Rating: 
Summary: hard core futuristic outer space action thriller
Review: Light years ago, the Inhibitors feared intelligent species and built machines to stop any from developing. These killing machines traveled the universe to destroy intelligent life. Eons later, the machines must have failed as intelligent species have arisen including humans advancing throughout the cosmos.Late in the twentieth-sixth century, the human crew of the Infinity learns why a sentient race suddenly vanished, but the crew also innocently rouse the Inhibitors. The death killing machines turn towards mankind for total annihilation. Planets are eradicated to tap into the raw material to build a doomsday destruction device never seen before by humanity. As humans compete and even kill one another to escape the coming genocide, only war criminal Clavain seems remotely capable of stopping what looks like human extinction. Though there is a bit of the middle novel syndrome to REDEMPTION ARK, fans of hard core futuristic outer space action thrillers based on scientific theory will relish this Reynolds universe tale. The exciting story line picks up about fifty years after the events of REVELATION SPACE, but for the most part can stand on its own though reading the debut novel first is recommended. The key human characters are fully developed and make the audience believe that they the readers too are part of a doomed future because the Inhibitors seem so authentic. Those fans who want premium outer space adventure will peruse Alastair Reynolds's powerful two novels and its companion but independent tale, CHASM CITY, as well as some related short stories. This will have to satiate the audience until book three is released next year. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Above average sci-fi but not better than its prequels
Review: One of the best things about Alastair Reynolds is that he is a practicing astronomer who really knows what he is talking about when it comes to space and planetary motion. If Reynolds makes up something that is not realistic by today's standards he is at least basing it on the current theories of space and time. This is why a science major like myself would appreciate reading his fiction more than most of the pop that found in the sci-fi section of today's book store. However, there are many problems with Redemption Ark. It was far less enjoyable to read then either Chasm city or Revelation Space. The strength of Reynolds writing comes largely from his was imagination that is not too far detached from realistic outlook on scientific principles of today (such as our inability to achieve the speed of light). He presents us a whole new and exciting world of the future, the world that is based on the assumption of human race having the intelligence to propagate its survival by colonizing space. The setting Reynolds presented was so convincing and intriguing that it made Revelation Space almost like an ethnographic account of new cultures as well as a novel at the same time. Chasm city had some of the same element but Redemption Ark had almost nothing new. Once again we find ourselves in the same world but we are no longer impressed by it, but find ourselves in a familiar territory. Writer's style also started wearing off in its ingenuity. Reading Redemption Ark felt like being supplied with tiny spoons of interesting plot points drifting amid empty conversational and narration filler. It is if we are feed the relevant information at more or less constant rate as we progressed towards the end. At times there were many lines like: It was time to do what had to be done or Now she knew what to do or Now he understood the significance. Some chapters ended as over dramatized, unfinished soap opera episodes. Yet although the aforementioned flaws are more or less forgivable the biggest downfall of Redemption Ark is failure to introduce and develop likable characters. There are too many characters that are poorly developed that get too much attention and plot time. One of such characters was Felka, a semi-crazy side kick of Clavain who we really do not know much about except her affection for Clavain. There is Galiana, mentioned way too much and too often but without enough of concrete information for us to draw up her personality. But the old characters are back but they are no longer as intriguing as before. Volyova is back but is more irritating this time. The hardest thing about reading Redemption Ark was the first two hundred pages. The prolonged introduction to new characters and setting up of a plot was just too long and mind-numbing. Too bad I couldn't amplify my conciseness like a true Conjoner and read those pages fifteen times faster. Overall, I think that this is a worthy read for any Alaistair Reynolds fan. It is somewhat less satisfying then his previous works but nonetheless Redemption Ark is still entertaining. I'm looking forward to reading more from Reynolds although I truly hope that whatever else he will write will have nothing to do with Revelation Space universe. It is time he applied his creativity onto a new project, Revelation Space saga had all the development it needed. Go Reynolds!
Rating: 
Summary: If you like top notch Space Opera this is for you...
Review: Redemption Ark is a 'can't put it down' read. Make sure that you have read both Revelation Space and Chasm City prior to this one to get the full effect. Reynolds writes with a breadth of story that compares to Iain Banks or Vernor Vinge in terms of pace and characters. The story line sucks you in and the only bad thing about this book is that is leaves you wanting more...right now. I guess I'll just have to wait for the next one.
Rating:
Summary: Another Mind Bending Space Opera
Review: Redemption Ark is another great novel from Reynolds. Just like Revelation Space and Chasm City, I've been unable to put this book down. He masterfully continues the story from Revelation Space, and delves into the histories he created in Chasm City. The characters feel like they are real, something I don't get from much sci-fi. I feel their fears and anxieties as they move through the vast distances Reynolds universe is set in. If you read Redemption Ark before Revelation Space or Chasm City however, you'll be missing out on a lot. Throughly happy with the purchase, and I await the last book in the series with great anticipation.
Rating:
Summary: The Consequences of the Dawn War
Review: Redemption Ark is the third novel in the Revelation Space series, but is a direct sequel to the first novel, Revelation Space, in internal sequence. In the first volume, the Nostalgia for Infinity has retrieved forty hell-class weapons from a hidden cache and carried them away. The Captain and crew know very little about the weapons, but Ila Volyova is the closest to a resident expert. While an Ultra herself, Volyova doesn't carry any implants at all, so she has acquired, modified and trained Boris Nagorny to be the Gunnery Officer. Unfortunately, Nagorny had a psychotic episode, tried to kill her, and ended up dead himself. The ship's Captain, John Armstrong Brannigan, has been mostly consumed by the nanoplague, which has also spread to the ship systems themselves. Volyova has reduced the Captain's temperature to cryogenic levels and tried various anti-nanite measures with no success. So the lighthugger has came to Yellowstone in the Epsilon Eridani system to procure the services of Dan Sylveste to treat the Captain's condition. However, Sylveste was no longer there, having gone to Resurgam in the Delta Pavonis system. Ana Khouri was an ex-soldier and assassin impressed into the service of the Mademoiselle, who had Khouri's husband in a reefer. The Mademoiselle had plans for Dan Sylveste and Khouri was her chosen agent to execute these plans. Nonetheless, a copy of the Mademoiselle would be riding an implant within Khouri's brain during the mission. Ila Volyova needed a gunner to replace Nagorny. When Khouri applied for a ride to Delta Pavonis, Volyova covertly tested her aptitudes and implants and then snapped her up as a crewmember. But Volyova also deeply conditioned Khouri for loyalty before allowing her to join the crew. In this novel, the Nostalgia for Infinity has survived its excursion against the deadly machines on, in and near Cerberus and Khouri has returned from the dead. Volyova has allowed the Captain to warm up and he has effectively become the ship itself. The rest of the crew were killed in the mutiny. Khouri has briefed Volyova on the knowledge obtained within Hades, the neutron star that is also a gigantic computing machine. Now they are aware that the Inhibitors will probably be returning to destroy human life on Resurgam just as they had previously destroyed the Amarantin and so many other intelligent species throughout the galaxy. Khouri and Volyova have devised a scheme to evacuate Resurgam, but they don't know how much time they have. Fortunately they have already laid the groundwork when the machines appear and start disassembling three rocky moons within the system. Volyova has been trying to get the Captain to approve the use of the hell-class weapons against the Inhibitors. However, the Captain is none too sane; he is feeling deep guilt for his treatment of Sakaji and goes catatonic whenever she brings up the subject of using the weapons. She has discovered, quite by accident, that all the weapons have an autonomic subpersona with a modicum of free will, but the Captain still has overriding priority. The Conjoiners have decided that they want their weapons back. They decide to press Clavain to join the Closed Council so that he can lead the effort to retrieve the weapons. When he agrees, he is informed of the presence of the wolves, a machine intelligence that has possessed his beloved Galiana and killed all her crew. When he inspects the ships that will be made available to him, he decides that the Conjoiners are planning to abandon the rest of humanity to the wolves. He immediately takes action to defect from the Conjoiners. Clavain has major obstacles in his mission to protect the rest of human from the dangerous wolves. He had defected to the Conjoiners 400 years ago from their enemies when he was convinced that his side was wrong. Now he is doing it again and may be making some headway, but he is stolen from the Demarchists and Ferrisville Convention forces by a mysterious Mr. H, who has very extensive connections. While parts of this novel follow directly from Revelation Space, other portions refer back to Chasm City and still another backstory concerning the Conjoiners is introduced as well. This series seems to be written as a tapestry of plotlines that show up as minor details in one story and become a major thread in another. Moreover, the stories themselves have the same feel of plot elements woven in one scene that recur in later events. In fact, some components, such as the Mademoiselle, become even deeper mysteries in subsequent volumes. Somehow I don't think that the next volume, Absolution Gap, is going to resolve everything. Remember everything. Trust nothing. Take notes. It will all be important later. Highly recommended for Reynolds fans and for anyone else who enjoys suffering withdrawal pains between installments and truly contorted plot twists when the next volume arrives.
Rating:
Summary: The Consequences of the Dawn War
Review: Redemption Ark is the third novel in the Revelation Space series, but is a direct sequel to the first novel, Revelation Space, in internal sequence. In the first volume, the Nostalgia for Infinity has retrieved forty hell-class weapons from a hidden cache and carried them away. The Captain and crew know very little about the weapons, but Ila Volyova is the closest to a resident expert. While an Ultra herself, Volyova doesn't carry any implants at all, so she has acquired, modified and trained Boris Nagorny to be the Gunnery Officer. Unfortunately, Nagorny had a psychotic episode, tried to kill her, and ended up dead himself. The ship's Captain, John Armstrong Brannigan, has been mostly consumed by the nanoplague, which has also spread to the ship systems themselves. Volyova has reduced the Captain's temperature to cryogenic levels and tried various anti-nanite measures with no success. So the lighthugger has came to Yellowstone in the Epsilon Eridani system to procure the services of Dan Sylveste to treat the Captain's condition. However, Sylveste was no longer there, having gone to Resurgam in the Delta Pavonis system. Ana Khouri was an ex-soldier and assassin impressed into the service of the Mademoiselle, who had Khouri's husband in a reefer. The Mademoiselle had plans for Dan Sylveste and Khouri was her chosen agent to execute these plans. Nonetheless, a copy of the Mademoiselle would be riding an implant within Khouri's brain during the mission. Ila Volyova needed a gunner to replace Nagorny. When Khouri applied for a ride to Delta Pavonis, Volyova covertly tested her aptitudes and implants and then snapped her up as a crewmember. But Volyova also deeply conditioned Khouri for loyalty before allowing her to join the crew. In this novel, the Nostalgia for Infinity has survived its excursion against the deadly machines on, in and near Cerberus and Khouri has returned from the dead. Volyova has allowed the Captain to warm up and he has effectively become the ship itself. The rest of the crew were killed in the mutiny. Khouri has briefed Volyova on the knowledge obtained within Hades, the neutron star that is also a gigantic computing machine. Now they are aware that the Inhibitors will probably be returning to destroy human life on Resurgam just as they had previously destroyed the Amarantin and so many other intelligent species throughout the galaxy. Khouri and Volyova have devised a scheme to evacuate Resurgam, but they don't know how much time they have. Fortunately they have already laid the groundwork when the machines appear and start disassembling three rocky moons within the system. Volyova has been trying to get the Captain to approve the use of the hell-class weapons against the Inhibitors. However, the Captain is none too sane; he is feeling deep guilt for his treatment of Sakaji and goes catatonic whenever she brings up the subject of using the weapons. She has discovered, quite by accident, that all the weapons have an autonomic subpersona with a modicum of free will, but the Captain still has overriding priority. The Conjoiners have decided that they want their weapons back. They decide to press Clavain to join the Closed Council so that he can lead the effort to retrieve the weapons. When he agrees, he is informed of the presence of the wolves, a machine intelligence that has possessed his beloved Galiana and killed all her crew. When he inspects the ships that will be made available to him, he decides that the Conjoiners are planning to abandon the rest of humanity to the wolves. He immediately takes action to defect from the Conjoiners. Clavain has major obstacles in his mission to protect the rest of human from the dangerous wolves. He had defected to the Conjoiners 400 years ago from their enemies when he was convinced that his side was wrong. Now he is doing it again and may be making some headway, but he is stolen from the Demarchists and Ferrisville Convention forces by a mysterious Mr. H, who has very extensive connections. While parts of this novel follow directly from Revelation Space, other portions refer back to Chasm City and still another backstory concerning the Conjoiners is introduced as well. This series seems to be written as a tapestry of plotlines that show up as minor details in one story and become a major thread in another. Moreover, the stories themselves have the same feel of plot elements woven in one scene that recur in later events. In fact, some components, such as the Mademoiselle, become even deeper mysteries in subsequent volumes. Somehow I don't think that the next volume, Absolution Gap, is going to resolve everything. Remember everything. Trust nothing. Take notes. It will all be important later. Highly recommended for Reynolds fans and for anyone else who enjoys suffering withdrawal pains between installments and truly contorted plot twists when the next volume arrives.
Rating:
Summary: Yet Another Great One From Reynolds
Review: Redemption Ark was yet another superbly imagined story (after Revelation Space and Chasm City). Taking place nearly a century after the prior two books, Redemption Ark continues the exploits of Ilia Volyova, Ana Khouri, and even Dan Sylveste and Tanner Mirabel (despite the fact that the latter uses another name it is clearly him). In this, the third of four installments, the alien Inhibitor machines are bent on wiping out the human colony of Resurgam (200,000 people) and ultimately eliminating humanity entirely for reasons that aren't revealed until nearly the end of the book. Redemption Ark introduces us to several new characters, amongst the most important are Skade and Nevil Clavain. Both are Conjoiners...a technologically advanced faction of humanity whose mind-to-mind communication is made possible via advanced nanotechnology. Skade and Clavain early on find themselves on opposite sides in pursuit of the same goal...acquiring the powerful cache weapons that Volyova used in the climax of Revelation Space.
Reynolds third book is another intricately woven, plausible tale of humanity's future. Reynolds' background is in astronomy (as the "about the author" blurb on the inside of the back cover lets us know) and it is clearly apparent, with Reynolds descriptions of stellar phenomena -- both natural and...unnatural -- stealing the show at times. Reynolds' characterizations of his major players are full and deep, while the characterizations of some of the more minor personae lack a bit of the richness he so artfully crafts with his major players. Minor flaws aside, Redemption Ark is a remarkably sculpted yarn of interstellar travel, unusual aliens, far-future technologies, and of course the appropriate and timely doses of humanity's best qualities...love, courage, curiousity, and the ability to forgive.
Rating:
Summary: Dark and Glorious Space Opera
Review: The Cojoiners and Demarchists are slugging their way to the conclusion of a long war when the Cojoiners learn of a threat to all humanity. Machines called the Inhibitors are approaching from the dark reaches of space, intent on wiping out space-faring life. The Cojoiners make plans to protect themselves by launching a mission to retrieve a long-lost cache of hellish weapons. But one of their military experts, Clavain, believes that all of humanity deserves to know about the threat. Clavain launches his own operation to retrieve the weapons and is soon in a desperate race against his former allies.
But it's not going to be a simple race - the weapons are being held in the Delta Pavonis system by the damaged ship Nostalgia for Infinity. The dread machines are already there and are in the process of taking apart the entire system. The much-reduced crew of the ship is working on a plan to evacuate the planet before the Inhibitors can complete their work, a plan that includes their own use of the powerful weapons.
Although it's not immediately obvious, Redemption Ark is a sequel to Reynolds's first novel, Revelation Space. A dark space opera with a grand scale and realistic science, the book has an interesting film-noir feel. None of the characters are entirely sympathetic and this future is definitely not a shiny feel-good place. However, it is full of fascinating technology and interesting people. The characterization is fairly good - definitely more than one-dimensional, although sometimes the motivations seem a little off.
Redemption Ark suffers a bit from middle-book malady. While it's action packed and chock full of challenging concepts, the ending is disappointing - it feels rushed, nothing is really resolved, and you?re stuck waiting for the next book. There are also several points where the book builds up to what should be frenzied action sequences and then instead of the actual action, you get a passive recap that throws a wrench into the pacing. However, I do like the universe that Reynolds has created and I'm looking forward to the sequel.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing Stuff from Reynolds
Review: The novels of Reynolds have acquired a following. But as is the fate with may of these interminable-seeming series, it is beginning to flag and decompose under its own weight. This novel will have little overall effect on the genre and in fact has little to no effect even on its own universe. It almost acts as a bridge novel between Revelation Space and whatever it is that's coming next (rendering Chasm City all but forgotten). Few people, certainly, will read this book more than once.
WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS:
Is there anything good about this book? Sort of. If you're desperately interested in the universe that Reynolds has created, then you will find some sections of this book interesting. But even Reynolds fanatics will have little use for the entire book. There really is no other reason to buy Redemption Ark in anything other than mass-market paperback.
WHY YOU SHOULD PASS:
Anyone who isn't a huge fan for some reason or another should pass. In fact, if you're a big fan, you may want to not read this book since it mildly harms its predecessors. There are plenty of reviewers out there who disagree with us, but if you're here and reading this review then you should trust us. There are far, far better books out there for you to read.
READ THE ENTIRE REVIEW AT INCHOATUS.COM
Rating:
Summary: Good book, Good plot, but he was quite obviously in a hurry
Review: This book is really interesting. I finished it in a week, which is pretty fast for me. So it's a real page turner. This is a really good book, I liked the plot. The over all idea is good. The only problem I have is that it's VERY obvious that he was in a hurry to finish the book. There are points where the characters start narating themselves. They say things to other characters that aren't natural. Like when they are explaining a conversation and then they describe what the person they were talking to was 'thinking'... Then, at the end of the book, the story reaches it's climax.. you turn the page, and everyones waking up in cryogenic sleep pods. Then, as the people wake up the author just narates all the stuff he left out. I mean, it's blazing obvious that the author wasn't done with the book, his publisher called and said "We need the book done right away!" so the author thought "What gimmic can I use to fit the rest of the book into 5 pages? I know! They all wake up and then I gave just give a brief overview!" It's really too bad, this book should have been 2x as long. Also, previously his books were semi-atonomis. You didn't need to have read 1 to understand the other. But with this one I think it's rather important to have read both the previous ones or there will be some rather large holes in your understanding. I still thought it was a pretty good book though.
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