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Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds
01/07/2008 . Source: Laura Kayne 
pub: Gollancz. 585 page enlarged paperback. Price: £ 7.99 (UK only). ISBN: 978-0-575-08908-5. Buy Revelation Space in the USA - or Buy Revelation Space in the UK  check out website: www.orionbooks.co.uk
Five hundred years in the future, humankind has colonised space and have found that they are not the first to do so. The Amarantin were wiped out nine hundred years ago, in the midst of exploring their own star system by the mysterious and sudden explosion of their sun known as The Event.
The human colonists now settling the Amarantin homeworld, Resurgan, only take a vague academic interest in them, though, save for a handful of scientists, led by Dan Sylveste, who is convinced that that something wiped out the Amarantins for a reason. Sylveste argues, that humanity would be wise to learn and take notice of the reason. Sylveste is the only living survivor of a trip to Lascaille's Shroud, a twisted and alien region of space called 'revelation space' by Lascaille himself - the only other person ever to survive a trip to the Shroud and who passed on this information to Sylveste.
'Revelation space' according to Lascaille, gave him contact with a race so alien it almost destroyed his mind, a race that gave him answers to life and the universe if only he could decipher them. Sylveste also, although surviving his trip, is unable to process the information he gained within the Shroud. Now Sylveste wonders if there is a link between the Shroud and the destruction of the Amarantins and works to learn more about both in order to space humanity the same fate as the Amarantin.
Meanwhile, an assassin named Khori and the crew of a militant spaceship are all searching for Sylveste, for two reasons which soon converge into one once Khori is taken aboard the ship and made one of the crew an engineer named Volyova. Hidden histories and agents guide Khori and Volyova in the same direction even as they don't realise it, to a meeting with Sylveste that will eventually lead to the discovery of the truth about the Amarantins. Volyova encounters a mysterious entity known as Sun Stealer whilst Sylveste uncovers new evidence of a separate group of Amarantins that may have escaped Resurgen before The Event took place.
As the destinies of Sylveste, Khori and Volyova begin to merge and threads of history are unravelled, the truth is slowly revealed, connections exposed and new ones forged. Events set in motion centuries earlier come to a head as Sylveste, Khori and Volyova learn the truth about Sun Stealer, the Amarantins, The Event and Lascaille's Shroud.
'Revelation Space' is a compelling and mysterious space epic, combining a centuries old puzzle and an individual's singular journey. It is both a thriller and an adventure tale. Reynold's characters are original and flawed, futuristic and also human enough to believe in. The rich levels of his storytelling are engaging, imaginative and ambitious. The final revelation puts a clever twist on the title and turns the whole book into a kind of 'revelation space' itself as the mystery of the Amarantins is finally revealed.
The various threads of story, interweaving and eventually coming together for the epic conclusion are carefully constructed, separate enough to be intriguing to the reader and to keep you guessing. The story spans decades and light years yet keeps a steady pace with just enough tension to keep you reading and wanting more yet also able to enjoy the rich, descriptive world and visual characters that Reynolds' story is told through. 'Revelation Space' has been included in the Gollancz future classics series for a reason - read it!
Laura Kayne
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