Rating: 
Summary: An Excellent Read
Review: Alastair Reynold's strength comes from the fact that he has crafted a truly remarkable world, with extraordinarily imaginative beings. His greatest triumph, however, is that he has brought back what the sci-fi genre truly needs: REAL SCIENCE. This novel is for those of us who love Robert Heinlen, Poul Anderson, Larry Niven, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke.Too many people were brought up with Star Wars and Star Trek which are 95% fantasy and 5% melodrama. As good as they may be, they have NOTHING to do with science fiction. Reynolds uses both fantasy elements and science elements to create a strange and horrific, yet alluring vision of the future. A place where humans have reshaped themselves into things almost unrecognizable, where you can travel to other worlds only if you're willing to forever leave behind your family and friends. Redemption Ark is not as good as Revelation Space. Part of the attraction I found to Revelation Space was the feeling of a vast history that is merely referred to by the characters but never shown the reader. I found the mystery of this undiscovered knowledge to be attractive. Redemption Ark reveals the answers to many questions, and though it brings up many questions of its own, it takes away from that alluring mystery. Again, the book contains multiple plot lines just like Chasm City and Revelation Space. The style is relatively the same, lacking in characterization but very strong in style, science, and intelligence. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys REAL science fiction, not dumbed down nonsense that condenses easily into a 1 hour tv program (hint hint: star trek).
Rating:
Summary: Reynolds' Best Work of Fiction to date
Review: Alastair Reynolds confirms his reputation as one of our finest hard science science fiction writers in this worlds-spanning sequel to "Revelation Space". Here he shows why he's Arthur C. Clarke's literary heir, posing many of the same technological and religious questions found in many of Clarke's finest works of fiction. Two factions of humanity - the group-mind Conjoiners and the Demarchists - are in the midst of a civil war with the Conjoiners on the verge of victory. However - unknown to the rest of humanity - Conjoiner expeditions into the farthest reaches of interstellar space have stumbled upon a machine intelligence - known as the Inhibitors (referred to as wolves by the Conjoiners) - dedicated to eradicating all emergent intelligence - namely new spacefaring civlizations - within the galaxy. The inhibitors are billions of years old, dating from a remote past near the time of the Dawn War. Soon the Conjoiners build themselves an exodus fleet, hoping to flee before humanity is the next sapient species exterminated by the Inhibitors. One Conjoiner, Neil Clavain - a former Demarchist warrior who defected - flees to the planet Yellowstone and its major city, Chasm City, intending to warn the rest of humanity of the imminent threat and to seek out secret Conjoiner weapons hidden in the Delta Pavonis solar system which may be humanity's last hope against the Inhibitors. Meanwhile the lighthugger starship Nostalgia for Infinity, is still in the Delta Pavonis system, under the nominal command of Ilya Voloyva, the Triumvir of the planet Resurgam. Both she and Ana Khouri, now an operative of the Resurgam government, are aware of the Inhibitor's radical transformation of the outer reaches of the Delta Pavonis system, creating a superweapon which will destroy again all intelligent life on Resurgam. "Redemption Ark" is a spellbinding rollercaster of a ride. It is one of the best written space operas I have come across, replete with excellent characters and drama. Not only is it one of the finest science fiction novels of 2003 (American publication date), but remains on the top of my list as among the best in the last fourteen years.
Rating:
Summary: Best of the Best right now
Review: Alastair Reynolds has it, and he is running with it. Somehow out of a genre that hasn't had much interesting things happen to it in recent history (I think) Alastair has created a unique and highly colorful landscape of technology, characters, motivations, and catastrophes that is simply incredible. I usually read fantasy, but I picked up Revelation Space and couldn't just stop with that one and continued on with Chasm city and now, Redemption Ark the newest book in his science fiction futuristic series. The complexity of this book alone should win awards within literary circles, the sheer number of plots, subplots and threads of storyline is staggering, but somehow, surprisingly, Reynolds weaves it all together and the reader is completely in the story for the entire length of the book. I think that this is probably one of the best books out today for science fiction or for fantasy, and I highly recommend reading this book to whoever has a rainy Sunday to read good literature (good luck putting it down once you start.). I highly anticipate the new book in the series and hope it is as good as the last 2. Thank you Alastair for bringing some excellent literature to this genre of writing.
Rating: 
Summary: Mulit-layered and fast paced
Review: Although I think this book is a step behind the first two in this space-opera, Chasm City and Revelation Space, it's got Reynolds' usual superb complexity of sub-plots all headed for a collision, which keeps you turning the pages and reading every word. The biggest flaw is the let-down ending, which does not really solve the author's central plot problem and so leaves you hanging. Perhaps he's got another three books to follow? At least he kept me rapt until the last chapter or two before the let-down.
Rating:
Summary: More great Reynolds!!!!!
Review: Chasm City, and the Revelation Space books, bring to life a universe, that is as rich, dark, and weird as the early Greg Bear novels. If you like your science fiction hard and fast, with rich characters, these books are for you. Reynolds somehow brings the tremendously long distances and time spans between stars up to the speed of heat in his "lighthuggers" (relativistic starships) in Revelation Space, and describes a culture that had great wealth in technology, and lost it in Chasm City. So, go find yourself an intelligent weapon of planetary destruction in your lighthugger weapons bay, get your mods implants, and get ready for some kick-ass gunnery training. Sci-Fi doesn't get much better than this.
Rating: 
Summary: Running out of steam....
Review: First, I'd give Revelation Space and Chasm City 5 stars. Both are masterpieces. This book retains some of the same brilliant energy and gnarly braininess, but just feels padded out toward the end. The ideas are there, the plot is good, but it could have had about 200 pages hacked out and been a far better book. Still a good read, but I think I'll lay off the Reynolds for awhile...I feel a little betrayed.
Rating:
Summary: ...tears in my eyes dude...
Review: I just read Revelation Space(re-read), Chasm City, and now this book, all in the last 3 weeks. What an trip! I usually prefer fantasy-especially Gene Wolfe-but I have to say, this book was delightfuly and surprisingly "human" for a "hard sci fi" novel. Dont get me wrong. It has intricacies of plot and characterization and oogles and shmoogles of "hard-science" (you might actually learn something! wow!). But it is a work that I found very edifying to the soul on a spiritual level. This is a great series and I cannot wait to read Absolution Gap. I actually loved the ending. I recommend you read them in this order 1.Revelation Space 2.Chasm City 3.Redemption Ark 4.Absolution Gap.(Chasm City is a prelude and not part of the trilogy but this is the order that they were written in, and the order that you will find them most enjoyable.)
Rating:
Summary: A Gripping Hard SF Story
Review: I marvel at the mind of Alatair Reynolds, and wonder how he was able to create this universe of complex characters and plots that swept me away. For the last 2 days I put my life on hold and devoted every available minute to reading Redemption Ark.
There is a savage enemy that is determined to eradicate humanity, and a host of fascinating characters who, each in his/her own way, works to defeat it.
Clavain's story becomes the thread that pulls this novel into a cohesive whole. He has lived for centuries, mostly as a solder, often having to make difficult moral decisions. Now he and those around him are literally in the fight for their lives. A part of their arsenal includes recently discovered alien technology which can literally manipulate the quantum fabric of space, but used incorrectly the consequences are horrifying.
I have also read Revelation Space and Chasm City. Although not strictly necessary it is probably best to read the books in sequence. All three are equally absorbing. Now I just have to find the time to read the next book in the series - Absolution Gap
Rating:
Summary: Warning-Reviews Below Contain Spoilers
Review: Just a warning to anyone reading the reviews below. These reviewers tell you specific facts about the ending of the book.
Rating:
Summary: A valuable stop-gap in an incredible series
Review: Lacking the initiative to go back and review Reynolds' other books (for the moment,) I'm going to weigh in on his most recent. True fans of well-written hard SF should be aware of the strength of UK writers by now -- Alastair Reynolds needs to be held in the same esteem as Ken Macleod, Peter Hamilton and Richard K. Morgan. The works in his Inhibitors series (Revelation Space, Chasm City, and too many short stories and novellas to mention) are among the finest hard SF ever written. Redemption Ark shares their fine writing, storytelling and concepts, but as an obvious transition chapter in the overall story, it fails to excell as an actual novel. Not to say it's not good and a fun read; on the contrary, it kept me glued to the page from start to finish. Its problem is its transitory nature -- it neither completes the saga of the Inhibitors and the human diaspora nor supplies a self-contained chapter of the overall story. The next (final?) book in the series, Absolution Gap, should rightfully complete the story begun in this book. A part two, if you will. Ignore Reynolds at your own peril -- he's a force to be reckoned with in SF. Do not, however, begin your exposure to him with this book. Start with Relevation Space and follow from there. The rewards will be evident.
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