Skip to main content

Series: Revenger by Alastair Reynolds

By

If you’re a fan of other Alastair Reynolds books and series such as the Revelation Space series, then you can appreciate his ability to create compelling characters, vast universes, and yet highly specific and detailed individual worlds. The Revenger series is all of those things, and yet completely and utterly different than any other book of his I’ve read. 

Set in a ruined solar system far in the future, humanity continually rises up from the rubble of previous ruined civilizations, spreads out within the system, and relies on the technology of past ages, most of which they can’t replicate or build upon. While individuals struggle to keep themselves alive in the chaos of space, there’s a deeper conspiracy underlying the story, one that is just starting to get revealed at the end of book two. 

As more books come out, I’ll continue to add them here. In the meantime, this is my new favorite series to recommend. 


Genre: Sci-Fi, Steampunk
Series: Revenger | Subjects: Series Review
Read More
Shadow Captain audiobook cover

Shadow Captain by Alastair Reynolds

By

Wow. This series is so good. What other author but Alastair Reynolds can create a world that blends space travel with steampunk? OK, the habitats are not strictly steampunk (i.e. powered by steam) but the descriptions make the habitations sound old-timey, gritty, and like everyone is bustling about with a cane and monocle. But I digress. 

Book two in the series is told from Adrana’s point of view, and is just as insightful and intense. The action doesn’t move quite as fast as in Revenger, but it is just as good, and the deeper conspiracy is just under the surface the whole time. 

I’m loving this series and can’t wait for book three to come out. 


Genre: Sci-Fi, Steampunk
Series: Revenger |
Read More
Revenger audiobook cover

Revenger by Alastair Reynolds

By

When I picked this up, I was expecting something along the lines of Reynolds’ other books such as House of Suns (one of my all-time favorites) and the Revelation Space series. What I got was so completely different, I nearly gave up on it early on. After I finished it the first time, my initial rating was only 4 stars. But after some distance from it, I kept thinking about how my expectation got in the way of what is an absolutely fantastic novel. I gave it a second listen and was thoroughly entertained. 

Reynolds does an amazing job of both building the universe and moving the action along. And it’s a wild combination of steampunk (on the habitations), space travel (intra-solar system only), and far-out sci-fi (from previous generations long since dead). The main character is a young girl and her character development is one of the best parts of the book. 


Genre: Sci-Fi, Steampunk
Series: Revenger | Subjects: Rich’s Reco’s
Read More
Galactic North audiobook cover

Galactic North by Alastair Reynolds

By

A series of short stories in the Revelation Space universe, my recommendation is that you only read it after having read all the others in the series. The stories start back at the very beginning of humankind first reaching out beyond the solar system, and continues all the way out to the end. Though the stories stand alone, some are intertwined with each other, and all are interwoven into the whole Revelation Space universe. Another top-notch book in the series. 


Genre: Sci-Fi, Space Opera
Series: Revelation Space |
Read More
Chasm City audiobook cover

Chasm City by Alastair Reynolds

By

I read this right after The Prefect, and to me it’s the perfect follow-on novel. The absolute strangeness of Chasm City is magnificent. Though I normally prefer space operas that bounce from world to world spanning the galaxy in all its splendor, I love Chasm City. The city itself seems to be a character of its own. It’s especially interesting because I read this right after The Prefect, which takes place in the Glitter Band, which Chasm City was part of before the Melding Plague brought the whole band into ruin. This is a fantastic book that I’ve read and enjoyed multiple times. 


Genre: Sci-Fi
Series: Revelation Space |
Read More