Mare Somniorum

Er. Uhm. Whow.

Okay, I admit that it took about 150 pages for it to grip me. I admit that I read it with less of a constant awe factor than “Chasm City” instilled on me. I admit that I didn’t get all swooned by the story for quite some time. But above all, I admit that sometimes you just don’t see a good thing until it smacks you in the face.

“Revelation Space” is complex. It doesn’t seek to be simple in any way at all. It revels in the realm of science fiction and it presents concepts far outside of most peoples minds in a fashion not unlike how most people would present a cup of tea. It just is, there is extremely little techobabble, some minor stuff here and there, but mosly it’s a case of “this makes sense if you know some stuff, if not, accept it”. It reads like the novel was written for the realm in which its set, not for the realm the reader (most likely) inhabits.

The characters are strong and even the minor ones take on a life of their own. Reynolds is damn good at giving life to a character in very few lines, and it’s done in a fashion that leaves a lot of the extrapolations to the reader, which is honestly a thrill for me. I enjoy trying to understand the character, and sometimes being wrong or surprised at their actions. Especially as the author shows that he’s got things under control. Big yummyness.

The plot… Well, it’s grand, yet not “typical”. It’s big but at the same time very condensed. It’s mind-boggling, but still possible to wrap inside your head. And it’ll keep you trying to pry out its secrets until the very last pages. Very good stuff.

I’m not the slightest bit surprised that the book got “Best science fiction novel of the year” by Science Fiction Chronicle when it was released in 2000. It is damn good. It might start off slow, and I do admit that “Chasm City” is better paced, but “Revelation Space” is a roller coaster to a much higher degree than “Chasm City” is. And a roller coaster needs to do a bit of climbing before we can get into the high G maneuvers. Is it worth a read? Yeah, it is. It is very much worth a read.

Oh, and as another side note. The book is self-contained. You don’t have to pick up the next book in the same saga (“Redemption Ark”) to get a conclusion to the story. Apart from giving the reader a lot more freedom, it also leaves the books a lot more on their own, which is a good thing for a reader, and a scary thing for an author. Personally, I’m going to pick up “The utility of force”, and possibly “Permutation City”, before I continue with the Revelation Space saga, as good as it seems to be.