The Prefect

Jun 07, 2012 Ian rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, fits-like-a-glove, genre-bending, politics, space-opera, unique-theories, didn-t-expect-to-love-it, must-read-again, revelation-space

This is not a book that’s necessarily going to wow you. It’s not flashy. It’s not full of glitz or pizzazz. Basically this book ain’t got much bling. But I’ll tell you what this book does have: execution. The Prefect is thoughtfully and creatively designed, deceptively complex, and just plain well executed. Alastair Reynolds doesn’t use any tricks. He just put together a solid game plan and executed it with precision and style.

The Prefect makes me think of Stanford football’s offense in the Andr...more This is not a book that’s necessarily going to wow you. It’s not flashy. It’s not full of glitz or pizzazz. Basically this book ain’t got much bling. But I’ll tell you what this book does have: execution. The Prefect is thoughtfully and creatively designed, deceptively complex, and just plain well executed. Alastair Reynolds doesn’t use any tricks. He just put together a solid game plan and executed it with precision and style.

The Prefect makes me think of Stanford football’s offense in the Andrew Luck era (it’s Luck’s senior season as I write this review). Stanford uses some misdirection and they love to shift and line up in unbalanced formations, but there’s really nothing tricky or special going on; it’s just classic power football, executed at a very high level. Stanford simply lines up and out-executes the opponent, marching down the field in what seems like modest chunks, then before the opponent realizes what’s happened Stanford is up by 20 points.

I would liken Iain Banks to LSU football under the “Mad Hatter” Les Miles, athletic and tricky; Connie Willis, with her frantic pace that leaves the reader out of breath, looks like Oregon’s no-huddle, quick-strike offense under Chip Kelly. Alastair Reynolds may lack the flair of those writers, but in The Prefect he lined up in the power-I, shifted the tight end, pulled the guard, and executed a perfect play.

I don’t mean to say The Prefect is simple. Like any good power offense it has its subtleties and complexities. Moreover, The Prefect has some unique angles on classic sci-fi themes that I enjoyed immensely. But The Prefect is anything but frustrating to follow; it weaves many threads and then brings those threads together at the end, tying them up in a neat and satisfying conclusion that leaves no questions unanswered. This is an impressively well executed book, gratifying from beginning to end. And it was worth my time, which, ultimately, is one of the best compliments I can pay.

P.S. I suppose I should comment on the reading by John Lee, since this was, after all, the audiobook version. Mr. Lee has not been my favorite narrator in the past, though I’ve found him competent. But in reading The Prefect he was much more than competent. Mr. Lee’s gritty, streetwise style was perfectly suited for this book, and I can’t imagine it being better read by anyone else. Well worth the Audible credit.
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Feb 01, 2012 Mike (the Paladin) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In this one I went from 4 stars down to 3 stars and then back to 4.

There are strong characters, a sturdy world (universe....multiverse?)and a good plot. The plot however started to fray badly about halfway through the book. I felt like he'd strewn his conspiracy laden plot out into a few too many strands and then let the strands sort of get out of control. The story lost focus and even began to wear a little thin out at the edges as he shifted from place to place, view to view, and character to...more

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Jul 19, 2008 Adam rated it 4 of 5 stars

A delightful romp through politics and giddy inventions of the bizarre future society of the demarchists (democratic anarchism a post-scarcity system based on implants making constant polls) that reminds me of Sterling’s Schismatrix and Swanwick’s Vacuum Flowers. Reynold’s most on surface optimistic work is undercut by a creeping sadness that might in the end make this his most chilling and disturbing. Possible because it’s set in threatened utopia rather than his usual desolate settings of dead...more

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Aug 27, 2012 Gyula rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scifi

I have read a few books from Reynolds several years ago, and I did like them. I was satisfied with The Prefect too. Actually, more than satisfied, I liked it very much.

Being a scifi fan, I always enjoy good science fiction stories. The Prefect is one of those which feels real. It happens in the future, in a far galaxy. The people use technology we just dream about today. There are futuristic habitats, which are members of an utopian democracy. But in spite of these, the story feels like it real...more

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Aug 11, 2012 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone

Alastair Reynolds is what I call a “heavyweight” Science Fiction author. His stories are deep, thoughtful, and have complex characters that inhabit his intricate fictional universe. His writing reminds me of Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Robert Heinlein, and other masters of “hard” fiction. As much as I like and enjoy lighter fare, this is what I consider the epitome of excellent writing. Take any well-crafted novel by a great author in this genre and it compares favorably with the best fiction...more Alastair Reynolds is what I call a “heavyweight” Science Fiction author. His stories are deep, thoughtful, and have complex characters that inhabit his intricate fictional universe. His writing reminds me of Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, Robert Heinlein, and other masters of “hard” fiction. As much as I like and enjoy lighter fare, this is what I consider the epitome of excellent writing. Take any well-crafted novel by a great author in this genre and it compares favorably with the best fiction of “straight fiction’ authors.

A few years ago I had read several of his novels (“Revelation Space”, “Chasm City”, “Redemption Ark”, “Absolution Gap”, “Century Rain”, “Pushing Ice”) and collections (“Diamond Dogs/Turquoise Days”, “Zima Blue…”). Most are based in the same fictional universe and timeline, but each are worthy independent works. After reading several of his books in a short time, I took a break from him (I do have to let the author “catch-up” and create new material, after all). I timely feed on goodreads sent me looking for new material.

“The Prefect” is another excellent novel written in the same universe. Many of the major players in other stories are present, but they are in small, supporting roles. (Small in that they take up few pages: in once case they provide a critical service despite having such little ink.) As I mentioned above, each novel stands apart on its own plot and characters. They interrelate, of course, but you could read just one and still feel satisfied. I don’t know why you would do that – finding great authors in any field is hard enough!

As in most of my reviews, I tend to avoid spoilers except in the most minor sense. So, I can say that this novel has a protagonist who is complicated, performs a difficult and unwelcome job (Prefects are essentially a police force, but with a very limited mandate), and has unexpected qualities (versus the average Prefect) that generate loyalty and trust in several key characters. As in any novel of good length, the action and scope do not only involve this man. Other characters play important roles in expanding the story, generating tension and conflict, and driving the plot.

It sounds so lame without details but take my word for it: the entire fate of the local human population is at risk in this tale. What starts with a horrific act develops into a doomsday scenario that threatens all. Only by the dogged detective work and convictions of Tom Dreyfus can the evil be identified, let alone combated against. You’ll just have to read this one to hear more.

I recommend his entire series of book. I know that some reviewers may have different rankings on each book, but taken as a series they are a major contribution to literature. Yes, I said literature: Science Fiction, Speculative Fiction, SF, - what ever you want to call it has been as pulpy as you can get, but it also has been written at levels that deserve to be called “literature”. “The Prefect” is one such novel. The mystery may not be the most complex, nor, the prose as elegant as other books I’ve read and reviewed, but this is a very, very good book. I’d give it a solid “4.5” any day.

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Jul 21, 2012 Dale rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Tantor Audio
19 hours
Read by John Lee

Alastair Reynolds’ The Prefect is a hard-boiled detective novel set in a future in which mankind has moved to new worlds far away from Earth and created any number of new technologies. But, people still find themselves confronted by age-old problems that come from within humanity itself. In the end, despite the all of the glitz of spaceships and high tech weaponry, this is really a book about freedom vs. tyranny, redemption, revenge, justice, revenge and hono...more Tantor Audio
19 hours
Read by John Lee

Alastair Reynolds’ The Prefect is a hard-boiled detective novel set in a future in which mankind has moved to new worlds far away from Earth and created any number of new technologies. But, people still find themselves confronted by age-old problems that come from within humanity itself. In the end, despite the all of the glitz of spaceships and high tech weaponry, this is really a book about freedom vs. tyranny, redemption, revenge, justice, revenge and honor.

Set in the year 2427, The Prefect is the fifth novel in the Revelation Space series. Chronologically, it is the first novel (there are short stories and novellas in the series as well) and it can be read as a stand-alone novel. The Prefect takes place in the Glitter Band, a group of 10,000 space stations (called habitats) with a total population of 100 million all in orbit around a planet called Yellowstone about 10 light years from Earth. The Glitter Band is ruled by a single government but internally each space station is independent from the other ones and offer many radically different lifestyles. The Glitter Band is highly democratic – every citizen gets to vote on numerous policy items every day using internal implants and an advanced form of the Internet called Abstraction.

Tom Dreyfus is a Prefect, an agent of Panoply, a group tasked with protecting the external security of the Glitter Band the voting rights of all of its citizens and protecting the right of every citizen to have access to Abstraction. Drefyus is like many officers in police procedurals – adhering to his own personal rigid code, scarred from a hidden past, leading a team of talented rejects. The other two members of his team are Sparver, a genetically modified pig (known as hyperpigs) who bears the brunt of racial taunts and assumptions with much dignity and Thalia NG, the daughter of a Panoply agent turned traitor who feels the need to redeem her family name.

Dreyfus and his team are sent to investigate the complete destruction of Ruskin-Sartorius, a relatively small habitat. 960 people are dead and all evidence points to an attack by the Ultras, a group of humans that live outside of the mainstream human society of the Glitter Band and specialize in modifying their bodies in a series of human/mechanical physical blends. The Glitter Band and the Ultras have an uneasy truce and clearly do not understand one another’s cultures or technology. Rising tension between the Ultras and the Glitter Band threatens to become open war.

Dreyfus suspects that the Ultras are not guilty but instead they were framed by a very clever entity that may be attempting to take advantage of the chaos and destruction of a war to seize control of the entire Glitter Band...

Read more at: http://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2011/...(less)

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Jun 11, 2012 Lee Penney rated it 4 of 5 stars

After reading Revelation Space I swore off Reynolds for good, but I was looking around for some sci-fi and he kept coming up. Looking through the recommendations and reading the plot outline for The Prefect it took my fancy and I gave it a go. I’m glad I did.

Although based in the same universe, the events take place at a completely different time (calling it a series is a misnomer) and is largely a detective story, following a prefect (basically a policeman) in the Glitter Band, a collection of...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Paul Darcy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

by Alastair Reynolds, published in 2007.

“The Prefect” is my first foray into the works of Alastair Reynolds, and a delightful one I’m happy to report. Set in his “Revelation Space Universe”, “The Prefect” is a mystery science fiction which takes place in the Glitter Band, a colony of populated habitats (asteroids which have been placed into orbit around the planet Yellowstone which is also the home of Chasm City, but that is another novel) housing collectively, millions of humans - well sort of...more by Alastair Reynolds, published in 2007.

“The Prefect” is my first foray into the works of Alastair Reynolds, and a delightful one I’m happy to report. Set in his “Revelation Space Universe”, “The Prefect” is a mystery science fiction which takes place in the Glitter Band, a colony of populated habitats (asteroids which have been placed into orbit around the planet Yellowstone which is also the home of Chasm City, but that is another novel) housing collectively, millions of humans - well sort of humans anyhow.

Each of the more than ten thousands habitats is self-policed and governed by its own laws, but the voting of policies which concerns all the habitats is managed by Panoply. Sound confusing? It isn’t, really, and probably even less so it you’ve already read some of Alastair Reynolds Revelation Space novels.

Anyhow, these inhabitants (humans - as I mentioned, sort of) are either non-altered straight genetic strains, or with some genetic alterations and/or tech implants. Most, however, are plugged into abstraction, a form of virtual reality - kind of like Niven’s “Dream Park” only less ominous - and enjoy just about any form of life one could “virtually” imagine.

And the computer network which handles the abstractions and voting is set up with a series of nodes - a node or control center in each habitat which is only accessible by qualified Panoply operatives.

There are also a race of humans who have opted for severe machine integration in their makeup. They are the Ultras, and they use technology from Conjoiners, in particular their star drives, and now on this point I really can’t speak because Conjoiners are not fully described in this novel - maybe others? I’m sure to find out when I read more.

The Prefect of this novel is a man named Dreyfus and he is the somewhat typical curmudgeonly police detective working for Panoply - the police force which governs the polling and voting that takes place between the habitats. He digs deep for the truth, but the as the layers of mystery unravel he finds himself getting in very far over his head.

And two big bad wolves (if I may) that threaten the very existence of the Glitter band are a rogue intelligence and an alien menace called the Clockmaker. Very neat stuff hear and bigger than any police force can handle - modern tech and all.

I’ll not delve into any more details of the novel or the Revelation Space Universe here. I’ll leave that pleasure up to you when you read the novels in the collection as I’m sure if you are a fan of science fiction you eventually will.

Suffice to say this was quite an enjoyable read for me, though I did find the facts of the novel’s mysteries revealed a bit too soon for my liking - though that didn’t detract from the overall effect and the conclusion builds nicely to a resolution of sorts.

I know I will be reading more of Alastair Reynolds in the future. Very good fun space opera adventure science fiction for sure.(less)

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Mar 20, 2011 Jonah rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Like all Reynold's previous books, I enjoyed this one. He's one of those authors whose books, once I have started reading, I burrow right through without taking breaks to read anything else. While this particular title is set in the Revelation Space universe, I would imagine little would be lost to a reader previously uninitiated with past story arcs. Allusions to previous events such as the conjoiner wars and the ultras conflicts are not relevant enough to the story to make foreknowledge necess...more Like all Reynold's previous books, I enjoyed this one. He's one of those authors whose books, once I have started reading, I burrow right through without taking breaks to read anything else. While this particular title is set in the Revelation Space universe, I would imagine little would be lost to a reader previously uninitiated with past story arcs. Allusions to previous events such as the conjoiner wars and the ultras conflicts are not relevant enough to the story to make foreknowledge necessary.

What I liked: a new dip into the infrastructure of how the Glitterband functions. The Thalia Ng story arc, with the homicidal servitors. Unraveling the story, which was a classic detective-style plot, with a few hi-tech additions. Sparver, the hyperpig deputy. The scarab sub-plot. Dreyfus, for being a fairly well-developed character (with prejudices against beta-level intelligences, despite his fervour to see justice applied equally to all). The alpha-level intelligences, and the way they chose to interact with the universe that made them.

What I disliked: What I saw as plot holes and poorly realised/utilised characters: Sparver, specifically (not exactly a shortcoming, I just like hyperpigs:). The irrational behaviour of some of the bigger players in the story, for instance: why would a person with a diabolical machine like the scarab, created by a hyper-intelligent alpha-level intelligence like the Clockmaker, stuck to the back of her neck and tapped into her nervous system be allowed to continue to administer that organization? Why was policy so flawed within the prefects' administration? Why was there no security watching the traitorous, murderous and extremely dangerous ex-head of security? He wasn't even secured to his bed or sedated. Seriously? In dialogues, some of the exchanges were far below the intelligence level of what the characters should have been at. The framing of Dreyfus was particularly unsophisticated, I thought. Specifically the way it was handled by the senior prefects.

Overall, I liked the book. Far more pluses than minuses. I just think that if the author can successfully immerse me in a universe of hyperpigs, whiphounds, conjoiners and wonderfully bizarre ultras, he could do as much with the dialogue and plot consistencies.

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Sep 27, 2010 Phoenixfalls rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alastair-reynolds, male-author, science-fiction, sf-mystery, sf-challenge

The Prefect started out rough for me. The characterization was shoddy through the opening act -- the only female viewpoint character, Thalia Ng, was also the only character who seemed to feel any emotion at all, and as she was mainly nervous and afraid her emotions undercut my respect for her as a prefect -- especially as the other prefects whose viewpoints Reynolds showed all appeared calm, cool, collected, and totally in control. There were also moments where Reynolds forced the characters to...more The Prefect started out rough for me. The characterization was shoddy through the opening act -- the only female viewpoint character, Thalia Ng, was also the only character who seemed to feel any emotion at all, and as she was mainly nervous and afraid her emotions undercut my respect for her as a prefect -- especially as the other prefects whose viewpoints Reynolds showed all appeared calm, cool, collected, and totally in control. There were also moments where Reynolds forced the characters to have totally artificial-feeling conversations to provide important information to the reader -- not quite conversations of the "Well, as you know, Bill, the Glitter Band is a string of 10,000 habitats circling the planet Yellowstone" variety, but close.

The imaginative scope of The Prefect fell shy for me in the beginning as well. All the best bits of imaginative work had been covered in previous novels set in this universe -- the Ultras and their ships are very minor characters, the Glitter Band and Chasm City are just there as backdrop, and no real prose is spent going over any of their wonders. The only new bits of imagination are expended on the four habitats that Thalia visits by herself, and they seemed surprisingly juvenile creations -- one consists of people who have given up most of their physical bodies in favor of a total life of the mind, so when they need to walk around they are merely heads in boxes; another is made up of people who have modeled their bodies after various animals and engage in violent jousting tournaments full of claws and teeth, fur and feathers. That imagery has been done before, and Reynolds himself seemed bored with it, as he switched away from Thalia's perspective after he set each of those habitats up and didn't return to her until she was done dealing with them.

But as soon as Thalia arrived at House Aubusson, the novel started picking up speed. That habitat did show some of Reynolds' usual imagination, and its role in the complicated Demarchist voting system was fascinating to me. And shortly after that point, the final showdown began, and the book started racing towards its finish line. From that point I was glued to the page, feeling the tension rising and worrying my own brain at the problem of coming up with a solution to the threat bearing down on Panoply and the Glitter Band.

Unfortunately, that point was only 180 pages into a 563 page novel. There is no way for any author to maintain a feverish intensity for the entire last two-thirds. The only way to pace a novel of that length is to have a mini-climax somewhere in the middle, a ramping down of the tension, and then a second, higher escalation for the true climax at the end. Reynolds had no mini-climax, no ramping down and then re-escalation, so though I raced through the middle section, by the time the story was starting to draw to a close I (and the narrative) was losing steam. The ending itself was a bit too much of a deus ex machina resolution for my taste (quite literally, actually), and the emotional story arc for Dreyfus simply never connected enough for me for that to be justification for reading the almost 600 pages.

So ultimately, I would recommend this novel to anyone who's read the other Revelation Space novels because it does fill in some of the back story on the Glitter Band, but anyone who has never tried Reynolds before would be much better off starting with the original trilogy (Revelation Space, Redemption Ark, and Absolution Gap), which has much more impressive hard SF imaginings (I miss the Nostalgia for Infinity!) or with the other semi-standalone novel, Chasm City, which has a much better mystery.(less)

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Sep 02, 2010 Mad Professah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

Despite never having heard his name before a year ago, British science fiction writer Alastair Reynolds has turned into one of my favorite authors.

In the space of about 8 months (December 2009 through July 2010), I have read five of his novels, all of which are set in his Revelation Space universe. Those books are (in the order I read them) Revelation Space, Redemption Ark, Chasm City, Absolution Gap and The Prefec.

The Revelation Space universe is at least as interesting as Peter F. Hamilton'

...more

Despite never having heard his name before a year ago, British science fiction writer Alastair Reynolds has turned into one of my favorite authors.

In the space of about 8 months (December 2009 through July 2010), I have read five of his novels, all of which are set in his Revelation Space universe. Those books are (in the order I read them) Revelation Space, Redemption Ark, Chasm City, Absolution Gap and The Prefec.

The Revelation Space universe is at least as interesting as Peter F. Hamilton's Confederate and Commonwealth universes. The two British authors have similar ideas: humanity is flourishing hundreds of years in our future, we have met a few aliens and technology (especially in computing) has advanced in particular ways. Both universes feature a way for humans to "cheat death." In Hamilton's, a memory cell which contains the entire personality can be backed up and then inserted into a cloned copy of the original person, and people can generally select their age, sex and overall physical appearance. In Reynolds' universe a back-up of the personality can be made and then installed in either an "alpha-level" or "beta-level"simulation which runs on a computer. Alpha-level simulations are controversial, they are considered independent entities in their own right; beta-level simulations are more common and are more likely to be replications of the original human personality they were based on.

Reynolds' stories are darker, more cerebral and intricately plotted with secrets within secrets to be revealed to the reader during the execution of the plot. Hamilton stories are usually more straight-up swashbuckling military space operas, thrilling adventures that greatly entertain. Hamilton is still my favorite writer, but Reynolds gives him a run for his money!

A theme of Reynolds' work is the inclusion of complicated choices (often between multiple, equally bad scenarios) that his characters have to make and his obsession with identity and misdirection. Oftentimes a central question in the books is discovering the solution to a central mystery, and several times that mystery involves the "true" identity and motives of a central character.

The Prefect is set in a time period between the events of Revelation Space and Chasm City, set in the Glitter Band, a group of 10,000 human-made habitats set in orbit near the planet Yellowstone in the Sky's Edge star system. The title character is Tom Dreyfus, who is a member of Panoply, which is basically the police force for the 100 million people who live in the Glitter Band. Panoply officers are not allowed to carry guns, because their mission is to insure the process of democracy in the band, which occurs through nearly continuous electronic plebiscites of the populace. However, The Prefect at its core is really a standard detective novel, which I like because I am also a big fan of mysteries. It is reminiscent of Reynolds' best book to date, Chasm City, which also revolves around the work of a cop.

It is also a hard sci-fi novel. The book has profoundly altered humans known as Ultras, another group of altered humans known as Conjoiners, space battles, sentient computer programs and a possibly alien entity known as The Clockmaker.

If you like "hard" sci-fi and the work of authors like Hamilton, Reynolds and Neal Asher, you will almost definitely enjoy The Prefect. I did!

Title: The Prefect.
Author: Alastair Reynolds.
Length: 416 pages.
Publisher: Ace.
Date: June 3, 2008.

OVERALL GRADE: A.

PLOT: A+.
IMAGERY: A.
IMPACT: A-.
WRITING: A.

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Jun 13, 2010 Steve Wales added it

Shelves: fiction-main, science-fiction

Set in the Glitter Band's 10,000 habitats orbiting Yellowstone, before the Melding Plague whose aftermath is depicted in Chasm City. The Prefects are officers in a police force (Panopoly) who ensure that voting isn't tampered with in the automated democratic process that runs Glitter Band society. Field Prefect Tom Dreyfus investigates the catastrophe of the destruction of one of the habitats, but what initially appears to be an open-and-shut case is in reality far more complex.

The mysterious Au...more

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Jun 28, 2012 Tommy Carlson rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Prefect is the latest book in set in the Revelation Space universe. What makes this one different is that it's placed prior to the Melding Plague, in the Glitter Band at the height of the Demarchy. It's the only novel of his to take place in this time period and it gives the book a fresh feel. It's also a standalone story. You don't need to have read any of his other books to follow this one. But if you gobble up his stuff like I do, then the story is enhanced. What's more, knowledge of his...more

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Jun 23, 2012 Harold Ogle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fantasy, detective, police-procedural, mystery

A great book that I enjoyed very, very much. It's a detective novel set in the ultra-high-tech society that Alastair Reynolds has written about previously in books like Chasm City. Apparently I'm a sucker for such juxtapositions of genre, as I loved this book as much or more as one of my other favorites, Walter Jon Williams' Voice of the Whirlwind. The book follows three characters who are all prefects of Panoply, the legal enforcement organization. It's simple to think of them as cops, but thei...more A great book that I enjoyed very, very much. It's a detective novel set in the ultra-high-tech society that Alastair Reynolds has written about previously in books like Chasm City. Apparently I'm a sucker for such juxtapositions of genre, as I loved this book as much or more as one of my other favorites, Walter Jon Williams' Voice of the Whirlwind. The book follows three characters who are all prefects of Panoply, the legal enforcement organization. It's simple to think of them as cops, but their charter is unlike any police force in the real world; their only authority is to enforce the application of democracy, as realized in this futuristic world. That is to say, all of their authority (and the only crimes they can prosecute) is based on a citizen's right to vote. Tamper with a citizen's ability to vote, and you've committed a crime. Since voting is done through the omnipresent "abstraction" (a wireless computer network that anyone can access with any variation of a network terminal - most characters in the world have the network access built into their brains), very little can actually impede the voting process. Kidnap a person? Not a crime, unless the kidnapper somehow cut off the citizen's ability to connect to the network. Torture? Not a crime...unless it interrupts the citizen's ability to connect to the network for voting. In this book, we primarily see three variations on this "interrupting democracy" crime: actual vote tampering, network interruption, and murder. The primary protagonist is Tom Dreyfus, a Field Prefect who is training his subordinate, a new graduate for prefect training named Thalia Ng, to effect Panoply's justice in a case of vote tampering. Matters quickly escalate from there, as they gradually connect a series of crimes in a vast conspiracy that will have profound effects on the entire civilization. I found the book particularly gripping.

Superficially, Reynolds' setting has a great deal in common with Iain M. Banks' Culture novels, and at the same time strikes chords with Daniel Keys Moran's Tales of the Continuing Time, but it's interesting to see how different authors approach far future humanity with regards to artificial intelligence. Each of these authors has created a far future society in which extreme body modification and cybernetic connection to the network is the norm; people in each can and have reformed their bodies into exotic and disturbing forms, to the extent that it's unlikely that a person could come up with a configuration that hadn't been tried already. Want to implant your brain and neural network into the body of a giant butterfly? It's been done. Realize that you will live your entire life in space and never enter a gravity well, so you wish to replace your legs with another set of arms? You'll have plenty of company. But for all their similarity, they each have a very different take on machine intelligence. Moran assumes that AIs will be present in the far future, but rigorously policed as inherently dangerous. Banks, like Asimov before him, sees AIs as omnipresent caretakers of humanity and inherently benevolent, so no control or limitation is in place. Reynolds is somewhere in between; in the Glitter Band, AIs exist, but most are recreations of human personalities..."back-ups," if you like. Artificial intelligences that aren't based on human minds are all at the level of "smart" machines, and the society does not contain or even anticipate sentient AI. So in order to enjoy each setting, you have to accept these assumptions about AI; for some readers, this may be too difficult, but I was able to roll with it in each instance.(less)

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Aug 05, 2009 Mark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: britishsci-fi

One of Reynolds' most structured books, The Prefect takes place in his Revelation Space universe (before the time of the Melding Plague. Yellowstone is a human-colonized planet orbited by ten thousand individual habitats that comprise the Glitter Band. Each habitat is its own world, ranging from communities of peaceful artist-voters to Voluntary Tyrannies.

Policing all of this is the habitat of Panoply, where the policemen are called Prefects. Tom Dreyfus is a no-nonsense Prefect whose current as...more

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Apr 01, 2012 Chris Limb rated it 5 of 5 stars

I don't know why I missed this one on publication having previously devoured all of Alastair Reynolds's output as soon as it had appeared but in some ways I am glad I did as it meant I had an unexpected bonus read before moving on to his latest novel.

This is a welcome return to the Revelation Space series of novels and short stories and in many ways a prequel to the main sequence. Although it works very well as a standalone, some pre knowledge of the background of this universe is advisable and...more I don't know why I missed this one on publication having previously devoured all of Alastair Reynolds's output as soon as it had appeared but in some ways I am glad I did as it meant I had an unexpected bonus read before moving on to his latest novel.

This is a welcome return to the Revelation Space series of novels and short stories and in many ways a prequel to the main sequence. Although it works very well as a standalone, some pre knowledge of the background of this universe is advisable and would help bring the reader up to speed on the history and technology of Yellowstone, the Glitter Band, the Ultras and any other inhabitants of mankind's Epsilon Eridani colony in the 25th century. That is not to say it would be inaccessible to a new reader as enough background information is cunningly drip fed into the narrative.

But it is the narrative itself that is the star here. Even though (as expected) this is space opera at the top of its game, when it comes down to it the story is a gripping murder mystery even if the scale is far greater than that of any normal police procedural. Despite the book's length I finished it in double quick time, so keen was I to find out what happened next and I must admit that as I neared the end I experienced a growing sense of unease and loss when I saw how little of it there was left to read.

The characters - whether human, hyper-pig, post-human, or something else entirely - are well drawn and realistic enough to make you genuinely care what happens to them (in the case of the antagonists this means you are hoping against hope that they will eventually get their just desserts). The worlds and their technologies are superbly realised, some of the scenes dripping with a visual sense almost cinematic in its scope. Reynolds's novels would all make fantastic films but one fears the inevitable dumbing down that would occur at the hands of Hollywood.

The ending is satisfying although one cannot help but feel a sense of melancholy when one recalls what is to become of everyone in the chronologically later (but earlier published) novels.(less)

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Jul 21, 2009 Cecily rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi-or-futuristic

A multi-faceted space opera detective story. It's detailed and pretty exciting, but a lot of characters are introduced in the first 20 pages or so, and it's a little hard to keep track of who's who when you don't know who are going to be the important ones (clue: they all are).

The habitats of the Glitter Band (satellites around planet Yellowstone) are part of a libertarian demarchy (democratic anarchy), which means constant polls of everyone about everything. Paonoply is the organisation in char...more A multi-faceted space opera detective story. It's detailed and pretty exciting, but a lot of characters are introduced in the first 20 pages or so, and it's a little hard to keep track of who's who when you don't know who are going to be the important ones (clue: they all are).

The habitats of the Glitter Band (satellites around planet Yellowstone) are part of a libertarian demarchy (democratic anarchy), which means constant polls of everyone about everything. Paonoply is the organisation in charge of the polling cores in each habitat and general policing. Within that framework, each habitat can apply whatever system its citizens sign up for, including obscenely vile "voluntary tyrannies", hippy-esque idylls and others where everyone is in PVS or other forms of abstraction or virtual reality.

The story opens after a habitat (and nearly 1000 inhabitants) has been blown up, apparently in a dispute over the purchase of an artwork. It turns out that far more powerful forces are at work. Tom Dreyfus is the Panoply prefect in charge of investigating the case. Meanwhile, one of his deputies, Thalia Ng, visits four other habitats to install trial polling software upgrades. Their stories diverge for much of the book, which gives it breadth, even though you know there will be plenty of overlap between the two.

As befits the writing of a "proper" physicist, the future science is (mostly) plausible, but Reynolds doesn't fall into the trap of explaining too much at a time (which would be artificial and disrupt the story). In fact often things are mentioned and the reader is left wondering what on earth it is until there is the first hint of explanation several chapters later. It all adds to the suspense.

I have only minor criticisms plot-wise. Very early on, one of the prefects seems to have another agenda. I would have preferred it if that plotline had come later, or been vaguer in the early stages. The other niggles concern the end of Thalia's time on the last habitat she visits and the qualifications (and disqualifications) for being Supreme Prefect - rather too far-fetched for my liking.

Many different types of being/consciousness fill the pages, but whilst hints are dropped about racism against hyperpigs by baseline humans, the main themes of the book are much bigger: freedom, democracy and power; consciousness (of "live" beings, machines and hybrids thereof); the old quandary of whether the ends justify the means (whether a benevolent tyranny is better than anarchistic collapse, whether the police should be armed (you can tell he’s a British writer!)); machines going rogue, and whether revenge and justice can ever be the same thing. Fortunately, he lets the reader decide on these issues; there are plenty of shades of grey. For example, there is a degree of understanding for those that could easily be labelled bad, one time explicitly saying such a character is not "a bad man" but "a man who believes bad things".

If you prefer moral absolutes, or you’re particularly fond of clocks and clockmakers, this is probably not the book for you!

(less)

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Mar 16, 2010 Richard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Richard by: HardSF Group

Shelves: bookclub, scifi

Note: if you spot the note "Revelation Space, Book 5", don't worry. The author's own website states that they are not all chronological, and that this one can be read without regard to any overall sequence.

I wish I could give this five stars, because I really think it was magnificently crafted. But as good as it was, there was no dramatic a-ha moment in which my perceptions shifted: this book didn't change my life, even in the modest manner of, for example, Peter Watts' Blindsight .

At the same t...more

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Dec 09, 2012 S.A. Barton rated it 4 of 5 stars

A solid, enjoyable read. Written as a standalone story in a universe established in previous books, but still accessible. It has been a couple of years since I read the previous stories, and the level of exposition here, while not intrusive to the reader, gave me enough information that what I did not remember about the author's universe did not detract from my experience as a reader. The detective story aspect did not alienate me despite the fact that I am not a fan of the detective genre--rath...more

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Dec 09, 2010 John rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: sf, mystery-thriller-crime

If you already like Reynolds, you'll love this. If you haven't read his other works (starting from the beginning, with Revelation Space), you really shouldn't bother. This is so very deep into his universe that he no longer even bothers to explain the context of what's going on, except in the most superficial ways. Which is not actually a criticism, because the worlds and cultures he has developed are so complex, and so different from one another, that the book would be have to be half again as...more

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Oct 19, 2009 Martin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, fiction

Another roaring space opera from Reynolds, an excellent thriller, returning to the familiar setting of the Revelation Space universe albeit at an earlier point in the timeline. We follow Field Prefect Tom Dreyfus as he begins an investigation that gradually expands encompassing a growing crisis that threatens to destroy everything he works to protect.
The tension builds slowly, the antagonists displaying palpable menace without turning into clichéd bond villains - although Reynolds draws a few o...more

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Mar 25, 2013 Michael Woods rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

I can't say I've read a book by Alastair Reynolds that I've been disappointed by yet. His novels are well balanced between plot, setting, characters, and thematic material, and all these elements are richly imagined and well developed. The Prefect, a deep space whodunit, is no exception.

Some of the themes he explores in this novel include: sentience of artificially created intelligences, in the novel these are alpha and beta level personalities of formerly living human beings now encoded in sof...more

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Mar 12, 2012 David Given rated it 4 of 5 stars

Not bad --- one of his better ones. Set in the early days of his Revelation Space universe, in the Glitter Band around Yellowstone; a vast swarm of ten thousand space habitats and nigh on a billion people. This predates the Plague and the Rust Ring, although there's plenty of foreshadowing and references to the other books.

It does suffer from the unalloyed grimness that basically everything Alastair Reynolds writes has; yes, certainly, he always writes about world-shattering events, none of his...more

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Feb 05, 2012 Erika rated it 5 of 5 stars

This was my first foray into the Revelation Space universe and so far is my favorite. Things that are referenced in the other books about the time period before the Melding Plague are seen in this book, which in and of itself starts out as a murder mystery who-dun-it detective novel, but as it goes along it becomes clear there is way more than that going on.

I really enjoyed this book and it can be read as a stand alone book, no other Revelation Space books need be read, but if you enjoyed this a...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Jon Mountjoy rated it 3 of 5 stars

A detective novel, of a sort, in space. There were a few interesting and novel aspects to the world that Alastair Reynolds builds, but in the end he builds too many flawed scenarios for you to believe in the book. I liked the notion of the voting systems and some of the consequences - great stuff. But it's weighted far too heavily on the other side by unbelievable or weak scenarios - if you're paying attention, your brain just says "oh come on, really?".

For example, the Exordium. Really? Someth...more

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Feb 21, 2012 Virginia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012books, audiobook, library

This was pretty good!

For personal reasons, I am ridiculously pleased that Alastair Reynolds is convinced that forensics as a profession continues on, relatively unchanged down to the bureaucratic paperwork, far into the future (2427?). I do kind of wonder how the author and Inspector Gadget would get along, since they seem to hold many of the same views, at least based on this story.

I am also pleased that this book is set in a time before the melding plague, so that the glitter band is not just...more This was pretty good!

For personal reasons, I am ridiculously pleased that Alastair Reynolds is convinced that forensics as a profession continues on, relatively unchanged down to the bureaucratic paperwork, far into the future (2427?). I do kind of wonder how the author and Inspector Gadget would get along, since they seem to hold many of the same views, at least based on this story.

I am also pleased that this book is set in a time before the melding plague, so that the glitter band is not just a rumor, and all the habitats et al are at their prime. I like the foreshadowing of the melding plague. Everything else I have read from this universe is set in the time after the melding plague (Chasm City) so it was really nice to get an idea of how things used to be and what it was like to be in the glitter band. Also, in general, this book was about 100 times better than Chasm City.

I really liked the working relationship between Dreyfus and Sparver and Thalia and Jane Aumonier – I appreciated the range of characters – age, experience, background, personality, goals – it was obvious that these were all distinct people and this was well written. This sort of thing was very very refreshing especially after coming off The Passage, where almost every character was a teenager or a soldier and pretty much identical to every other teenager/soldier. I really liked the different storylines for each of them moving forward simultaneously.

The internal conflicts at Panoply were a little overwrought, but not boring. The whole conflict in general was a little overwrought but also never boring - the pacing was a lot snappier than some of the author’s other books. Because of the three intertwining storylines, there were a lot of cliffhanger moments, which was really great, especially in an audiobook, when these were strategically placed at the end of a CD.

I listened to this in audiobook format – I really like the author/reader combo of Alastair Reynolds and John Lee.

I wasn't sure about the ending - was this being set up for a sequel? If so, I would definitely read it.(less)

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Oct 27, 2012 Guillermo Azuarte rated it 5 of 5 stars

5 giant novels, 2 novellas, and a collection of short stories later, I have sadly completed everything Reynolds has written in the wonderful Revelation Space Universe. Not once has he let me down, and The Prefect was a nice way to finish it up for me.

***MILD SPOILERS AHEAD***

If you want to look at it chronologically, The Prefect is actually the earliest book in the series but the last book to be published in it (not counting the short stories Great Wall of Mars, Glacial and maybe 1 or 2 others)...more 5 giant novels, 2 novellas, and a collection of short stories later, I have sadly completed everything Reynolds has written in the wonderful Revelation Space Universe. Not once has he let me down, and The Prefect was a nice way to finish it up for me.

***MILD SPOILERS AHEAD***

If you want to look at it chronologically, The Prefect is actually the earliest book in the series but the last book to be published in it (not counting the short stories Great Wall of Mars, Glacial and maybe 1 or 2 others), taking place in the 25th century, about a hundred years before the Melding Plague and the events of Revelation Space and Chasm City. In this story, the Glitter Band (a demarchist society of 10,000 habitats orbiting Yellowstone) still has not turned into the Rust Belt of the later books. What we get to see here is the belle epoque of humanity. I would not say it is in any way a utopia for all, but I believe that what we see here is the peak of humanity before it all goes downhill. This creates a sort of bitter sweet ending; I'm not spoiling anything here by saying all the loose ends get tied up nicely at the conclusion, but we know what's ultimately in store for the Glitter Band and the rest of humanity a century or so in the future.

The Prefect immediately introduces us to a great mystery: who destroyed Ruskin-Sartorious space habitat, killing more than 900 innocent civilians, and more importantly, why?

The instrument to investigate this crime is an enforcement agency of the Glitter Belt known as the Panoply. The book is titled after the agents of the Panoply (array of shields), known as Prefects (administrative monitors). One of the problems and one of the reasons this book is so fun, is that The Panoply has such a limited mandate to do this. You see, each orbiting colony is like a state with its own sovereignty. The Panoply is like a very toothless federal government, whose only mandate is to ensure that each colony's voting process is not obstructed. You get these really wonderful and imaginative colonies like the Shumper-Oneill in which citizens have voted to impose a voluntary tyranny on themselves because they feel liberated having the decision making part of their minds basically neutered by a self imposed autocratic government. There's also one where the citizens have voted to keep themselves in a vegetative state and immerse themselves in abstractions - a highly advanced form of the internet/virtual reality. The Panoply cannot interfere within these orbiting "states" as long as the majority rule is perpetuated. The Panoply is so toothless, that it even has to have the citizens vote in order to allow it to access heavier weapons! The Prefects however have the use of this great high tech versatile weapon known as the whiphound. Not gonna lie, its a pretty amazing device.

It is a great, fast paced, action filled, and idea rich book I can't recommend enough. My only small complaint may be with the ultimate solution with The Clockmaker and Aurora. It left me a little underwhelmed, and if I could I'd actually rate this book 4.5 if I could just because of that. However, the journey was awesome, there's alot of stuff to think about such as how many people are you willing to sacrifice for the good of the majority, and alot of great concepts in the demarchic political system that will probably stay with you long after you've read it. It's a great first book to get into the Revalation Space Universe, but it can be read in any order. It did give me great pleasure though, to read about little things like The Sylveste Institute, the Lascaille Shroud, and Sandra Voi, that get fleshed out in later books. (less)

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Sep 21, 2011 Paul Forbes rated it 4 of 5 stars

In the book ‘The Prefect’ the Glitter Band isn’t Gary Glitter’s pop group. It’s the name given to a conglomeration of 10,000 space habitats orbiting the planet Yellowstone in the system Epsilon Eridani. Tom Dreyfus is the Prefect in question, a sort of space-policeman who lives on Panoply, one of the orbital habitats around Yellowstone. At the beginning of the novel the habitat Ruskin-Sartorious is destroyed and the main plot of the story follows Dreyfus as he tries to find out how and why the h...more

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Feb 11, 2010 Rick rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Someone who wants good page-turning scifi that stands well on its own.

Recommended to Rick by: My Dad

Alastair Writes a compelling tale of a future in space with events unfolding in a detailed universe. For me this is about where the greatness ends. This is a good read and while the storyline is compelling enough for me to call this a real page turner, the characters lack a bit of depth in my perception that would lend a more emotional attachment to the book. All in all it was a fun read and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read something that isn't necessarily just 'the first taste'...more

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Jun 06, 2012 David Brawley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio-book, library, 2012

Set in the far future the, story starts out as a murder mystery/police procedural and quickly adds elements of a thriller/spy novel. This was the first of the authors books that I’ve read, and is a prequel to the other books in the series. Luckily he uses it as a means to flesh out some of the background and historical events of the earlier books, rather than just as filler. I really appreciate the fact that the author doesn’t spend any time explaining anything. He lets the reader figure it out...more Set in the far future the, story starts out as a murder mystery/police procedural and quickly adds elements of a thriller/spy novel. This was the first of the authors books that I’ve read, and is a prequel to the other books in the series. Luckily he uses it as a means to flesh out some of the background and historical events of the earlier books, rather than just as filler. I really appreciate the fact that the author doesn’t spend any time explaining anything. He lets the reader figure it out the various aspects of his universe through context, presuming that the reader isn’t a moron.

The characters in The Prefect are all well written, and interesting. Tom Dreyfus is the head of the investigative team. He’s is an old cop, gruff, tough, not willing to put up with BS. Sparva, a hyperpig, is Tom’s fairly irreverent though highly competent deputy. Thalia is the relative newbie to Tom’s team and is desperate to prove herself. Jane Aumonier is Tom’s friend and boss, the isolated chief who has gone 11 years without sleep because of an injury that occurred at the same time Tom’s wife died. They and their fellow prefects (cops) are tasked with protecting the sanctity of the elections in which every citizen is guaranteed a vote, no matter the individual habitat’s government.

The setting of the book is a belt of 10,000 habitats that orbit a planet called Yellowstone. These habitats, taken together, are called the Glitter Band. Some are large (kilometers long with tens of thousands of inhabitants) while others are relatively small (under 1,000 inhabitants). Within each habitat the form of local government can range from a near slave state to an almost entirely virtual existence where the citizen’s bodies are entombed in small glass cases while their minds are free to create and explore across the virtual reality internet that connects the whole band.

The conflicts in the story continue to grow in scope and number as the book goes on, and it almost feels like it approaches a point where they begin to overwhelm the story, but never quite step over that line. The author manages not only to keep everything together, but also to have it all fit together so that the only loose ends are those that the author leaves open to (hopefully) work with in the future.

I listened to the CD version of this book, and really thought the reader did a very good job, and I’m looking forward to listening to more from this author. (less)

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