John Lee narrating an Alastair Reynolds space opera sci-fi book. It doesn’t get better than that. One of my all-time favorite stand-alone novels, I heartily recommend this to anyone. I’ve read this book more than any other in my library—though I’ve lost count, I’ve easily read it five times.
It covers more spacetime in one novel than most sci-fi series do throughout multiple books. Many species and planets are visited, sometimes at length, sometimes briefly. The diverse cultures and unique perspective of a near-immortal group of humans traversing the galaxy never gets old. And it’s all wrapped up in a galaxy-wide, species-threatening mystery thriller.
Publisher’s Summary
Six million years ago, at the very dawn of the starfaring era, Abigail Gentian fractured herself into a thousand male and female clones: the shatterlings. Sent out into the galaxy, these shatterlings have stood aloof as they document the rise and fall of countless human empires. They meet every 200,000 years to exchange news and memories of their travels with their siblings.Not only are Campion and Purslane late for their 30-second reunion but they have also brought along an amnesiac golden robot for a guest. But the wayward shatterlings get more than the scolding they expect: they face the discovery that someone has a very serious grudge against the Gentian line, and there is a very real possibility of traitors in their midst. The surviving shatterlings have to dodge exotic weapons while they regroup to try to solve the mystery of who is persecuting them and why—before their ancient line is wiped out of existence forever.