It’s not very often, but once in a while, I come across books that are so great
that I have to share them with everyone.
This time, it’s a science fiction
trilogy written by a British author named Alastair Reynolds. The books
are:
I would qualify his science between "hard" (e.g. Arthur C. Clarke) and pure
fantasy (e.g. Perry Rhodan). A lot of the technology used in these books
are rooted in the latest physics theories (including brane worlds!) but from
there, he comes up with some very creative and innovative ideas that help carry
the plot along.
Reynolds’ writing is deep and detailed (as with most British
authors, I found) and his storytelling arcs over the three books with a lot of
cleverness and a sense of reflection that has made me like science fiction
literature again. I won’t disclose anything about these books except for
the general idea: if there is intelligent life out there, how come we
never encountered it?
Reynolds has his own interpretation to this paradox and he shares it with us
through colorful and complex characters thrown into chaotic events that advance
ineluctably with sophisticated twists and relentless action.
This is a saga with a background theme that is slowly emerging through the books
and that he advances by telling multiple unrelated stories at first but which
slowly converge toward their climax (not unlike Hyperion or Perry Rhodan).
Some of these unrelated threads are also told at different periods of time,
which reinforces the feeling of a grand odyssey that is rooted deep in our past
and that has sweeping and possibly devastating consequences for the future of the
human race.
Page turners that makes you think.
#1 by Jean-Marc on June 1, 2006 - 2:04 pm
Thanks for the recommendations. Did you read Isaak Azimivos [1] books? If not, I can higly recommend them, specialy the robot series and the foundation trilogy. Habe fun.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Azimov
#2 by Radu on June 1, 2006 - 2:14 pm
My all time favorite would be Orson Scott Card’s trilogy: Ender’s Game, Speaker for the Dead and Xenocide. I’ve read lots of sci-fi’s, but I literally couldn’t put these down. Dune and Foundation fight for a distant second place.
#3 by Anonymous on June 1, 2006 - 2:14 pm
My all time favorite would be Orson Scott Card’s trilogy: Ender’s Game, Speaker for the Dead and Xenocide. I’ve read lots of sci-fi’s, but I literally couldn’t put these down. Dune and Foundation fight for a distant second place.
#4 by jude on June 1, 2006 - 2:21 pm
Check out Reynolds’ Chasm City book as well. It’s set in the same universe as these other books.
#5 by Anonymous Coward on June 1, 2006 - 4:12 pm
I was going to mention “Ender’s Game” as well… But Radu already mentionned it. Note that Orson Scott Card, just as Celine (french author) are considered by many to be “politically incorrect”.
#6 by Daniel Wintschel on June 1, 2006 - 7:42 pm
I’ll put in a 3rd vote for Ender’s Game (again) – and also throw in the Rama series by Arthur C. Clarke. Excellent stuff.
#7 by Manuel Montoro on June 2, 2006 - 12:19 am
I would recommend also anything by Charles Stross. Pretty rigurous physics too.
#8 by Lukas on June 2, 2006 - 1:44 am
I just have read Stross Accelerando. It is released under CC and can be downloaded.
#9 by Nicolas Delsaux on June 2, 2006 - 2:15 am
Sorry, but link content will be in french. So, You can take a look at my posts on Reynolds’ books at http://nicolas-delsaux.is-a-geek.net/wordpress/index.php?s=reynolds
To my minds, approaching authors are Vernor Vinge (“A deepness in the sky” : http://nicolas-delsaux.is-a-geek.net/wordpress/index.php/archives/2003/au-trefonds-du-ciel/),
Iain M Banks with the whole Culture cycle (my preferred one is Excession). But one could also mention authors in the new space opera bandwagon … for which you can read this article (also in french) http://www.cafardcosmique.com/Critik/critik/r/Reynolds.Alastair/Reynolds.DiamondTurquoise.html
#10 by Lyndon on June 2, 2006 - 5:24 am
You need to read the books by Vernor Vinge, a great author as well as a CompSci Lecturer.
Stephen Donaldsons Gap series is great entertainment.
Stephen F Hamiltons Reality Dysfunction series is also excellent.
#11 by Lyndon on June 2, 2006 - 5:26 am
You need to read the books by Vernor Vinge, a great author as well as a CompSci Lecturer.
Stephen Donaldsons Gap series is great entertainment.
Stephen F Hamiltons Reality Dysfunction series is also excellent.
#12 by Razvan on June 2, 2006 - 5:27 am
I read Absolution Gap, but was not so impressed. Although I have a feeling it’s the weaker book in the series… Definitely hard sf, in the likes of Vernor Vinge. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to read much sf after Richard Morgan’s Takeshi Kovacs trilogy. Everything seems a bit soft afterwards.
#13 by Razvan on June 2, 2006 - 5:28 am
I read Absolution Gap, but was not so impressed. Although I have a feeling it’s the weaker book in the series… Definitely hard sf, in the likes of Vernor Vinge. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to read much sf after Richard Morgan’s Takeshi Kovacs trilogy. Everything seems a bit soft afterwards.
#14 by Razvan on June 2, 2006 - 5:28 am
I read Absolution Gap, but was not so impressed. Although I have a feeling it’s the weaker book in the series… Definitely hard sf, in the likes of Vernor Vinge. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to read much sf after Richard Morgan’s Takeshi Kovacs trilogy. Everything seems a bit soft afterwards.
#15 by Anonymous on June 2, 2006 - 5:29 am
Ooops, triple post. Got a server error every time.
#16 by Grant on June 2, 2006 - 7:41 am
I’ll have to look into these books.
My personal recommendations:
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/FAPXGXSZFGD3/701-8206551-2238702?%5Fencoding=UTF8
#17 by Justin Lee on June 2, 2006 - 10:42 am
Hey, Cedric. Thanks for the recommendations. I’ll check those out. I have one of my own. I’ve really been enjoying Jack McDevitt’s stuff lately, too.
#18 by Justin Lee on June 2, 2006 - 10:43 am
Hey, Cedric. Thanks for the recommendations. I’ll check those out. I have one of my own. I’ve really been enjoying Jack McDevitt’s stuff lately, too.
#19 by Robert Konigsberg on June 2, 2006 - 11:26 am
Cedric, how would you compare the use of science to Lem? I suspect that’s a bit of an unfair comparison, but I’m all ears.
#20 by Joseph Ottinger on June 5, 2006 - 4:53 am
One of my recent favourites: John Harrison’s “Light.” A review can be found at http://www.complete-review.com/reviews/harrismj/light.htm – it’s really a great book.
#21 by Randy on June 15, 2006 - 10:12 am
With regard to Orson Scott Card’s books, Ender’s Game, Ender’s Shadow, and Shadow of the Hegemon are the ones that kept me enthralled. I find myself re-reading those three books every few years.
#22 by Kim Bille on June 27, 2006 - 3:08 pm
On wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alastair_Reynolds#Revelation_Space_collections it seems to state that the “Revelation Space”-trilogi has four books 🙂
#23 by Ashwin Jayaprakash on August 5, 2006 - 1:44 am
Iain Banks has a smooth writing style, blending superb storytelling and ultra futuristic sci-fi (Algebraist and Look to Windward).
Greg Bear’s – Moving Mars, Vitals and Darwin’s Children are a little different, addressing more “real issues” with stories set in the not so distant future.
Card’s “Redemption of Christopher Columbus” is far better than the Ender series because this one is about altenative/what-if histories.
The list is never complete without Stephen Baxter’s – Ring and TimeShips.
Regards,
Ashwin (www.JavaForU.com).
#24 by Joonas on January 9, 2007 - 6:07 am
Late comment, but still:
Absolution Gap really is not a place to get started with Revelation Space. It’s very much a finale and its own story is something of a sidenote to the big stuff, which you won’t make much sence of without reading the previous books.
I’ll put another recommendation in for Vernor Vinge. Good stuff: easily digestable, yet smart and very much with a flavor of his own. Still, these both gentlemen are firmly in the “new space opera” niche.
#25 by andrej on February 16, 2012 - 7:44 am
greg egan’s books are safe bet – great hardcore scifi. mcdevitt’s ‘the engines of god’ and ‘ancient shores’ are great too. i also like the clifford simak’s soft scifi works ‘city’ and my beloved ‘the big front yard’