The Prefect

As I have said in some of my other reviews,, Alastair Reynolds is in my opinion one of the best newer authors in Science Fiction. He has a "Can't put this book down!" kind of writing style. I found myself getting up at 3 A.M just to have some reading time before I went to work at 6 A.M. "THAT GOOD!" The "REVELATION SPACE" series is a masterwork. (Even though I did not like some of the plot twists in "ABSOLUTION GAP!") This book is set in that Universe! This is kind of a Space opera Detective story. Set in the Glitter Band which a a ring of 10,000 space habitats orbiting a world named Yellowstone which is a planet of the star Epsilon Eridani. The story is set before the "MELDING PLAGUE" happens-- (Nano-Tech assemblers/replicators gone wild!) This is a very complex story. A lot of plot twists. Some other reviewers have stated that the character development was a little weak. A small part of me agrees! There were a lot of characters to keep track of, and they could have been fleshed out a bit more, but I think the main ones were well done. This book could have easily been a hundred pages longer and still be good! Another thing I liked, "NO SEX/LOVE SCENES!" I do not think there was one mention of sex or romance in the entire novel!!(Other than the main character having a wife.) Maybe this is the reason other reviewers thought the characters were shallow?? I have nothing against the characters in a story being romantically inclined. In most cases it does make a character more believable. I do not think it should be "MANDATORY" and I like the fact that Reynolds broke with tradition and left it out. This story really doesn't need that sort of thing. This is "Sherlock Holmes" in space. That may sound comical but the ethics of the main character (That drives the whole story!) reminds me of "HOLMES" His genetically engineered sidekick (A Pig) could be Watson,,only much more intelligent. You do not have to read the other books set with this background, (REVELATION SPACE) to enjoy this novel. (But I recommend it!!) It stands alone well. I think this is Reynolds best work yet. This is a good story without a lot of B.S. He could easily write several more books using these characters. I hope he does!! He just keeps getting better.

Panoply Prefect Tom Dreyfus is a highly regarded law enforcement official whose beat is the Glitter Band habitats that surround Yellowstone planet. His superior Jane Aumonier assigns him to investigate the shocking destruction of Ruskin-Sartorious Bubble habitat that left over nine hundred dead in a mass murder attack. Tom understands the signifcance of the motive is not just to help identify the culprits, but to understand why so as to prevent more assaults on innocent people. At the same time that Tom begins his inquiries into the horrific case, Deputy Field Prefect Thalia Ng works on programming to prevent fraudulent voting following an incident at the House Perigal in which six died. As Tom works his case and Thalia tests her patch, Jane is removed from duty at a time she is considered critical by field prefects. Tom believes an unknown person or group has put together a clever diabolical plot to take control of the entire Glitter Band. The latest Revelation Space thriller is an excellent science fiction police procedural as Dreyfus is at his best uncovering a conspiratorial scheme one clue at a time. The story line is fast-paced as the Prefects investigate several goings-on besides the prime mass murder case; interestingly Alastair Reynolds cleverly uses the cases to provide some history and geography enough for newcomers to understand the Glitter Band and for long term fans not to be irritated. Although the conspirators remain for the most part behind the scenes so never flushed out beyond their objective, fans will appreciate this excellent whodunit in Outer Space. Harriet Klausner

Reynolds is normally considered to be in the `space opera' sub-genre of sci-fi, although his PhD in astronomy and his day job as an astrophysicist for the European Space Agency qualify him for `hard' sci-fi as well. The Prefect takes place, pre-Melding Plague, in the Revelation Space universe. The protagonist, Tom Dreyfus, is a Prefect, a Panoply policeman for the Glitter Band of habitats that orbit the planet Yellowstone. What starts out as a straight-forward murder investigation (the destruction of one of the smaller habitats) quickly spirals out of control as Dreyfus' detective work uncovers a conspiracy to thwart his investigation. And, like peeling the layers off of an onion, the deeper Dreyfus digs, the more he uncovers (conspiracies within conspiracies) until ultimately he is confronted with a grand conspiracy that threatens the very existence of the entire Glitter Band - 10,000 habitats and 100,000,000 people. The character mix includes the sole surviving member of The 80, from the first attempt at uploading human consciousness into a computer environment, and the Clockmaker, a mysterious and murderous computerized being, which Dreyfus has previously encountered. Extremely well-written with well-developed characters and a fast-paced plot, The Prefect reaffirms Reynolds' place among the very best sci-fi writers today. Highly recommended without any reservations. Oh, one last thing. Reynolds leaves the door wide open for a sequel.

Despite having published a string of heavyweight SF novels totalling thousands of pages, Alastair Reynolds is still experimenting. The tetralogy that made his name - Revelation Space, Chasm City, Redemption Ark, and Absolution Gap - are huge, sprawling riots of technology populated by dozens of characters who are not always clearly delineated. They open a window on a masterfully depicted future universe whose sheer weight of high-tech detail leaves scant room for character development - in other words, classic hard SF of a kind to delight lovers of Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Herbert, Niven and the like. Then, in a departure that pleased some readers and infuriated others, Reynolds swerved into an original blend of hard SF and alternate-universe film noir with Century Rain, before returning to the world of spaceships, nanotechnology, AI, and aliens with Pushing Ice and Galactic North. In "The Prefect", he modulates perceptibly towards the detective genre, while bowing in the direction of the Tom Clancy school of war novelists and dropping in a little quiet horror that Stephen King would be proud of. The result is a much pacier, focused book with a clear and straightforward plot - although Reynolds still gives us a plentiful dose of technological thrills on the side. "The Prefect" is set in the Yellowstone system, shortly after the events described in "Revelation Space". The system contains three contrasting human societies, which trade with each other at arm's length: Chasm City, the only major human outpost on the planet Yellowstone; the Parking Swarm, where the spacegoing Ultras dock their vast lighthugger starships; and the Glitter band, a variegated "asteroid belt" of 10,000 human habitats. Each habitat is self-contained and self-governed, with powers of life and death over its citizens. That leaves the Prefects, based on their orbiting citadel Panoply, with little to do except regulate the automated voting system through which all Glitter Band citizens continually express their will. Unless authorized by a vote, for instance, the Prefects are not even allowed heavy weaponry - although the "whiphounds" they carry are not to be trifled with. Tom Dreyfus, the prefect of the title, is an experienced field operative nearing retirement age. Years ago, he was involved in the disastrous episode of the Clockmaker, a malign artificial intelligence that had to be destroyed after it suddenly began killing people in hideously creative ways, but whose evil legacy still persists. Starting with an apparently routine investigation into voting fraud, Dreyfus and his team find themselves confronted by a rapidly escalating series of threats. No matter what they do, they always seem to be a step behind their unseen adversaries, who might be anyone from scheming habitat owners to Ultra crews, the alien-seeming Conjoiner "spiders" with their group mentality, or even a mysterious software entity hiding somewhere in the Glitter band's network. As the story develops