)
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes