A quick book review.

[gridlore]

I just finished Alistair Reynolds' The Prefect, the seventh novel set in the Revelation Space universe. The setting is the Glitter Band, the ten thousand space habitats orbiting Yellowstone (which orbits Epsilon Eridani.) The story is set roughly a century before the main arc of stories for the setting.

This is possibly Reynolds' strongest novel to date. It follows the actions of several members of Panoply, the Glitter Band's police department. Their main duty is ensuring that the population is allowed to vote, along with investigating crimes that the habitats cannot handle. When an entire habitat is destroyed, with over 900 deaths, it falls to Field Prefect Tom Dreyfus to unravel the mystery.

This is a wonderful book. The story is a multi-layered onion of deceit, secrets, plots, and cover-ups. It's freaking film-noir, and I can totally see Bogart playing Dreyfus.At one point I was sure we had to be reaching the climax only to realize that I still had about half the book to go. Engaging characters, excellent pacing, and a plot that surprises you and keeps you guessing. If you like hard SF, mysteries, and good story telling, grab The Prefect. Best part is that is divorced from the other works in the series, so it can be enjoyed without knowing the other books.

Next up, I have a couple of Allen Steele novels to read.

Comments

[caraig.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I was looking for a good SF book to put into the wish list, and this sounds perfect. ^_^

[mikkop.livejournal.com]

I read The Prefect a couple of months ago, and yes, it is very good. I have read many, if not all of the Revelation space books, but most of them have something that I don't like. I don't know what it is but I haven't been exactly rushing out to read them.

The Prefect was almost perfect, in comparison. A very good book with a good plot and characters.

I should grab some Stross next - Saturn's children and I think I still don't have the most recent Merchant war novel. Also, I'm waiting for the sequel to Halting State.

[chaotic-nipple.livejournal.com]

most of them have something that I don't like

Is it the depressing realization that the genocidal robots who wanted to exterminate humanity for the Sake of the Future were objectively right? Man, what a depressing series. But it had some pretty damn cool bits in it. Who says transhumanist fiction has to be upbeat and hopeful?

[lysana.livejournal.com]

Oh, my, yes, that was a marvelous novel. Just finished it last week myself. The IT network/server guru at my company got me into Alistair Reynolds. Bless him.