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Absolution Gap (Revelation Space) by Alastair Reynolds
Book Summary InformationAuthor: Alastair Reynolds Edition: Mass Market Paperback Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published) Published: 2005-05-31 ISBN: 0441012914 Number of pages: 768 Publisher: Ace
Book Reviews of Absolution Gap (Revelation Space)Book Review: Iconoclastic conclusion to a trilogy Summary: 5 Stars
In "Absolution Gap," the third of three, Alistair Reynolds, as he did in the second tale, "Redemption Ark," again deviates from the orthodoxy of the trilogy. Here you will find no standard-issue vol. 1, the gathering and the initial triumph; vol. 2, the party proceeds to the semifinal battle; vol. 3, the final triumph. Instead, this sweeping adventure, which picks up 20 years after the end of the last volume, goes off in a completely different direction from what you might have expected. Once again, many of the leading players from the previous volume take a back seat, as a whole new crew is brought in. Indeed, by the end of the volume's 754 pages, by my count only one or two of the characters who began the journey in "Revelation Space" are still around. Some may find this offputting; others may well be intrigued.
At any rate, this novel has three threads starting at three different times and places, and plays around with three different plots that have been around forever: the explorer who discovers Something New Out There (the Quaiche thread); the reluctant hero who is summoned back to fight one more battle (the Clavain thread), and the quest of the Intrepid Girl Woman (Rashmika's thread) who seeks the Eighth Square or the Wizard or The Truth.
Naturally, the stories meld by the end (but not before some scintillating adventures and a couple of science lessons), in a bizarre climax that pretty much turns everything that's previously happened upside down. As in the earlier volumes, a great deal of the action stakes place off stage, nothing quite goes according to plan for anyone, and there are enough loose ends to weave another trilogy from. And, since the author enjoys playing around in the universe he's cooked up (he's written another novel, "Chasm City," and two novellas set there), perhaps another will be forthcoming.
Summary of Absolution Gap (Revelation Space)They are ancient killing machines, designed to locate and destroy any life form reaching a certain level of intelligence. Now, stirred from eons of sleep, the Inhibitors have descended on their latest target: Humanity." "The first wave of Inhibitors has sent war veteran Clavain and a ragtag group of refugees into hiding. Their leadership is faltering, and their situation is growing more desperate. But their little colony has just received an unexpected visitor: an avenging angel with the power to lead mankind to safety - or draw down its darkest enemy." As she leads them to an apparently insignificant moon light-years away, it begins to dawn on Clavain and his companions that to beat one enemy, it may be necessary to forge an alliance with something much worse.
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