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A review by komali_2
Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds
3.0
An imaginative and realistic sci-fi. If you needed something to replace the gap in your technological imagination that the departure of Star Trek created, this is it. You won't find jelly-bean buttons, but you will find plausible quantum-vaccuum energy sources, city-sized spaceships cloaked in hyperdiamond, and artful manipulation of DNA.
That being said, Alastair Reynolds makes some plot and character choices that are really goddamn aggravating. Sometimes, motives are *totally* out of touch, especially in the later books in the series. At the ending of the book, there is at least resolution, but there are times in getting there that you'll wonder, "what in the hell was this character thinking?" Humans may have found a way to travel at 99% lightspeed, but in Alastair Reynold's world, they haven't gotten much smarter.
Actually, some of the characters *are* really smart in fun ways, which is why I recommend it. It's fun to read about someone that understands particle physics enough to completely reprogram a 3 kilometer long spaceship as its flying through interstellar space at just about the same speed as a photon. I'll never be that smart, so instead I'll live vicariously through hot Russian space triumverates.
Book's long and could use another round of trim the fat editing, but you're gonna find that in most modern sci fi. Read it, get caught up in the series, it's inevitable.
That being said, Alastair Reynolds makes some plot and character choices that are really goddamn aggravating. Sometimes, motives are *totally* out of touch, especially in the later books in the series. At the ending of the book, there is at least resolution, but there are times in getting there that you'll wonder, "what in the hell was this character thinking?" Humans may have found a way to travel at 99% lightspeed, but in Alastair Reynold's world, they haven't gotten much smarter.
Actually, some of the characters *are* really smart in fun ways, which is why I recommend it. It's fun to read about someone that understands particle physics enough to completely reprogram a 3 kilometer long spaceship as its flying through interstellar space at just about the same speed as a photon. I'll never be that smart, so instead I'll live vicariously through hot Russian space triumverates.
Book's long and could use another round of trim the fat editing, but you're gonna find that in most modern sci fi. Read it, get caught up in the series, it's inevitable.