Rating: Summary: Good on its own - great as part of the series Review: "Chasm City" is an odd book, a tangent to the universe that Reynolds in creating with his books "Revelation Space", "Redemption Ark" and "Absolution Gap". Technically, it is not a sequel to "Revelation Space", but rather a fleshing out of the same universe.
I won't waste your time going over plot details. "Chasm City" is a detective novel and revenge fantasy. Prepare to have your conceptions regarding almost every single character in the novel changed at least once. No one is who they seem. Its a great companion piece to Reynolds' overarching plot, but can be read on its own without having picked up "Revelation Space". However, some events and characters (ie - Sky Haussman and Sky's Edge are huge plot movers here, both of which are mentioned in "Revelation Space")
Some reviewers say that Tanner Mirabel, the protagonist of "Chasm City", makes his way into the other books of the series. I can't say one way or the other, as I'm only 100 pages into "Redemption Ark". Still, "Chasm City" is a wonderful piece of sci-fi, taken on its own or as part of a series.
Rating: Summary: Didn't Meet My Expectations Review: After reading Revelation Space, Reynolds' first novel, I was hoping to enjoy Chasm City just as much. In fact, I tried - really, really hard - to enjoy this book more than I did. But if I'm honest, it fell far short of my expectations. As in Revelation Space, Reynolds interweaves multiple storylines in this book, each of them occurring in a different time frame. However, he doesn't handle them nearly as deftly as he did in his first novel, making Chasm City a rather uneven read. I agree with the other reviewers who felt that the Sky Hausmann storyline is the best part of the book. By contrast, the Chasm City storyline, which is ostensibly the main plotline of this novel, is very shaky. The characters behave unbelievably, the environment (Chasm City itself) is not nearly as interesting as it could have been, and the author ruins most of the plot twists by dropping numerous obvious hints along the way. In the end, I couldn't even forgive Tanner Mirabel his erratic behavior, even though Reynolds tries to justify it through one of his plot twists. Don't get me wrong - this is not a terrible book. In fact, parts of it are great. In addition to the Sky Hausmann story, I thought that the first couple of chapters with Tanner Mirabel were riveting. It's just that the novel as a whole does not live up to this auspicious beginning. So, while I can't enthusiastically recommend this book, I can make a qualified recommendation: If you loved Revelation Space and want to experience a different part of that universe, consider Chasm City. Just don't set your expecatations too high.
Rating: Summary: For REAL Sci-Fi Fans Only 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. Chasm City lacks the breadth and scope of Revelation Space, but makes up for it with a powerful struggle of the main character with himself, as shown by the constant Haussman dreams he has. He is two men morally, and with the virus he becomes two men literally. There aren't enough praises I can lavish upon Reynolds, but if you're one of those people who actually thinks Star Wars and Star Trek are SCIENCE fiction, then pass this by, go and read something far more dumbed down, b/c this is too much for you to comprehend or appreciate.
Rating: Summary: Reynolds continues to impress. Review: Alastair reynolds first book, Revelation Space is also quite good. Continuing to write in the same continuity but about different characters (and on his way to fleshing out a compelling, living universe), Chasm City is really cool. It's about a settled planet where the civilization's extensive use of medical and mechanical nanotechnology goes bad when a virus called the Melding Plague corrupts both building and through the medical nanos, people. A lot of umm political/class inequality stuff in here, a lot of cool scientific considerations handled quite well, and a good read. If you like hard SciFi (ie Benford, Brin, Egan) you'll like this. I'm not sure if I like it as much as Revelation Space, but they're books with different intent. I hope he keeps at it, and am waiting for free time to start reading the sequel to Revelation Space, Redemption Ark. Recommended.
Rating: Summary: Chasm City is Deep! Review: Alastair Reynolds' Chasm City is an excellent sequel to his first book "Revelation Space" (pls see my review). Chasm though a sequel, can definitely be read on it's own and has a much tighter and deeper plot. Revelation Space got too jumbled in the end but was enjoyable nonetheless as it was a groundbreaking work. I would have liked to learn more what had become of the frozen captain aboard the Nostalgia For Infinity. In Chasm, the setting is the planet Yellowstone where there is a melding nano-plague virus slowly affecting all the implants and machines (as in the first book). Our hero, a man named Tanner Mirabel has traveled light years seeking revenge. Searching for the ever elusive Argent Reivich, the man that killed the woman he loved along with his best friend. Meanwhile, the virus has taken hold of Chasm city, once considered the jewel of the galaxy. Now after several years of onslaught by the plague, Chasm city takes on nightmarish proportions. Built in a gigantic chasm where the rich live in a fantastic canopy of dizzying heights and architecture. The poor live in the lower strata, called the mulch and are hunted by the rich for idle sport. The story also dovetails with the past in a very interesting way regarding the founder of Sky's Edge, the enigmatic Sky Hausmannn and his rise to power (which is a story in itself). There are many interesting parallels in the story to the science and politics of our times that will pique your interest. The issues of gentics, memory and identity throughout the story are intriguing to the point of making Total Recall look like a walk in the park. Hey one day, I'd like to be cryogenically frozen too!!!
Rating: Summary: Chasm City is Deep! Review: Alastair Reynolds' Chasm City is an excellent sequel to his first book "Revelation Space" (pls see my review). Chasm though a sequel, can definitely be read on it's own and has a much tighter and deeper plot. Revelation Space got too jumbled in the end but was enjoyable nonetheless as it was a groundbreaking work. I would have liked to learn more what had become of the frozen captain aboard the Nostalgia For Infinity. In Chasm, the setting is the planet Yellowstone where there is a melding nano-plague virus slowly affecting all the implants and machines (as in the first book). Our hero, a man named Tanner Mirabel has traveled light years seeking revenge. Searching for the ever elusive Argent Reivich, the man that killed the woman he loved along with his best friend. Meanwhile, the virus has taken hold of Chasm city, once considered the jewel of the galaxy. Now after several years of onslaught by the plague, Chasm city takes on nightmarish proportions. Built in a gigantic chasm where the rich live in a fantastic canopy of dizzying heights and architecture. The poor live in the lower strata, called the mulch and are hunted by the rich for idle sport. The story also dovetails with the past in a very interesting way regarding the founder of Sky's Edge, the enigmatic Sky Hausmannn and his rise to power (which is a story in itself). There are many interesting parallels in the story to the science and politics of our times that will pique your interest. The issues of gentics, memory and identity throughout the story are intriguing to the point of making Total Recall look like a walk in the park. Hey one day, I'd like to be cryogenically frozen too!!!
Rating: Summary: disappointing after Revelation Space Review: Alastair Reynolds' sophmore effort disappointingly doesn't come close to Revelation Space. The first 40 pages are fantastic, gripping the reader and pulling him in, but the book declines soon after and never quite recovers. The dialogue is especially juvenile and grating in places, almost unbelievably so after such a strong opening. Reynolds is prone to Bronte-esque turns of plot contrivance, my one complaint with Revelation Space, but Chasm City takes it to new levels, with lots of dangling incongruities. The back stories are far more interesting than the main sequence and could have served a different kind of novel in their own right. As it stands, the novel reads like 2 or 3 patched together to make a longer book to satisfy the publisher. Finally, the book has little to offer above modern SF cliches -- space elevators and orbitals -- the building and stigmata viri being the two welcome exceptions. Having said all that, the book is good for a laugh in a B-movie kind of way. I'd place it on par with the last two books in Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy -- worth a read for serious sci-fi heads only.
Rating: Summary: One of the best in a long time Review: Chasm City is a very worthwhile read if you like books that are heavy in new ideas regarding the science side of science fiction and in how these would impact people and society. The technical side of Reynold's writing reminds me of Arthur C. Clark. The ideas of how nanotechnology will affect humanity are intriguing. More disturbing is what happens when nanotechnology becomes infected. The story line in Chasm City doesn't go into a city experiencing the nanotech Melding Plague, but rather how society exists several years after the Plague strikes. The Plague was first introduced in "Revelation Space" but "Chasm City" goes into the effects and history in more detail. The story also delves into how a culture evolves were the upper level of society are essentially immortal and where some depend upon the nanotech to preserve their immortality. THis is expressed as The Hunt, where lower class people are litterally hunted to death. Just one of the many "thrills" these aristocrats need to ease the pain of boredom. One of the three parallel story arcs also touches on the Inhibitors, an ancient race that has left devices designed to cull the spread of starfaring species. The story of the main character, Mirabel Tanner, is told in the first person. This assasin/body guard is presented as an anti-hero that is human and not the perfect fighter/killer found in so much pulp science fiction. He is an expert who can snuff out a life without blinking an eye, but can also be caught off guard. Overall, a very good read that explores lots of interesting ideas backed up with hard science. It's a pleasure to read, but may be a turn off to the Star Trek/Wars fans out there.
Rating: Summary: Impressive Hard SF Review: Chasm City is the main city of the planet Yellowstone, which orbits Epsilon Eridani. Some 7 years prior to the action of the book, Yellowstone and its orbital habitats were devastated by the Melding Plague, which destroyed the nanomachines upon which much of the high-tech infrastructure depended, and which effected horrible alterations in anything (and anyone) dependent on that sort of technology. The central thread of the this novel is brutally simple: Tanner Mirabel comes to Yellowstone from Sky's Edge looking to kill Argent Reivich, who had killed the woman Tanner loved. However, that's just the skeleton on which a more complex plot is hung. The story unfolds in three threads, all nominally from Tanner's point of view. The first thread takes place over a rather short period in Chasm City as Tanner looks for Reivich, in the process learning a lot about the curious nature of the decayed city -- especially the conflicts between the "Mulch" (lower class) and the Canopy (where the aristocrats hang out). Tanner becomes involved in a dangerous "Game," in which bored Canopy residents kidnap people from the Mulch and hunt them to their death. He also hears of the illicit trade in "Dream Fuel," which seems to give users immunity from the Melding Plague. Another thread tells, in flashbacks, of Tanner's association with the arms dealer Cahuella back on Sky's Edge, and Cahuella's wife Gitta (with whom he falls in love), and Reivich's attempt on Cahuella's life (in revenge for Cahuella supplying the weapons that killed Reivich's family), which led to Gitta's death. Finally, Tanner has apparently been infected with an "indoctrination virus," which implants memories of Sky Haussmann, the sometimes revered, sometimes hated, last Captain of the first ship to reach Sky's Edge. As those memories return to Tanner, at first in dreams, later more insistently, he learns a somewhat different, much stranger, story of the journey of the colonizing generation starships from Earth to 61 Cygni. As the reader expects, these threads converge, leading to revelations about Tanner's past, the truth about Sky Haussmann, the real nature of the Yellowstone colony, the place of humans in the universe, and the emptiness of the revenge motive. To a pretty impressive extent, Reynolds manages to deliver on some of the rather large implicit promises he has made the reader: for one, these threads dovetail pretty well; for another, some of the big revelations are pretty neat. On the other hand, the whole revenge motif seems forced from the beginning, and the resolution to that aspect, while twisty enough to be interesting, doesn't quite convince. This novel is full of neat SFnal ideas, not necessarily brilliantly new, but very well-realized: the generation ships (treated rather differently than usual in SF), some genetic technology, some alien ecosystem stuff, even a hint of a communication system reminiscent of the Dirac Communicator in James Blish's "Beep." It sets up expectations for a pretty spectacular closing revelation, tying together the three threads, and as I've said, it pretty much delivers on those expectations. The resolution had elements that I expected, and which were nicely foreshadowed, plus elements that were a great surprise, but which still worked for me. Thus, I'd say, that in terms of large-scale plot and setting, the book works very well. The novel's faults, then, lie in some small-scale plot elements, and characterization. The plot, particularly Tanner's attempts to find Reivich, depends on a lot of implausible coincidence and luck, super-powerful characters who still don't kill their rivals when reasonably they should, and secret organizations suddenly being penetrated by little more than brandishing a gun in the face of underlings. More tellingly, the characters are a bit under-motivated, and they are pretty much all evil and violent, but not really presented in such a way. More than several times, we are told that such and such a character, single-mindedly bent on killing several other characters, is really not bad and is justified in so doing. This seems to represent an awfully cynical view of humanity: everyone is purely out for number one, and is pretty much ready to kill anyone in their way. On balance, this is a pretty impressive book. The faults are the faults of much SF, especially hard SF, and the virtues are the virtues of the same sort of SF. It doesn't, then, transcend its subgenre at all, although it does do very well within those boundaries. And for a long book, it reads smoothly enough, and keeps the interest. It's another step towards what could become a very significant 21st century hard SF career.
Rating: Summary: An excellent hard sf novel Review: Chasm City on the planet Yellowstone has recently suffered a horrifying plague - the tiny implants, that most humans take for granted, grow wildly out of control. Many suffer terrible deaths as the machines inside them begin to fuse with their normal cells. Almost everything is affected by this melding plague. Structures begin to take on strange configurations. People inside when this transformation occurrs become a part of the edifice - taking on the appearance of some weird, horrid sculpture. Much about this plague was alluded to in Revelation Space but in this second novel by Reynolds, Chasm City is like one of the characters. The main protagonist, though, is Tanner Mirabel who is on a mission of revenge. Tanner holds Argent Reivich responsible for the death of his warlord client, Calhuela as well as Gitta, Calhuela's wife and a woman also loved by Tanner. He follows Reivich from Sky's Edge across the vastness of space to Chasm City, but what seemed so straightforward becomes increasingly more complex, as Reivich prove ever more elusive. There is also a second narrative thread which centers on Sky Haussmann, the charismatic leader who led the colonization of Sky's Edge. His story is told through the sleep and waking dreams of Tanner as he finds himself the reluctant witness to the strange story of Haussmann and a flotilla of star ships sent from Earth to establish the first human colony in another solar system. What makes this novel so compelling is the interweaving of two diverse but riveting stories. The reader goes along for the ride wondering when and how the two threads will converge - which they do, of course. And do so in a very believable way.
|