Rating: 
Summary: strong science but anti-climactic
Review: This is the third book by Alastair Reynolds that I've read. I've read them all in sequence, and I was very excited to learn of this book, Redemption Ark, especially after I was somewhat disappointed by his second book, Chasm City, but very impressed with his first book, Revelation Space.Redemption Ark IS very spell-binding. The science fiction is edgy (bording on evil) and remarkable, and the character development is quite good. I especially like the stuff about inertia supression technology. But the book is very anti-climactic at the end, just like Chasm City, which is why I was disappointed. The whole issue with the "wolves" was gone over too fast in the end, and you don't hear anything more about the Exordium (sp?) experiments and inertia suppression technology, and you don't really get to know what the weapons cache is really capable of. It seems like the author was in a hurry to finish the book, that's all. I have a feeling there must be another sequel to this book the way it ended (I hope so). Wait until it comes out in paperback, or check it out of the library.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost fantastic
Review: Who wouldn't love a plot like this? 4 km-long starship, "Nostalgia for Infinity", gradually being absorbed by the super-technovirus, the Melding Plague and/or the ship's former Captain, his mind now having merged with said Plague. The way-to-cool Triumvir Ilia Volyova trying to get control of 33 mysterious Hell-Class weapons in order to direct a pre-emptive strike against the galaxy's most fearsome menace, the soulless Inhibitor-machines, bent on extinguishing 'outbreaks' of starfaring, intelligent life. Meanwhile her associate Khouri (who survived Revelation Space!)attempting to organize the evacuation of 200.000 people from Resurgam before the Inhibitors can finish the ultimate doomsday weapon of their own, made out of the Delta Parvonis system's biggest planet! And on top of this: two competing factions of the ultra-advanced, hive-minded Conjoiners, one led by the old war-hero, Nevil Clavain, the other by his adversary, the scary cyborg woman, Skade, race towards Resurgam to reclaim the weapons for their own, more or less, righteous purposes. And that's just scratchin' the surface! This book is an incredibly cool scifi-read with more than its share of incredibly cool - and even some quite sympathetic characters (like the tormented Clavain, and the unwilling trader-turned-heroine, Antoinette Bax). Not very 'deep' characters, mind you, but they never really were in 99% of all scifi I read, so I don't mind. What I *do* mind, however, is that the story seems strangely unfinished by the end of it. Many of the sketchy interrelations between the characters (such as between Khouri and Volyova) are barely resolved, if at all. Too many interesting characters (such as Clavain's lost love, Galiana - and to a large extent: Bax) are just left in plot limbo. And the relentless exposition of Reynold's hard-to-access-for-the-less-than-well-educated astronomy and quantum physics concepts makes it a heavy read at times. And as for the pay-off: the final showdown with the Inhibitors, well ... where did it go? It seems as if Reynolds is either aiming at picking up on a lot of things in a sequel (and I haven't yet read "Diamond dogs ... " by the way) or simply discovered that he was late for lunch and then quickly patched up what he was working on at the time and shipped the novel off to publishing. A real shame ... for it is in all other respects a great scifi-book.
Rating: 
Summary: What an amazing author
Review: Wow Reynolds has done it again. I got this book the first day it came out and have been reading it nonstop. There is nothing quite like his style. It is so vast and epic in scope. He keeps you guessing till the end and has a knack for creating totally believable worlds and technology. After reading Revelation Space I searched desperatly for more books with the same feel to them. I then bought Chasm City and was very pleased with it. Then this. It is almost too good to be true. If you like his other books you will love this, and to those who haven't read his other book I highly recommend this. Enjoy!
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