The Revelation Space universe is outstanding. In this installment, we go to the “Glitter Band” time and place and follow a detective uncovering a system-threatening mystery. There are some incredible aspects to this book that I love to revisit. In this story Reynolds creates a number of throw-away worlds that the characters visit once and are never revisited in the rest of the series… because the universe is so absolutely massive. But even in those throw-away worlds, you’re drawn in to an unique story or angle that leaves a lasting impression. It serves to make the world feel more real by its shear size.
I digress. This detective novel inside a space opera inside a fantastic sci-fi universe has great twists and does not disappoint.
Publisher’s Summary
Tom Dreyfus is a Prefect, a law enforcement officer with the Panoply. His beat is the multifaceted utopian society of the Glitter Band, that vast swirl of space habitats orbiting the planet Yellowstone, the teeming hub of a human interstellar empire spanning many worlds. His current case: investigating a murderous attack against one of the habitats that left 900 people dead, a crime that appalls even a hardened cop like Dreyfus. But then his investigation uncovers something far more serious than mass slaughter—a covert plot by an enigmatic entity who seeks nothing less than total control of the Glitter Band. Before long, the Panoply detectives are fighting against something worse than tyranny, in a struggle that will lead to more devastation and more death. And Dreyfus will discover that to save what is precious, you may have to destroy it.