Absolution Gap (Revelation Space, #3)

Aug 08, 2007 Silvercharmer rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Sci Fi fans

Shelves: scifi-fantasy, alastair-reynolds, space-opera

This is the conclusion of the three part series, and while I thought it was the weakest of the series, I still get insane pleasure out of this man's writing. I think the main problem this book has is that it is missing what would seem to be a very vital sense of urgency concerning the Inhibitors. Now, the nature of this galaxy he has created reminds us that our perception of the passage of time is quite different from the galaxy's perception, but even so, there is a race of machines out there de...more This is the conclusion of the three part series, and while I thought it was the weakest of the series, I still get insane pleasure out of this man's writing. I think the main problem this book has is that it is missing what would seem to be a very vital sense of urgency concerning the Inhibitors. Now, the nature of this galaxy he has created reminds us that our perception of the passage of time is quite different from the galaxy's perception, but even so, there is a race of machines out there destroying mankind, and there is only one real moment in the book where that threat feels real and immediate. Granted, that one moment is one HELL of a moment, one that I as a writer who knows how much the characters and worlds you create mean to you might not have had the courage or willpower to write, but overall the Inhibitors themselves are surprisingly absent from the book, and when they do appear they just do not seem as terrible and threatening as they should be. I feel the same way about how the author treats the cache weapons, weapons so terrible that they were only made once, and the technology used to make them was then destroyed. They are called hell class weapons, and we are made to fear them utterly in the first book, but in the second and third, while they are used and coveted, we never really see or feel their devastation, which to me is a real missed opportunity.

Characters that I thought were slightly underdeveloped or unnecessary in Absolution Gap tended to be weeded out, which I suppose justified my previous opinion. The author's main fascination seemed to be with the character Scorpio, which I admit is a fascinating character, and Reynolds thoroughly addresses all of the things that make him interesting. We skulk in Scorpio's head more intimately than perhaps any other character in the series, though sometimes I think I am more interested in Reynold's fascination with the character than my own. The problem I think, is that in the second book there was a crucial transformation in Scorpio's character that we were told about but never really saw, and as such when the character reflects on that transformation, I have to take his word for it rather than understand it myself. Show not tell, yo. And on the note of characters, I think there were two HUGE missed opportunities in Grelier and whats-her-name torture lady from the very beginning, who were possibly THE most interesting characters he's ever created, and they end up playing a rather minuscule, undeveloped part, which is disappointing. Oh, and hey, whatever happened to the Mademoiselle? Rarely does Reynolds leave a thread like that unadressed, but the story never came back to that like I thought it would.

This book also ended more vaguely than the other books do, and if there is one thing I can generally count on Reynolds for, it's an ending that lives up to its promise. If I read the ending right, and it was a little hard to sort out, at least for me, it doesn't exactly leave you with warm, squishy thoughts. Which is fine, but it was so vague and out there that I felt a little let down. Those things said, there is no end to the fascinating creativity this man possesses. The nature of Haldora, the Cathedrals, the characters of Quaiche and Aura are all pretty brilliant if you ask me. I've been dwelling on the negative, but there is so, so, so much to like about this book, and Alastair Reynolds on his worst day is far better than most of the sci-fi junk that's out there. Read this. Really. Read everything this guy has written if you're into this genre.
(less)

8 likes · like · see review

Sep 02, 2012 Ian rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, love-strong-women, space-opera, the-innocent-get-screwed, revelation-space, too-ambitious, fits-like-a-glove

With his Revelation Space trilogy and the spinoff books Chasm City and The Prefect , Alastair Reynolds has accomplished the best world-building outside of Iain M. Banks' Culture novels. Truly, I can't understate how impressed I am with what Reynolds has put together.

Over the last ten weeks or so I have fallen in love with the Revelation Space universe and I simply can't get enough of the stories or characters that occupy it. I started with The Prefect, not realizing it was part of a bigger pic...more

6 likes · like · see review

May 11, 2013 Kerry rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

  Absolution:  A freeing from blame or guilt.  
  The one seeking absolution should be Reynolds.

Clavain is staring across an ocean on planet Ararat. He is sitting alone in meditation, struggling with feelings of remorse and guilt. Does he take the swim that would allow the Juggler marine mass to absorb his mind/soul with their own?

Scorpio arrives. He finds Clavain in his place of solitude and self imposed exile. A small craft has landed and Scorpio feels this may mark the local resumption of humani...more

  Absolution:  A freeing from blame or guilt.  
  The one seeking absolution should be Reynolds.

Clavain is staring across an ocean on planet Ararat. He is sitting alone in meditation, struggling with feelings of remorse and guilt. Does he take the swim that would allow the Juggler marine mass to absorb his mind/soul with their own?

Scorpio arrives. He finds Clavain in his place of solitude and self imposed exile. A small craft has landed and Scorpio feels this may mark the local resumption of humanities war against the Inhibitors. Or maybe this is a return of an old Conjoiner enemy/friend. Two plus decades have passed since the light hugger Nostalgia for Infinity fled Resurgam and delivered it's human cargo to this Juggler world. Clavain grudgingly agrees to return for an investigation. He brings a knife, reliable and useful.

Reynolds should have brought one as well.

I enjoy Reynolds writing style so he gets an extra half star for that. But Absolution Gap has has a very dissatisfying ending. Unless you just love the journey (or Reynolds writing craft), read the spoiler for the plot reveal and spare yourself the reading hours. (view spoiler)

I'm sure he feels fine with his cop out ending. I guess the difference of opinion is our Absolution Gap.

I would add. The second paragraph of the Goodreads book description is really bad. Clavain never learns of this other 'something much worse' potential ally. Also, Clavain and his allies are seeking refuge on the Juggler Planet Ararat and not on an 'insignificant moon light-years away.' That would be planet Hela which is circling a gas giant and has little atmosphere and is populated by religious fanatics. Just saying. Ohh yes, in paragraph one of the MMPB description, it is an 'avenging' angel NOT an 'averaging' angel. Though it is amusing to ponder what an averaging angel might do.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Feb 18, 2013 Smcleish rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

Originally published on my blog here in August 2004.

This novel completes the story of Revelation Space and Redemption Ark, about how the human race falls foul of machines named Inhibitors or wolves, which destroy interstellar civilizations when alerted by the use of particular kinds of advanced technology. (Chasm City and the pair of novellas Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days share the same background, but are not part of the same story.) At the end of Redemption Ark, one group of humans had taken re...more Originally published on my blog here in August 2004.

This novel completes the story of Revelation Space and Redemption Ark, about how the human race falls foul of machines named Inhibitors or wolves, which destroy interstellar civilizations when alerted by the use of particular kinds of advanced technology. (Chasm City and the pair of novellas Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days share the same background, but are not part of the same story.) At the end of Redemption Ark, one group of humans had taken refuge on the backwater planet of Ararat; one strand of Absolution Gap starts when the Inhibitors attack them. The other main narrative thread is set on the bizarre world of Hela (a third describes the discovery of this world). Hela is an icy moon, home to a really strange religious movement. Many satellites have synchronous orbits, keeping one face towards the planet they orbit, as the Moon does to Earth - nobody could see the far side before the days of space travel. Hela nearly does this, but not quite, so the planet of Haldora appears to slowly move through the sky. On the equator is a route travelled by the strange cathedrals, slowly moving, huge buildings; their aim is to keep the planet directly overhead, under constant observation. (Of course, only one can do so at a time, causing a great deal of rivalry.)

Absolution Gap is a long novel, and to start with moves too slowly. Even though I had enjoyed Reynolds' other writing, I seriously considered giving up on this story. The depiction of Hela is a serious problem; although the cathedrals are a fascinating idea, with a great deal of scope for baroque description in the manner of Peake or Moorcock (they're easily the best thing in the novel), we don't actually learn very much about them. This is because Reynolds doesn't want to reveal twists in the plot beforehand, but it means that the reader's interest isn't sustained. Basically, Absolution Gap could have been better constructed; it is a lengthy wait for things to start to get interesting. Read it if you want to find out the end of the story of the Inhibitors; otherwise, it's not really worth the effort. #(less)

like · see review

Jul 23, 2012 Scott Rhee rated it 4 of 5 stars

"Absolution Gap" is Alastair Reynold's final (maybe) chapter in his absolutely fantastic 4-book sci-fi series that started with "Revelation Space". Starting where he left off in "Redemption Ark", Reynolds continues the story of his ragtag crew of the light-hugger Nostalgia for Infinity and the thousands of survivors of planet Resurgam, which was destroyed by an ancient race of machines called the Inhibitors. The survivors have settled on a planet they have named Ararat. The inhibitors continue t...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 20, 2012 Joe rated it 4 of 5 stars

The thrilling final chapter of the revelation space trilogy. The colonists of Resurgam were able to evacuate just in time before the inhibitors destroyed it. Clavains people went their separate ways after the battle at Resurgam. Some on the lightship Zodiacal Light to try and track down Daniel Sylveste to try and find information they can use defeat the inhibitors. Clavain and Scorpio take Nostalgia for Infinity and the refugees to the remote ocean world Arrat to set up a temporary colony.

The i...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 03, 2012 Lorelei rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf

What the?!

The final in a rather involved trilogy that is neither the same story as the previous two/nor the characters and in no way final. So many tantalising threads from the the previous two books are left to hang. The first two in this series showed great promise and I was very much looking forward to this one - I can't think of the last time I was so disappointed in an author.

The thing that became most apparent to me after finishing this one is that the author was using his characters as to...more

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 03, 2011 Alan rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: The unInhibited

Recommended to Alan by: Previous work

The Fermi Paradox: the Earth seems utterly typical, as planets go—more and more so, as we learn more about astronomy and stellar dynamics. But if planets are as likely to occur as they seem to be; if life is as likely to evolve on them as it seems to be; if intelligent life is even remotely likely to evolve, then... it should have happened already, long ago, and on millions of planets in the Milky Way alone. And so it follows that They should have contacted us by now, or at least we should have...more

like · see review

Mar 15, 2011 Lori L (She Treads Softly) rated it 3 of 5 stars

Absolution Gap by Alastair Reynolds is the third volume in his Revelation Space Series. This is a hard science fiction space opera series - so there is real science in the fiction. Obviously, you will want to read the first two volumes, Revelation Space and Redemption Ark, before Absolution Gap. It should also be mentioned that Reynolds has a stipulation of no faster-than-light travel. This really helps create a sense of the vastness of space and the time it would take to travel anywhere.

For me,...more

like · see review

Nov 19, 2010 Felix Dance rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another fat Reynolds book - nearly 700 pages this time. I thought so well of Revelation Space that I bought this one in another Kathmandu bookshop just on spec. Unfortunately, I skipped the two intervening books in the series (backpackers can’t be choosy), infecting this one with in-references I didn't really get, but the narration was quite helpful. As humans expand to colonise the nearby star systems (still slower than light, thankfully) they disturb an ancient army of machines called the Inhi...more

like · see review

May 24, 2010 Tim Hicks rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

What a disappointment! This last book alone adds 662 pages to the series. It continues the brilliant weaving of complex and advanced ideas, but even early in the book I started thinking, "This is getting a little silly now". It built to what promised to be a stunning conclusion, then ends with a great big "PFFFFBBBLLLLLT". What a load of bollocks!

The ending is so bad that it bursts the suspension of disbelief that carried us so far. It makes us look back and see how flimsy some of the plotlines...more

6 likes · like · see review

Dec 29, 2008 Lightreads rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, science-fiction

Hard SF, third in the loose triad started with Revelation Space and Redemption Ark.

All of these have been hard SF novels told partly through religious metaphor. Or, more precisely, in fragments of mostly Christian mythology reimagined through a positivist, scientific lens where the end of days happens on a galactic scale, and it's ancient, silent, species-killing machines we're afraid of. After reading all three massive books, I'm still not sure what I think about it – about how successful it i...more

like · see review

Dec 13, 2012 Jesse Ostrander rated it 4 of 5 stars

I loved Revelation Space. I loved Redemption Ark.
Why, sir, did you write three books about a certain set of entities attacking humans, and in the third book the entire final conflict between them and humans was skipped and then summarized in an epilogue? Also, why did not you officially end any of the characters? yes, there were vague suggestions of what happened to them in the epilogue but...
I feel with the passing of the last Triumvir, the passing of the greatness of this trilogy also occurred...more

like · see review

Feb 16, 2012 Jack Wegason rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Those who have read the first two in the trilogy

Shelves: science-fiction

One thousand nine hundred and seventy four pages of plot development and world building. All the plot devices, all the ideas, and all the characters you introduced and developed, and you give me that for an ending. How could you.

I've had books conclude unsatisfactorily before, at least to me, I've been disappointed at endings before, but never have I felt so empty after concluding a series that I have put so much time and energy into reading as I did at the end of this book.

An antagonist, a myst...more One thousand nine hundred and seventy four pages of plot development and world building. All the plot devices, all the ideas, and all the characters you introduced and developed, and you give me that for an ending. How could you.

I've had books conclude unsatisfactorily before, at least to me, I've been disappointed at endings before, but never have I felt so empty after concluding a series that I have put so much time and energy into reading as I did at the end of this book.

An antagonist, a mysterious group of machines that eradicate starfaring intelligent life in the galaxy were slowly revealed over the course of the trilogy, and humanity's discovery and subsequent struggle with these inhibitors became the driving force and main focus point of the series. These eradictors of life's purpose and reasoning was only revealed periodically, and skillfully.

They are again the focus of this third novel, and all the other plot developments and stories that intertwine in this novel are building towards an epic conclusion, to a stage where all the strands are to be tied up and a definitive ending is given to the opposing forces of humanity's right to exist and the inhibitors attempts to wipe out starfaring life. But what is the ending? It's a damp squib, it is so vague, so ill-defined and so not an ending that there should be a fourth book in the series, and yet the epilogue, all four ambiguous pages of it, prevents that.

Consequently I had to come on here and read what others felt about the novel and the series and there are a couple of paragraphs of this review that capture my feelings upon finishing the novel.

"the novel sets up all of the counter-plotting admirably, it does so very slowly to build ambiance. Very Slowly. Glacially, even. And frustratingly, there's almost no payoff for it. ... The conclusion is also a staggering cop-out. All of the preparation our characters perform, all of their investigations, new technologies, and even the Shadows and Wolves themselves, are effectively hurled into the nearest landfill, and an ending completely out of right field is bolted on as an afterthought.

I find myself in complete agreement. The Wolves/Inhibitors that have been built up over 3 books of almost 2000 pages in length are just thrown out at the end and made to appear inconsequential. The Shadows that are slowly developed in the latter half of the third novel, and which appear to be key, are also just thrown out at the end as some sort of test, that there is in fact some invisible and secret third force at play that is judging humanity. This is ill-defined by Reynolds, it is ill-conceived as well, but it just makes all of the rest of the characters and development meaningless.

It appears to me that Reynolds just did not know how to end this series, he'd set it all up for a thrilling conclusion and then just couldn't end it satisfactorily.

So Shaun is right when he states "This is probably the worst betrayal I've felt after finishing a space opera of any length. The characters' efforts are unimportant; the antagonists ultimately moot; the conclusion is only tangentially related to the rest of the novel. Reynolds invoked deus ex machina here, but did so by alluding to a circular time loop which is supposed to tie everything up in a neat, depressing little bow. Instead, it cheapens the struggles of every character introduced in the novel, reduces their travails to drab, pointless endeavors full of eloquent prose that accomplishes approximately nothing."

I feel robbed.

And yet I still liked the novel, I still liked the series, and so despite my disappointment, I can only knock off one star, although I may come back at a later point and make it two.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jul 02, 2012 Jan Bednarczuk rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the third book in Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space series. (There's another book, Chasm City, that is technically part of the series, but it's not part of the main plotline.)

For me, this series was like one of those magic eye pictures; the longer you stare at it, the more complex it becomes, until at last it turns into a coherent three-dimensional picture. The picture was there all along, but you couldn't see it at first; you could only see its constituent parts.

The Revelation Space s...more This is the third book in Alastair Reynolds' Revelation Space series. (There's another book, Chasm City, that is technically part of the series, but it's not part of the main plotline.)

For me, this series was like one of those magic eye pictures; the longer you stare at it, the more complex it becomes, until at last it turns into a coherent three-dimensional picture. The picture was there all along, but you couldn't see it at first; you could only see its constituent parts.

The Revelation Space series was much the same. The job that Reynolds has done here in mapping out a complete universe, with millions of years worth of history, alien cultures, disparate human factions, and planetary systems, is nothing less than stunning. I found myself putting the book down at regular intervals just to sit and process what I'd just read, fitting a particular scene into the overarching whole.

Like the best space operas -- and this certainly qualifies as that -- this universe felt real, inhabited, legitimate. It felt like a place you could really go, and the characters in it seemed, for the most part, like people you could actually know. Though certainly you might not want to know many of them.

The writing is not the easiest or the most accessible. This isn't a quick beach read. It takes some care and thought, and in my case took some re-reading of particularly dense passages. But ultimately everything pulls together and make sense. I am tempted to re-read the entire thing, even though the whole trilogy is about 3,000 pages long, just because I know I must have missed things on the first read, simply because I hadn't put everything together yet.

And the thread of plot that traces through this universe is original and captivating, with switchbacks and surprises, triumphs and despairs. So many times in reading through this third and final book, I found myself thinking, "This is so unbelievably good." It's the sort of book that you almost dread finishing, because reading it is just so enjoyable and engaging.

To sum up, I cannot recommend this series enough if you love either space opera or hard sci-fi. It's long, and dense, but very much worth it.(less)

like · see review

Dec 06, 2012 Ashvin rated it 2 of 5 stars

This is the third book in a trilogy... the first two books were pretty good sci fi. They were long and detailed, but the details were worth it. In this book, though, I get the feeling the Reynolds was intentionally trying to write a book that was as long and detailed the the previous books, but he just didn't have enough to say. Long descriptions and back stories of minor characters were included, but they didn't add anything to the story or overall feel.

Also, what were once interesting charact...more

like · see review

Mar 09, 2012 Forrest rated it 4 of 5 stars

The final novel in the Revelation Space Trilogy concludes one of the great space operas of the modern era. Though not the best book of the trilogy (I reserve that spot for Revelation Space itself), Absolution Gap brings the vast, centuries-spanning epic to a satisfactory conclusion. (view spoiler)...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 28, 2013 Dan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was kind of a disappointing book, although it had all the elements of horror, tension, and grandeur of the other titles and spin offs of this series. The two- plot lines of the book eventually knit up, but to get there you have to read through a plodding beginning and middle. The horrible problem presented in Revelation Space is finally brought to a reckoning.... Except that it isn't solved, really. Moreover, a surprise threat from one of the author's short stories upstages the Inhibiters....more

like · see review

Jun 04, 2012 Chris W rated it 3 of 5 stars

Reynolds seems to have been somewhat uncertain as to how this three-novel arc would end and the third novel in the series (I am dismissing Chasm City as being "in the series") seems to suffer as a result. While his tech-and-science-saavy writing style is well maintained, character development falls flat and the plot seems to twist off into a direction which doesn't feel entirely consistent with the other two books. Characters who are carried over from the previous book actually seem to become MO...more

like · see review

Nov 02, 2011 Grant Kisling rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi, kindle

This is the final book in the Revelation Space Trilogy. In my opinion, it is disappointing because it the book itself feels unfinished which leaves a bad taste in your mouth for the series as a whole.

The Revelation Space Trilogy is a trilogy of diminishing returns.

Book 1 (Revelation Space): 4.5 rating, exciting and a lot of interesting ideas introduced

Book 2 (Redemption Ark): 3.75 rating, a continuation but really no new ideas and not many topics from the first book revisted

Book 3 (absolution Ga...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 09, 2012 Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews rated it 2 of 5 stars

I'll keep is short... If you have read the previous books in this 'trilogy', never fear, Reynolds writing is as engaging and enjoyable as ever... The ending though left an opening for a whole new direction in the story and if that was it, I may have given it a much higher score (although I would have been discontent as it seemed a little rushed and may have given the book that 'filler' feel). Sadly Reynolds decided to add a prologue and epilogue which reeked of a last minute quick fix to the who...more

like · see review

Apr 17, 2011 Marko rated it 3 of 5 stars

Absolution Gap concludes the trilogy of Revelation Space and it is, unfortunately, the weakest of the three books. The main reason for this weakness - in my view - is that it seems to be artificially lengthened to reach the length of the earlier books. All in all, I feel that the book would have been stronger if someone had dared to shorten it by 200 or so pages - preferably from the middle. From about page 500 onwards, the writing finally starts to pick up and reminded me of why I still like A....more

like · see review

Apr 18, 2010 Francis Fish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Just finished re-reading the whole Revelation Space series. I like Reynolds' work a lot, he posits believable physics and has characters that aren't the usual SF placeholders, plus talks about real things like mortality and what advanced technology might do to people in an honest way.

My favourite character is Scorpio, and I really like the idea of the ones who live 500 years or so (and get mentioned in every book) like Sky Haussen and Clavain with their need for redemption. He's not afraid to ki...more

like · see review

May 04, 2013 Ange rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: scifi

Upon finishing this book I was disappointed. No point sugar-coating it.

There's so much more I wanted to know, far too many threads were left unfinished, or abruptly ended for my liking. It was frustratingly good; Good, in that once engaged, I didn't want to stop reading, I wanted to know even more about this complex universe that was being hinted at; Frustrating, because so much was going on that that complexity was rarely examined.

I don't even want to talk about the whole Inhibitor thing. Or la...more

like · see review

Jul 16, 2012 Jesterjoker rated it 5 of 5 stars

As the final book in the Revelation Space trilogy, I figured I might as well give it five stars. I'm not quite sure it's THAT good, but it is pretty impressive. It's a much different book than the other two, being more grim and resigned to the End Times that have come upon the universe.

There's three separate plot lines in it that merge together amazingly and surreally. The first is about Captain John Brannigan, the Nostalgia For Infinity and its crew gathered through the other books. They've gon...more

like · see review

Dec 19, 2011 Cecily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi-or-futuristic

The third in the Revelation Space series, picking up where Redemption Ark left off. I have been impressed by all the Reynolds I have read, but around the half-way mark, this one was struggling to be worth 3*. However, it redeemed itself in the last quarter, to deserve 4*.

Like many of Reynolds' books, this is a story with three main, interrelated, strands, though it is simpler than the previous two Revelation Space volumes - or perhaps that is just because there are so many familiar characters an...more The third in the Revelation Space series, picking up where Redemption Ark left off. I have been impressed by all the Reynolds I have read, but around the half-way mark, this one was struggling to be worth 3*. However, it redeemed itself in the last quarter, to deserve 4*.

Like many of Reynolds' books, this is a story with three main, interrelated, strands, though it is simpler than the previous two Revelation Space volumes - or perhaps that is just because there are so many familiar characters and fewer new ones.

On strand is on the Juggler planet, Ararat, where Clavain, Scorpio and others ended up in Redemption Ark. A second strand concerns ultras looking for alien relics, though this one joins with one of the others about half way through. The third focuses on a moon called Hela, which is home to humans, many of whom follow (in a literal sense) a cultish religion trying to observe the occasional fleeting disappearance of their sun, Haldora.

The book is plot-driven, rather than character-based, as is common with sci fi, and that is fine - until the plot stagnates, which was what I found in the middle: it became mired in too much detail of church hierarchies and infighting, without enough happening, and not even balanced by much character development. A decent editor would fix that, but perhaps Reynolds is too successful for his own good and does not need to submit to such indignities. Anyway, I'm glad I stuck with it; in the end it was definitely worth the ride.

The church caravans are rather steampunky (shades of Mortal Engines), which doesn't feel very Reynoldsy, and their obsession with blood sometimes brings vampires to mind - "the threads of blood that bound them all". Mind you, I did like the fact that the most powerful indoctrinal virus was called Deus-X.

The main themes are the related ones of life, death, extreme longevity, faith, artificial intelligence, and the nature of reality.

Imagine what it must be like to know your belief comes from virus: "the feelings it brought were too superficial... He truly felt himself to be in the presence of something sacred, but he also knew, with total clarity, that this was due to neuro-anatomy."

Reefersleep coupled with life extension becomes almost like time travel: "'I wasn't made for these times', he thought. He had been yanked from the ordinary flow of time and now he was adrift, unmoored from history." And that sort of thing affects one's attitude to mortality, "In every significant respect he approached the matter of his own demise with the bored acceptance of someone waiting to sneeze."

Technology does offer compensation, though: "The ship nurtured him, anticipating his desires with the eagerness of a courtesan... because the ship knew him so well,m he had in a sense extended himself into it."

Despite the distractions and imperfections, this does conclude the trilogy in a satisfying way, building on what has gone before as well as introducing new themes.
(less)

like · see review

Sep 11, 2010 Adrian Sud rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: colonialone-hall

Absolution Gap was a well written addition to the Revelation Space series, but I can't help but think it was a little off-topic. The book consists of three story lines told in parallel, one featuring our hero Clavain, another following an ultra who discovers a physical phenomenon and turns it into a strange religious cult world, and the third featuring a girl on that planet who joins the two plots together. The sad part is that the "religious cult world" is deeply disturbing, but ultimately feel...more

like · see review

Dec 08, 2011 Isabel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Over the last century, the reality of the Inhibitors had come to be accepted. But for much of that time the threat had remained comfortably distant: a problem for some other generation to worry about.
Recently, however, things had changed. There had long been unconfirmed reports of strange activity in the Resurgam system: rumours of worlds being ripped apart and remade into perplexing engines of alien design. There were stories that the entire system had been evacuated; that Resurgam was now an u...more Over the last century, the reality of the Inhibitors had come to be accepted. But for much of that time the threat had remained comfortably distant: a problem for some other generation to worry about.
Recently, however, things had changed. There had long been unconfirmed reports of strange activity in the Resurgam system: rumours of worlds being ripped apart and remade into perplexing engines of alien design. There were stories that the entire system had been evacuated; that Resurgam was now an uninhabitable cinder; that something unspeakable had been done to the system’s sun.
But even Resurgam could be ignored for a while. The system was an archaeological colony, isolated from the main web of interstellar commerce, its government a totalitarian regime with a taste for disinformation. The reports of what had happened there could not be verified. And so for several more decades, life in the other systems of human-settled space continued more or less unaffected.
But now the Inhibitors had arrived around other stars.

The crew of the Nostalgia for Infinity and the refugees from the destruction of Resurgam have been living on the Pattern Juggler planet of Ararat for twenty years, long enough for a new generation to have been born and grown to adulthood, even though they never planned on staying there permanently. But Ararat may no longer be a safe refuge, as the wolves are heading their way .so it may be time to leave. Far away and fifty years later, a teenage girl ruins away from home in search of the brother who left to work on the mobile Cathedrals that circle the equator of Hela.

This book did drag quite a bit. I don't think it really needed to be 662 pages long and there was one really annoying character, who spoiled it for me. Vasko "Mr Tactless" Malinin has a real talent for stating the obvious and putting people's backs up every time he opens his month. For some reason a couple of the other characters seemed to think of him as a potential future leader of the Ararat colony - which I found frankly unbelievable.

The ending of the main plot was again quite abrupt, but it was followed by a final chapter that hinted at some intriguing possibilities for further stories. I was also left wondering who the amnesiac refugee from Yellowstone recognised by Scorpio (who was my favourite character in this book) might turn out to be.

"Revelation Space" is a good series. I just wish the books were a bit shorter.(less)

like · see review

Sep 05, 2009 Andreas Payer rated it 3 of 5 stars

OK, I finished the series, and so here are my wrap-up thoughts: it's been said elsewhere that this guy writes 400 page novels that are 800 pages long, and I have to concur. While the characters and far-out ideas are once again great, the entire essence behind the conflict played out in this series, humanity vs. the Inhibitors, is once again left unresolved. Other than space battles of course, there are space battles between humans and aliens, and they are cool, as is everything in this series, b...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 01, 2010 Billthebloody rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

I actually enjoyed this book a lot more than I thought I would. Having read the previous two installments of the series, Relevation Space and Redemption Ark, which I thought were good but not brilliant, I was expecting a bit of a slog with the final book in the series. I was pleasantly surprised to find the book very enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed the way the different timelines in the book meshed together and was gutted when a major character was killed off, (in a very unpleasant manner - ev...more

like · see review

topics	posts	views	last activity
Ridiculous ending? Spoilers	7	16	10 hours, 51 min ago
Goodreads Librari...: ISBN 0575083166	2	24	Feb 07, 2012 05:11am

title link	preview: Absolution Gap
avg rating	preview: Absolution Gap Goodreads rating: 3.94 (4738 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89184.Absolution_Gap?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1309210984l/89184.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/89184.Absolution_Gap?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Absolution Gap by Alastair Reynolds[/url]

Absolution Gap (Revelation Space #3)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (24)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Alastair Reynolds

Books by Alastair Reynolds

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Le Gouffre De L'a...