Release Date: 30/04/15
Publisher: Gollancz
SYNOPSIS:
This novel is a stand-alone story which takes two extraordinary characters and follows them as they, independently, begin to unravel some of the greatest mysteries of our universe. Their missions are dangerous, and they are all venturing into the unknown ...and if they can uncover the secret to faster-than-light travel then new worlds will be at our fingertips. But innovation and progress are not always embraced by everyone. There is a saboteur at work. Different factions disagree about the best way to move forward. And the mysterious Watchkeepers are ever-present. Completing the informal trilogy which began with BLUE REMEMBERED EARTH and ON THE STEEL BREEZE, this is a powerful and effective story.
REVIEW:
Alastair returns with another cracker and with a solid mix of action, plot line and of course technology readers are in for a treat between the pages of this title.
Add to this a character that I really enjoyed spending time around, a good few twists and dialogue that really worked well to further the story and all round I was a very happy reader.
Release Date: 26/09/13
Publisher: Gollancz
SYNOPSIS:
It is a thousand years in the future. Mankind is making its way out into the universe on massive generation ships. The new novel from Alastair Reynolds is one for fans of Peter F. Hamilton and Iain M. Banks.
REVIEW:
Ah, Science Fiction guilty pleasure time again for me as Alastair returns to the Poseidon’s Children series with a story told across light years that will thrill, fascinate as well as give the reader quite a bit to think about at the story unfurls. Its definitely something to take your time reading with so many different aspects within that will not only keep you glued but leave you wondering how the author manages to keep writing cracking epics in so short a space of time.
Add to this some wonderful prose, cracking dialogue and the wonderful use of clones not only generates something that will keep you reading from dawn til dusk but all round gives you something so unique you’ll notice more and more things in subsequent rereads. Great stuff.
Release Date: 18/01/12
SYNOPSIS:
One hundred and fifty years from now, in a world where Africa is the dominant technological and economic power, and where crime, war, disease and poverty have been banished to history, Geoffrey Akinya wants only one thing: to be left in peace, so that he can continue his studies into the elephants of the Amboseli basin. But Geoffrey's family, the vast Akinya business empire, has other plans. After the death of Eunice, Geoffrey's grandmother, erstwhile space explorer and entrepreneur, something awkward has come to light on the Moon, and Geoffrey is tasked - well, blackmailed, really - to go up there and make sure the family's name stays suitably unblemished. But little does Geoffrey realise - or anyone else in the family, for that matter - what he's about to unravel. Eunice's ashes have already have been scattered in sight of Kilimanjaro. But the secrets she died with are about to come back out into the open, and they could change everything. Or shatter this near-utopia into shards ...
REVIEW:
OK do you like a book with a huge scope? A title that will grab you, shake you up and throw all sorts of twists and turns so that your view is like Escher’s Relativity? Well search no longer as this new title in a cracking new series by Alastair Reynolds hits not only the shops but the readers minds in such a way that you’ll be confused as you wend your way through.
It’s clever, it has an almost mind blowing scope and when you add to the mix an author who knows what they’re doing with sleight of hand, it’s a title that will stay with you long after the final page is turned. Finally add to this the makings for a trilogy to be long remembered and it’s clear why this author is high up on most fans lists of must buys. Great stuff all in and a real treat although for me, it’s going to be a long wait for book two.
Release Date: 14/04/11
SYNOPSIS:
Bretonnia is a land shrouded in myth and magic, under siege from the strange creatures of its shadowy forests and those fallen to the lure of the Dark Gods. Against these fearsome foes stand the Knights of Bretonnia, calling upon their faith in the Lady and their guile with the sword to repel their legions of enemies. When young noble Calard starts upon the path to knighthood, he soon discovers the darkness hidden within his homeland and the price that must be paid by those seeking the holiest of honours - the title of Grail Knight. Accompanied by his faithful manservant Chlod, he must face vampires, wyverns, Chaos warriors and goblins, but each battle brings him one step closer to becoming the legend he seeks. Knights of Bretonnia collects the novels Knight Errant and Knight of the Realm, plus two new novellas, Questing Knight and Grail Knight, completing the saga of Calard from his knightly training to his most epic of victories.
REVIEW:
A compendium of goodness that is the combination of Anthony’s Knights of Bretonnia titles to date which will allow the reader the chance to read them all from start to finish without the wait between titles with the added bonus of two novella's.
It’s a great idea and if you haven’t yet had the chance to enjoy his adventures one that will allow the reader the opportunity to easily see how the players grow from tale to tale as well as watching the struggles continue of light over dark as each choice has consequences.
It’s inventive, it’s something a little different and above all else the author has more to play with as there is very little set within the lands of Bretonnia as opposed to the Empire. If you love your knights and want tales of slaying and daring do then this is definitely the Black Library book for you. Seriously good stuff.
BOOK BLURB:
Spearpoint, the last human city, is an atmosphere-piercing spire of vast size. Clinging to its skin are the zones, a series of semi-autonomous city-states, each of which enjoys a different - and rigidly enforced - level of technology. Horsetown is pre-industrial; in Neon Heights they have television and electric trains . . . Following an infiltration mission that went tragically wrong, Quillon has been living incognito, working as a pathologist in the district morgue. But when a near-dead angel drops onto his dissecting table, Quillon's world is wrenched apart one more time, for the angel is a winged posthuman from Spearpoint's Celestial Levels - and with the dying body comes bad news. If Quillon is to save his life, he must leave his home and journey into the cold and hostile lands beyond Spearpoint's base, starting an exile that will take him further than he could ever imagine. But there is far more at stake than just Quillon's own survival, for the limiting technologies of the zones are determined not by governments or police, but by the very nature of reality - and reality itself is showing worrying signs of instability . . .
REVIEW:
As a long time fan of Alastair’s writing it’s always a pleasure to get his latest novel. However part of the problem with having a real fan boy moment with authors that you love is that you always expect the writing to be at a certain level, you expect the best and at times you can be a little blinkered with your criticism as you tend to love all of the authors work regardless.
Here in his latest novel you get a well written story, some great description and some character banter that really does give the impression of living breathing characters over simplistic 2d interpretations. However, whilst this is all for the plus, I did get a little upset that the novel seemed to stay on a single strand thread that left more questions for me than were really answered. Perhaps this is due to the author planning a sequel, perhaps its due to the fact that life doesn’t answer all our questions. I’m not sure. I do really enjoy this authors work so I’m going to devour the next just as soon as it arrives but the problem I’ve had here has raised some quandaries that I hope will be fixed in later novels.
BOOK BLURB:
Three hundred years in the future, Verity Auger is a specialist in the archaeological exploration of Earth, rendered uninhabitable after the technological catastrophe known as the Nanocaust. After a field-trip to goes badly wrong, Verity is forced to redeem herself by participating in a dangerous mission, for which her expertise in invaluable. Using a backdoor into an unstable alien transit system, Auger's faction has discovered something astonishing at the far end of a wormhole: mid twentieth-century Earth, preserved like a fly in amber. Is it a window into the past, a simulation, or something else entirely? CENTURY RAIN is not just a time-travel story, nor a tale of alternate history. Part hard SF thriller, part interstellar adventure, part noir romance, CENTURY RAIN is something altogether stranger.
REVIEW:
This is a firm favourite of mine amongst the current batch of reissues. It’s definitely a modern classic in my book and blends classic Science with the thriller genre as the tale brings together an unseemingly disconnected selection of events and delivers something that is beautifully constructed along with executed. It’s a great book and one that will fully immerse the reader in the experience and if you’re only going to read one of this reissue selection make it this one. It clearly show’s why Reynolds has become a firm fan favourite.
