Revelation Space (Revelation Space, #1) by Alastair Reynolds Narrator: John Lee
Series: Revelation Space #1
Published by Ace Books on January 1, 2000
Genres: Science-Fiction, Hard Science-Fiction
Pages: 585
Length: 22 hrs and 12 mins
Format: Audiobook, eBook
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Overal Rating:
Nine hundred thousand years ago, something wiped out the Amarantin.
For the humans now settling the Amarantin homeworld, it's of little more than academic interest, even after the discovery of a long-hidden, almost perfect city and a colossal statue of a winged Amarantin.
For brilliant, ruthless scientist Dan Sylveste, it's more than merely intellectual curiosity - and he will stop at nothing to get at the truth. Even if it costs him everything.
But the Amarantin were wiped out for a reason, and that danger is closer and greater than even Syveste imagines...
The original novel in the epic series, Revelation Space was nominated for both the BSFA and Arthur C. Clarke awards. Reynolds' PhD in astronomy and experience with the ESA means that his space operas present hard science spins on intergalactic adventures and have impacted SF for years.
I didn’t read this book at my best, so it took me longer than usual. Given it’s a dense, complex story, and I had a case of December brain, I’m glad I was able to enjoy it. This isn’t an easy book; it requires some work from the reader, as it drops dozens of new concepts, crafting a rich worldbuilding that will delight anyone into sci-fi. I loved how Reynolds left the reader crumbs here and there about facts and events without giving all the information, making you wonder and try to piece things together.
I didn’t especially like any of the characters, but I somehow could relate to Sylveste and his hunger for knowledge, even though he’s an ass sometimes. Volyova is a hard-to-love woman, but she grew on me, and I’m glad I will get to see more of her in future books.
While I found the “pseudo-science” aspects of the story fascinating, it was a bit too dense at times, slowing the pace and making the story harder to digest at times. It was definitely what slowed me down.
I mostly read this on my Kindle, but I listened to parts of the audiobook as a way of digesting things and because I loved some of the passages so much that I wanted to relive them. I think starting with audio would have been challenging, given all the new concepts Reynolds throws at us, but I think I’ll try to listen to the rest of the series, as audiobooks make it easier for me to go through concept-dense paragraphs if my case of December brain continues.
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My name is Elena. Since I was a little child I loved science fiction and fantasy, and I can’t resist a good novel. In 2015, while wait I started to listen to audiobooks and I discovered the pleasure in being able to read while doing my daily tasks, so there’s always an audiobook playing on my phone. If you see me with my Bluetooth headphones on, please be gentle, I get easily startled.
I live with my boyfriend, which I met during my six-year stay in Belgium, four cockatiels, eight lovebirds, and a hamster in Madrid, Spain; and I like to spend my free time knitting and sewing while listening to audiobooks.
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