Revelation Space Review – Sci Fi Space Opera
An Epic Hard Science Fiction Novel by Welsh Author Alastair Reynolds
Aug 19, 2009
Welsh author Alastair Reynolds certainly knows the facts for writing hard science fiction. He has a PhD in astronomy and worked for the space research branch of the European Space Agency. Revelation Space, his first novel, was published in 2000 and was one of the nominations for the Arthur C. Clarke Award.
The Interweaving of Plot Strands in Revelation Space
In Revelation Space Alastair Reynolds weaves together different and initially unrelated plot strands.
The novel begins on the planet of Resurgam, where scientist Dan Sylveste is defiantly searching for the definitive truth behind the extinction of the 900,000 year old Amarantin civilization. An unknown cataclysmic force had previously wiped out their race leaving little behind on the now barren planet of Resurgam.
Meanwhile, aboard the vast interstellar ship Nostalgia for Infinity, a group of physically and genetically modified spacefarers scour the galaxy in search of Dan Sylveste. Sylveste is the one man who can potentially heal the vessels captain, a man riddled with a plague capable of infecting both biological organisms and advanced technology.
A third plot strand begins in Revelation Space on the planet of Yellowstone. In the now slum-infested Chasm City a female assassin called Ana Khouri is in the midst of a contract killing. She is sought out and pressed into service by the mysterious ‘Mademoiselle’, a shadowy figure intent on seeing Dan Sylveste dead.
The strands, and the characters, slowly merge together as the novel progresses through the Revelation Space universe.
Hard Science Fiction in the Epic Space Opera Revelation Space by Welsh Author Alastair Reynolds
The scientific background of Alastair Reynolds lends itself to the hard science fiction style of Revelation Space. Technology is highly advanced but not beyond the realms of human imagination, grounded in the possibilities of science. Faster than light travel is beyond human capabilities in the novel; the ‘lighthugger’ interstellar ships in Revelation Space reach near-light speed but never cross it.
Indeed, the elusive alien cultures in Revelation Space are the only ones who possess technologies beyond human understanding, and these technologies remain firmly out of reach and incomprehensible.
The Revelation Space universe is an often dirty, infected and barren place. Future technologies such as biological implants, genetic modification, and cloning abound but are all susceptible to infection, plague and hacking. Time frames are also skewed within the novel due to the effects of travel at near-light speeds.
The future vision of Alastair Reynolds is at the same time technologically advanced and vulnerable, lending itself to a space opera bound within the unwritten rules of hard science fiction.
Characterization Within the Hard Science Fiction of Alastair Reynolds’ Revelation Space
The characters within Revelation Space are heavily subjected to the effects of future technologies. Alistair Reynolds fills his universe with a multitude of scientific and technological possibilities which have an impact on his central characters. Implants get infected, interstellar time scales warp social interactions, and people exist as electronic copies of their former selves.
While Reynolds’ space opera abounds with scientific ideas, a possible criticism could be directed towards his characterization. While the dialogue is strong and the interactions between the central characters are believable, sometimes the characters seem a little flat.
In a perilous universe filled with modified, unstable humans there is a lack of powerful emotion. The central characters in Revelation Space are at times too cool and calm; a sense of real fear or aggression, hatred or disgust is rarely felt amongst such a disparate group of backstabbers and killers.
However, Alastair Reynolds’ epic novel is powerful enough as a whole to leave the reader with a sense of wonder at the undiscovered possibilities of space and the potential of human scientific and technological advancement.
Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds is published by Gollancz (2001, ISBN 9781857987485)
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