gridlore | Now I just need to pre-order the fourth book. . . (Reply)

Absolution Gap by Alastair Reynolds

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alastair Reynolds does not deal with small concepts. In this, Book 3 of the Inhibitor series, we're taken on a wild ride of theoretical physics, impossible weapons, and amazing characters.

Let me start by saying that this is absolutely not a stand-alone novel. You have to have already read and thoroughly digested both Revelation Space and Redemption Ark to understand what is happening in this book.

The plot follows several threads spread over time. It starts in 2615 with a crewmember subject to the tyrannical captain of the lighthugger Gnostic Ascension nearly dying and witnessing a miracle on the icy gas giant moon he's named Hela. The plot then jumps to 2675 and the world Ararat, home to the survivors of the events of Redemption Ark. They learn that the Inhibitor War has come to them and that they must leave.

Parallel to this are the events unfolding on the plant Hela in 2727, where 17-year-old Rashmika Elsruns away from her home in search of a position among the great mobile cathedrals that circle Hela endlessly, waiting for the gas giant Haldora to blink from existence briefly. Able to tell instinctively when someone is lying, Rashmika quickly finds herself as an aide to the premier cleric on the planet.

It's when all these plots start to come together that things really get interesting. A lot of people complain that Reynolds' work is too dark in tone, that there's never really a win. I disagree. His vision is probably what we would face if we stepped out into deep space. But along the way, this novel continually builds hope in the strangest of places. Even the epilogue, in its own strange way, offers hope.

I will say that like most of Reynolds' books, this is not a light read. He loves getting into the mechanics of how his universe works, and at one point there is an explanation of string theory and branes that got me scrambling to read a little more on the subject. You have to pay attention to the details, for they are important.

The long-awaited fourth book in the series is finally coming out this fall, which prompted me to reread the series. I'm glad I did, as it is the kind of mind-expanding SF I love, all while obeying the laws of physics.

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