Absolution Gap is the third and final book in the sequence started by Revelation Space and almost neatly concludes the story of humankind’s near nemesis thanks to the Inhibitors.
The book is written in two main strands, one set on the planet of Ararat and the other set on the moon, Hela, 50 years in the future where a strange religion exists just to see the short disappearances of the local gas giant that are peculiar to the region.
On Ararat, the refugees of Resurgam destroyed in Redemption Ark, now live together with Scorpio, the pig, and Clavain. Clavain wants nothing more to do with humankind but is persuaded against his better judgment to help deal with a unopened escape capsule that has been picked up in the sea.
On opening, it is found to be Ana Khouri, one of the triumvir from the original book and who is now looking to get her baby, Aura, back. Apparently, Aura is a true space child, and although unborn she has been given implants already and has been helping mankind develop better weapons to fight the Inhibitors. Unfortunately, the conjoiner baddy, ( Can’t remember her name here), has stolen Aura and implanted her in herself.
Anyway, Aura is recovered at some cost and they all have to leave in the Nostalgia for Infinity because the Inhibitors are in the system. Eventually, they decide to journey to Hela via Yellowstone because of messages received. Unfortunately, on arriving at Yellowstone, disaster has struck and the Inhibitors have already wiped it out, so they go on to Hela.
By the time they arrive 50 years has passed and we’ve caught up with that strand of the story.
On Hela, an alien culture called the Scuttlers, was wiped out millennia ago. It is thought that the Inhibitors were to blame. Hela is an ice bound moon where people either dig for artefacts or observe the disappearances of the gas giant. Leading this cult is… who has his eyes perpetually open so that he doesn’t miss a disappearance of the gas giant. On Hela, cathedrals perpetually circle the world so that no disappearance is missed.
When the Nostalgia for Infinity arrives, both these worlds collide and a resolution to the trilogy is arrived at. In some ways, it is fitting for the universe that Reynolds has created but in other ways it is a bit unsatisfying, in that the destruction of the Inhibitors is summarised in a 2 page epilogue which seems to have been thrown in as an add in.
By the way, the Absolution Gap, is a planet circling chasm that goes round Hela and which has as bridge spanning it at one point. This bridge spans the so-called Absolution Gap.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
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