Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Hard SF
Review: With his first novel, Reynolds has stepped to the front of the hard SF pack. This is better than Benford, better than some Poulsen, better than some Poul Anderson...it's an excellent book. The characters are well developed and his writing is engaging (and often loaded with VERY big words...take note!). Furthermore, the science is as hard as it gets in the genre with snippets of info on neutron stars, weapons systems that use graviton pulses, etc. The story is cohesive and isn't squandered with useless filler. The story's suspense is captivating and when "revelation" is required, it's given. And ultimately, the book satisfies at the end...no neat little tie ups like Reality Dysfunction. Buy this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Overwrought
Review: The base of this novel is the Fermi paradox. The Universe is ancient and there are huge number of star systems in the galaxy. Even if intelligent life is a rare event, you'd predict significant occurrence of intelligent life. Even without faster than light travel, a star faring species could cover a lot of the galaxy in a few thousand years. Why, then, haven't we contacted or been contacted by extraterrestrials? Enrico Fermi pointed out this paradox several decades ago. In this book, the answer is that intelligent life was common shortly after the evolution of the galaxy and led to considerable conflict. A result was the genesis of machine/computer intelligences devoted to exterminating organic life. Knowledgeable readers will recognize this idea as a variant of Fred Saberhagen's Berserker series of stories. Reynolds presents a very complex plot with a large caste of characters to develop this idea. Included are a lot of what have become the standard props of so-called hard science fiction; cyborgs, nano-technology, artificial intelligence, etc. The result is a very thick and densely plotted book. Character development is not very good and this plot is often hard to follow. Reynolds shows considerable imagination but not much skill as a writer.
Rating:
Summary: Intelligent, hard, well written, interesting
Review: This was an excellent read in every respect.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome book
Review: Very reminiscent of Iain Banks. Epic sci-fi at it's best
Rating:
Summary: Lots of talent for science, not enough for fiction.
Review: Reynolds has packed a lot of "hard science" stuff into the novel, and he has a lot of imagination along those lines. But his writing skills need to be more mature. The characters aren't engaging, and do not seem to have distinct personalities or internal motivations. The story also develops too slowly, and the reader is kind of strung along until the end as if it were a mystery novel, however there isn't any real sense of suspense, mystery or wonder that might motivate you to keep reading. Hard to believe this is the same novel that is hyped on the cover. While my review is rather negative, this book isn't awful, but it suffers in comparison to the hype.
Rating: 
Summary: Fine first sci-fi novel
Review: Revelation Space is a great first time effort at science fiction by Alastair Reynolds. Much of why I liked Revelation Space was the way Reynolds created his version of humanity. Helped by science, humans have begun to evolve into different if not species then at least sub-species. And, this science rushed sub-evolution is propelled by culture not nature. This is somewhat "Big" sci-fi with an archealogical bent pointing towards a mystery whose solution will influence mankind's future. In this way it shares a common theme with Engines of God by McDevitt, although Rev Space relies less on archealogy as substance in the plot. All in all it's a fine sci-fi tale whose ending is a bit disappointing. No matter, with some strong characters (especially the two female protaganists) and nice attention to details, I enjoyed the read.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Sci-Fi
Review: It's amazing to me that this is Alastair Reynold's first novel, and I hope to see more of the same from him. The book is enjoyable not only as excellent "hard-core" science fiction, but also because of good character development, fascinating plot lines, and first-rate writing. At first, I was thrown off somewhat by his use of phrases and references to events or things that had not yet been defined or described, but quickly learned to expect explanations down the road. The book is brilliantly well-written, and readers will find his references to strange words and events to be part of the overall style that makes this book so good.
If you're new to Sci-Fi or a seasoned reader, you'll find this book enjoyable, pleasantly long, and satisfying.
Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: I was attracted to this book because the synopsis promised something like Jack McDevitt's books, a science-fiction archaeological mystery that resonates into the present day. And that is what Reynolds provides - but his tale has none of the depth or humanity that characterises McDevitt's stories. I kept waiting for this story to add up to something, but it never did. It was a meaningless parade of events related in a flat style of writing. Reynolds has imagination, true; but that imagination is limited to settings and a few plot points, and does not extend to characters or any fresh insights. His lack of skill in bringing his characters to life is the worst aspect of this book. They are cardboard cutouts completely lacking in depth, mere fronts for the next plot twist. And Sylveste, the main character, is so devoid of life, his actions so inexplicable, that one cannot understand why he was so important or caused so much upheaval.
If this is Reynolds' first book, he does have some good foundations to build upon - but there's a long way to go. The destination was meaningless and the journey unpleasant. Overrated.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad for a first effort
Review: I was intrigued by the reviews of this novel when it appeared on my recommended list. So much so that I immediately ordered it. The first half was wonderful. I was completely drawn into the plot and could indeed identify with the characters. Some of the ideas presented were interesting and original, and the style reminded me of the wonderful Iain Banks. Some of the ideas were not original however, with a Dan O'Bannon influence clearly showing through (the "frozen" captain for instance). Then everything changed just at the time when it should all have pulled together. It felt as if all those disparate little pieces of plot which had been happily floating around were grabbed and forced into the rather unsatisfactory ending. It was almost as if Mr. Reyolds couldn't really decide how the thing was to end, and just lost a lot of interest. Definately a book of two halves. I will watch out for the next offering.
Rating:
Summary: a strong first novel
Review: This book has much that is admirable about it. Most stricking is the number of fresh ideas that Reynolds manages to cram in without making the plot incoherant. His ability to tie the various strands of those ideas and the plot elements he uses to present those ideas is remarkable. He also proves to have a mastery of the English language that many first novelist do not. On the down side the characters, though sometimes complex, are not compeling. Indeed most are driven people who do dispicable things in search of thier goals. The plot, especially early on is difficult to follow. The pacing and structure does improve greatly in the second half of the book but it was difficult to work through until that point. Even with those downsides I still found this to be a enjoyable and worthwhile read. The ideas around which the book centers (as well as many other great ideas that are simply used to flesh out the book's world) are fresh enough and compeling enough to make up for the few weeknesses. A strong recomendation for fans of hard scifi.
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