Galactic North (Revelation Space)

Alastair Reynolds has written a great exemplar of what a short story collection should be. Arranged chronologically from the structure of his universe, included are a mystery, a horror story or two, and a very odd romance. All the stories stand on their own except the final epic; this is really a culmination of all the prior material, and a capstone using his themes of betrayal and forgiveness. His main themes may be described as the evil of cruelty and the evil of war; one, the other, or both, are present in each story, making the collection a bit sad. Even if this were the only book known to the reader set in this universe (as it was for this reviewer), the reader would get the feeling that he or she has a true grasp of the whole. This is especially noteworthy as the stories were written out of order over a span of at least twenty years. This is truly a remarkable collection.

Although Reynolds is best know for his detailed, long and literate space operas, I found this collection of related tales quite satisfying. Think of a series of vignettes stringing into the future with occasional references to the past and that's the nature of this book. Each tale is a complete story in itself although knowing a little background is helpful. Many of the stories are simply mysteries to be solved; others highlight a new direction for mankind or choices we will one day be forced to make. All of them draw the reader into the action and the characters until, at the end, a sort of surrealistic haze covers the landscape. He has gone beyond words and yet there they are, describing almost unimaginable creatures and events. Yet, after all is said and done, after all the smart matter, new intelligences, nanotech, discovery of the inner secrets of the universe, it is still the human relationship that excites and drives and makes us want to read more. My Grade: A

"Galactic North" is a collection of stories taken from Reynolds's Revelation Space milieu. As a whole, this is a highly entertaining collection. And none of the stories are especially clunky. Some of the stories feature familiar characters while others expand on familiar places. In some cases, you can see events referred to in the longer works and the story could have started as a writing exercise or maybe something excised from one of the novels. This adds a real dimension if you've read the works, but it never detracts if you've not dealt with (say) Ultras, Spiders, or hamadryads before. Reynolds has given us some interesting characters before and he's got some nice ideas, setups, and general atmosphere. I like his novels, but here, in shorter blocks, he seems more focused and less prone to some of the letdown you get when you've invest 700 pages only to have the resolution seem somehow less epic than it could be. Instead, with the shorter form, he focuses on delivering more conventional plots and thus characters like Nevil Clavain are given the room to breathe. Nice.

Reynolds is one of my favorite newer authors. His books are big in scope and complex, as are his characters,and his prose flows well. I have never had to back up and re-read something I didn't understand. The revelation Space universe is a masterpiece. I like this book because it is a short story collection set in that universe. You get Reynolds at his best, in smaller doses.(I agree with Mr.Jordon!) This is important because once I start one of his books I cannot put it down. When it comes to believable Space Opera, Alastair Reynolds cannot be beat!

Galactic North (2006) is a collection of SF stories set in the Revelation Space universe. It contains eight stories and an Afterword by the author. Great Wall of Mars is a Conjoiner story about Nevil Clavain and Galiana in the home nest. Glacial relates another Clavain and Galiana tale about a failed outsystem colony. A Spy in Europa recounts a Demarchist tale about an enemy agent who gives his all. Weather describes the rescue of a Conjoiner from a pirate ship and how she returns the favor. Dilation Sleep tells of a refugee from Yellowstone who operates on a crewmember with the Melding Plague. Grafenwalder's Bestiary features a collector of rare beasts in the Yellowstone Rust Belt. Nightingale is about a mission to retrieve a Sky Edge war criminal from a lost hospital ship. Galactic North takes a ramliner captain on a millennia long pursuit of a pirate ship. These stories convey various short subjects within the RS milieu. It covers all the several technological/political groups found within the novels, but develops their characteristics in greater detail. Since the novels are packed with strange technologies and politics, this collection makes a great introduction to the longer works. Enjoy! Highly recommended for Reynolds fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of lightspeed ships, exotic technology and outsystem colonies. -Arthur W. Jordin