Redemption Ark is the second book in the trilogy which narrates humankind’s epic battle with the Inhibitors who are trying to ‘cleanse’ the Universe of all intelligence life forms.
The first, Revelation Space, was the first book I had read by this writer after a recommendation from a colleague. I have to say I was very drawn to the Universe that Mr Reynolds has creared. He has great imagination but also enough technological savvy to know not to go too far with some of his ideas. The fact that his day job was until recently a scientist with the European Space Agency obviously has its benefits.
First off, the second book in any trilogy has the problem that it is setting up the finale of the sequence. (Here that book is Absolution Gap, which is already weighing down my bookshelf).
With that in mind, I was looking forward to my re-encounter with Reynolds’ universe.
My first problem, was that I had forgotten much of what had transpired in Revelation Space, so I had some catching up to do with some of the storylines and characters, but didn’t take long because the story was very quick in getting going.
There are basically three plot lines followed from the start: 1, The conjoiners, lead by Skade, and their waging of the war with the Demarchists and her own ambitions to recover, the so-called hell class weapons. Initially, allied to the Conjoiners, there is also Clavain, an ancient (over 400 years old) who may be doubting his loyalties. 2, The Triumvir, Ilia and her friend Ana Khouri who are still parked in orbit around the Resurgam system in their plague infested starship, Nostalgia for Infinity. They are busy trying to evacuate the planet as well as trying to fight off the Inhibitor menace with the hell-class weapons, which just happen to be aboard their vessel. Only problem being, the mad captain who has been subsumed by the melding plague into the ship. 3, Antoinette Bax and her partner, Xavier, who run a merchant ship, Storm Bird, out of the Rust Belt. They become involved when Antoinette needs help being rescued from a Gas Giant where she was scattering her father’s ashes. That help happens to be Clavain.
It might all sound very complicated and I suppose at times it is. But this doesn’t get in the way of an exciting, intelligent, absorbing novel which does set up the finale but is a very good yarn in its own right.
This is the third book I’ve read by Mr Reynolds and I must thank him for helping me regain my interest in a genre I had mostly given up on except for the occasional tome by Iain M Banks.
I look forward with some anticipation to Absolution Gap.
The first, Revelation Space, was the first book I had read by this writer after a recommendation from a colleague. I have to say I was very drawn to the Universe that Mr Reynolds has creared. He has great imagination but also enough technological savvy to know not to go too far with some of his ideas. The fact that his day job was until recently a scientist with the European Space Agency obviously has its benefits.
First off, the second book in any trilogy has the problem that it is setting up the finale of the sequence. (Here that book is Absolution Gap, which is already weighing down my bookshelf).
With that in mind, I was looking forward to my re-encounter with Reynolds’ universe.
My first problem, was that I had forgotten much of what had transpired in Revelation Space, so I had some catching up to do with some of the storylines and characters, but didn’t take long because the story was very quick in getting going.
There are basically three plot lines followed from the start: 1, The conjoiners, lead by Skade, and their waging of the war with the Demarchists and her own ambitions to recover, the so-called hell class weapons. Initially, allied to the Conjoiners, there is also Clavain, an ancient (over 400 years old) who may be doubting his loyalties. 2, The Triumvir, Ilia and her friend Ana Khouri who are still parked in orbit around the Resurgam system in their plague infested starship, Nostalgia for Infinity. They are busy trying to evacuate the planet as well as trying to fight off the Inhibitor menace with the hell-class weapons, which just happen to be aboard their vessel. Only problem being, the mad captain who has been subsumed by the melding plague into the ship. 3, Antoinette Bax and her partner, Xavier, who run a merchant ship, Storm Bird, out of the Rust Belt. They become involved when Antoinette needs help being rescued from a Gas Giant where she was scattering her father’s ashes. That help happens to be Clavain.
It might all sound very complicated and I suppose at times it is. But this doesn’t get in the way of an exciting, intelligent, absorbing novel which does set up the finale but is a very good yarn in its own right.
This is the third book I’ve read by Mr Reynolds and I must thank him for helping me regain my interest in a genre I had mostly given up on except for the occasional tome by Iain M Banks.
I look forward with some anticipation to Absolution Gap.
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