Chasm City, Alastair Reynolds
“Chasm City” is an outstanding combination of hard science fiction taking place in a gothic realm of fantasies and nightmares. It’s one of the few works I’ve read where I’ve felt awed by the setting itself (“Neverwhere” would be another one of those works) and the setting is elaborately woven into the fabric of the story, never becoming the main purpose of the work, but at the same time shaping the story itself by its mere presence. Yes, I loved “Chasm City”. It’s kinda weird when I found a science fiction book where some of the best bits are the setting, and the story is as good as anything else I’ve read. Yeah, certain plot moves made me unsure at times, but the payoff is there in full.
It is one of the best books I can remember reading. I love the feel of the work, I love the story, I love the implications of the story, I love the cast, I love their interaction, the writing is good — spot on for the task at hand. It’s told in the first person, giving insights into the protagonists mind, which only serves to muddle our understanding of the world he walks through.
Reynolds delivers in the extreme, if you like dark and story driven science fiction, read “Chasm City”. It is going to be a reference point for me for a long time.
on May 19th, 2008 at 05:51
[...] is worth reading, but it’s not something I’d feel horrid for missing. Not like “Chasm City” anyway, that still stands out for me as Reynolds’ crux. He’s written something [...]
on August 1st, 2008 at 22:33
[...] dazzled me with how good Chasm City was, and I was recommended “Pushing Ice” as “something I might like” from [...]
on November 10th, 2009 at 21:47
[...] really, at the end of the day it’s not “Chasm City“, nor is it “Neuropath“. “Issues” are left in the mundane, but [...]