“Revelation Space” is an absolute must-have for any sci-fi fan. I’ve read almost all of Reynold’s books, including his short stories, and I’ve always felt he’s still just scratching the surface of this amazing universe.
This book is the first in the series, although not the first in the chronology of the “Revelation Space” universe. The plot follows two stories; archaeologist Dan Sylveste’s obsessive quest to find why the race of alien bird-men known as the Amarantin mysteriously died, and the search by the paranoid crew of the starship “Nostalgia for Infinity” to find a cure for their ailing Captain Brannigan.
At the center of this book, and all of Reynold’s books, is the question of the Fermi Paradox – if there is intelligent alien life out there in the galaxy, why haven’t we run into it? Reynolds vision is that of a galaxy devoid of sentient life, where a million alien races have all mysteriously vanished in a galactic cataclysm. As the inheritors of the empty galaxy, it is up to humanity to put together the pieces of what happened – and try and avoid the same fate…
Last week I wrote about active settings, and this is something that Reynolds does beautifully. The characters of “Revelation Space” have access to technology at the height of human existence, and digital clones, molecular engineering and interstellar travel is as commonplace as mobile phones are to us. However, Reynolds still gives life in his universe a lot of dirt, scars and drawbacks, so the technology is less of a free plot pass to get out of tricky situations and more of a way of immersing you in the far-flung future.
If I have a criticism, it’s that the characters of the book don’t undergo a lot of internal development. The arrogant Sylveste, the intractable weapons specialist Ilia Volyova and the secretive Ana Khouri all finish their plots with pretty much the same personalities as they started. However what makes this book impossible to put down is the layers of background Reynolds has given each character, weaving them into the setting of their world so that each could have walked into the plot of “Revelation Space” from their own novel-length story. Reynolds tantalizingly drip-feeds his plot points to the reader, often showing how characters in one plotline are missing the other half of the information they need from the characters in the other side of the story. As a reader I’m left tense and shaking as the two giant story arcs slowly begin to collide, uncovering the central mystery with horrifying clarity.
What did this book teach me about writing?
For “Revelation Space,” this would have to be the importance of backstory. Each character’s motivations are chiseled out of dozens of different details about their past. While most writers set up a few critical events prior to the first chapter of their story, Reynolds’ book is really just the dramatic closure of backstory events that began hundreds – or even millions – of years before the book’s opening.
That’s it for today, please join me again mid-week as we look at another illustrator. Once again, if you’ve liked this review, please report this to your feed and keep a lookout on this page for more updates!
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