226 books
—
688 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Revenger (Revenger #1)” as Want to Read:
Revenger
(Revenger #1)
by
The galaxy has seen great empires rise and fall. Planets have shattered and been remade. Amongst the ruins of alien civilizations, building our own from the rubble, humanity still thrives.
And there are vast fortunes to be made, if you know where to find them.
Captain Rackamore and his crew do. It's their business to find the tiny, enigmatic worlds which have been hidden aw ...more
And there are vast fortunes to be made, if you know where to find them.
Captain Rackamore and his crew do. It's their business to find the tiny, enigmatic worlds which have been hidden aw ...more
Get A Copy
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of Revenger (Revenger #1)
This trilogy about the Ness sisters, Adrana and Fura, is perfect for fans of The Expanse (of which I am one) and fans of space pirate stories (and really, who isn't a fan of space pirates?). It took me a while to get my footing in the story, since the world is so different and there is much new lingo to learn, but what a fascinating premise! The old solar system has been exploded to create a vast field of rubble, with thousands of planetoids upon which the remains of humanity live (and a few ali
...more
Aside from some very amusing and possibly very *accurate* rants about this book, namely that the dialogue is sometimes *crappy*, the sciencey-bits are rather *weak*, and the fact that the made up words are pretty damn *generic*, most of the tale is *still* better than sooooooo much of the adventure space-opera out there.
Is it YA? Good question. Probably. But it's middle teens at the very worst. Expect pretty cool violence throughout, a single-minded protagonist girl, and a basic premise where th ...more
Is it YA? Good question. Probably. But it's middle teens at the very worst. Expect pretty cool violence throughout, a single-minded protagonist girl, and a basic premise where th ...more
1ish stars.
This book is one giant identity crisis. It's totally marketed as an adult sci-fi thriller. The blurb teases space pirates. Look at that cool black cover with the bold lettering and the title... Revenger. Sounds sick. Start reading and oh wait... this reads like a kid's book... with lots of mutilation... that's 400 pages long. It took me a while to get my bearings and decide whether I was actually enjoying it or not. As it turns out, nope.
I almost get the impression that Reynolds decid ...more
This book is one giant identity crisis. It's totally marketed as an adult sci-fi thriller. The blurb teases space pirates. Look at that cool black cover with the bold lettering and the title... Revenger. Sounds sick. Start reading and oh wait... this reads like a kid's book... with lots of mutilation... that's 400 pages long. It took me a while to get my bearings and decide whether I was actually enjoying it or not. As it turns out, nope.
I almost get the impression that Reynolds decid ...more
*** 2.65 ***
A Buddy Read with my fellow Sci-Fi enthusiasts at BB&B! We just wanted some Science Fiction!!!
.... But we didn't realy get what we were expecting... Alastair Reynolds is known for his Science Fiction/ Space Opera stuff, which is usually very good on world building and mostly action driven. Imagine my surprise when I started reading and the two main protagonist were two teenage sisters, who find out they have some obscure talent to read "bones" and can be hired on spaceships in order ...more
A Buddy Read with my fellow Sci-Fi enthusiasts at BB&B! We just wanted some Science Fiction!!!
.... But we didn't realy get what we were expecting... Alastair Reynolds is known for his Science Fiction/ Space Opera stuff, which is usually very good on world building and mostly action driven. Imagine my surprise when I started reading and the two main protagonist were two teenage sisters, who find out they have some obscure talent to read "bones" and can be hired on spaceships in order ...more
(Audiobook)
From the Guardian:
As banks struggle and businesses collapse, the science fiction writer Alastair Reynolds is making his own contribution to the flagging UK economy, signing an unprecedented 10-book deal with Gollancz worth £1m.
Reynolds, who has published eight novels with the Orion imprint Gollancz since his 2000 debut, Revelation Space, said he was "amazed and thrilled" to commit himself to the same publisher for the next decade. "It gives me a huge amount of security for the next 1 ...more
From the Guardian:
As banks struggle and businesses collapse, the science fiction writer Alastair Reynolds is making his own contribution to the flagging UK economy, signing an unprecedented 10-book deal with Gollancz worth £1m.
Reynolds, who has published eight novels with the Orion imprint Gollancz since his 2000 debut, Revelation Space, said he was "amazed and thrilled" to commit himself to the same publisher for the next decade. "It gives me a huge amount of security for the next 1 ...more
I picked up Revenger forewarned with the knowledge that this book was Alastair Reynolds first foray into the YA market. I must admit I had high hopes for Revenger. I was hoping we would get a book packed with the great world building and interesting plots of Reynolds regular hard sci-fi books but with the added bonus of the story having a more character driven focus. Unfortunately that never quite materialized. What we actually got was Reynolds trying, and failing, at character driven sci-fi whi
...more
Ok so this is YA. Who knew? Wait, what? Everyone but me.... Oh ok.
First, a compliment (kinda).
What a great set of covers this series has
(whoever designed those outperformed the author on this one).
Second, the rest.
The essential problem is that Reynolds seems to be trying to force his writing into a stereotypical version of YA rather than playing to his strengths in world building and innovation. All he did was dumb down and it shows.
So you've got these two young sisters who have a decent enou ...more
First, a compliment (kinda).
What a great set of covers this series has
(whoever designed those outperformed the author on this one).
Second, the rest.
The essential problem is that Reynolds seems to be trying to force his writing into a stereotypical version of YA rather than playing to his strengths in world building and innovation. All he did was dumb down and it shows.
So you've got these two young sisters who have a decent enou ...more
Oh gods! What have you done Mr Reynolds?
Let me start off by saying that I am a Reynolds fan. I have read a lot of his books and rate him as one of the best hard scifi writers out there. Whilst his characters can be found wanting at times, his huge stories and world building skills are excellent and you are never short of having your head turned inside out with technical details.
Then came this book. My theory was, that he wrote this when he was a teenager and it never go published, so now he is ...more
Let me start off by saying that I am a Reynolds fan. I have read a lot of his books and rate him as one of the best hard scifi writers out there. Whilst his characters can be found wanting at times, his huge stories and world building skills are excellent and you are never short of having your head turned inside out with technical details.
Then came this book. My theory was, that he wrote this when he was a teenager and it never go published, so now he is ...more
Revenger was definitely entertaining and un-puttable down till the end though it clearly read to me as the start of a series not a standalone;
a few observations that came to mind when reading it - reminded most of C. Mieville's Railsea than anything from A. Reynolds, strong YA vibe, though violent but otherwise lots of stuff YA style (especially the part in the middle back on Mazarile which was weakest of the novel imho as it read straight out YA parental struggle drama), narrator makes or break ...more
a few observations that came to mind when reading it - reminded most of C. Mieville's Railsea than anything from A. Reynolds, strong YA vibe, though violent but otherwise lots of stuff YA style (especially the part in the middle back on Mazarile which was weakest of the novel imho as it read straight out YA parental struggle drama), narrator makes or break ...more
People seem to be very divided on this book. I will say at the outset that this is the first thing I have read by Reynolds, and I'm also a fan of YA Sci-Fi, which means I was pretty well placed to enjoy the story.
This is a typical coming of age story, with a main character, Fura, whose experiences remake her into a very different person than she imagined herself to be. It very much follows the idea of what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. The core of the story is really one of transformation ...more
This is a typical coming of age story, with a main character, Fura, whose experiences remake her into a very different person than she imagined herself to be. It very much follows the idea of what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. The core of the story is really one of transformation ...more
Aug 16, 2016
Joanne Harris
added it
My new editor understands my needs, and was kind enough to send me an ARC of this book. And folks, it's a cracker. Basically, it's TREASURE ISLAND meets MOBY DICK, set in space, with a nice BLADE RUNNER-ish colour palette and a cast of characters worthy of a Terry Gilliam movie. I loved it. I don't give out stars, but coves, there are baubles aplenty in this, as well as blood, tears, a damn fine swashbuckling female villain and many lungstuff-sapping moments. I'm hoping there's a sequel. If not,
...more
4.5 stars.
Space pirates, antiheroes and ancient dead civilisations? That sound perfect to you? Me too.
Arafura Ness is drawn by her sister from the safety of their comfortable and cushy life into the uncertainties of the Bone Room on a treasure hunters space cruiser. Sensitive to the bones of an ancient creature, such bone readers are able to communicate across vast distances and carve out the secrets of the stars. When the dread Bosa Sennen kidnaps Fura’s Sister, she is forced to take action in ...more
Space pirates, antiheroes and ancient dead civilisations? That sound perfect to you? Me too.
Arafura Ness is drawn by her sister from the safety of their comfortable and cushy life into the uncertainties of the Bone Room on a treasure hunters space cruiser. Sensitive to the bones of an ancient creature, such bone readers are able to communicate across vast distances and carve out the secrets of the stars. When the dread Bosa Sennen kidnaps Fura’s Sister, she is forced to take action in ...more
2 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2017/03/12/...
Revenger was my first book by Alastair Reynolds, which makes admitting that it did not work for me all that much harder. Still, in all fairness, I had been warned by several others beforehand that this does not feel representative of much of his work (as apparently the target audience is YA). Instead of choosing something else as my introduction to the author though, I decided to throw caution to the wind and try it anyway ...more
Revenger was my first book by Alastair Reynolds, which makes admitting that it did not work for me all that much harder. Still, in all fairness, I had been warned by several others beforehand that this does not feel representative of much of his work (as apparently the target audience is YA). Instead of choosing something else as my introduction to the author though, I decided to throw caution to the wind and try it anyway ...more
* I was sent this book for review from the publisher *
This is such a fun storyline! I have to say I was a little hesitant to dive into this becuase, although I had heard good things, I don't like super high-tech science books and I didn't want this to turn out to be like that. It's not! This is actually one of the most interesting and fun SF books I have ever read and it had a fabulous mix of superb characters, space pirating and action. The plot was fast-paced, but easy to settle into, and it w ...more
This is such a fun storyline! I have to say I was a little hesitant to dive into this becuase, although I had heard good things, I don't like super high-tech science books and I didn't want this to turn out to be like that. It's not! This is actually one of the most interesting and fun SF books I have ever read and it had a fabulous mix of superb characters, space pirating and action. The plot was fast-paced, but easy to settle into, and it w ...more
Jul 04, 2017
Claudia
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
sci-fi,
z-to-a-reynolds
I’m not a fan of YA, generally because, in most of them, the action does not fit the characters’ age. The story of Fura Ness here is not far from that; had she been around her 30s, I think it would have made the story and her actions much more reliable.
However, as always, the universe in which Al Reynolds unfolds his tale is a marvel to me and so I chose to focus on that instead. We have a Congregation build of around 50 million worlds, in the 13th Occupation (the 12th was around ~600,000 years ...more
However, as always, the universe in which Al Reynolds unfolds his tale is a marvel to me and so I chose to focus on that instead. We have a Congregation build of around 50 million worlds, in the 13th Occupation (the 12th was around ~600,000 years ...more
Reynolds tale of two young sisters who stow away on a starship to escape the dreary future their father has planned for them starts off well enough, but starts getting predictable halfway through. There's a sort of "Daniel Defoe in space" vibe to it that is more admirable in the attempt than the execution.
As usual, Reynolds follows Clarke's third law in his depiction of future and/or alien tech - that "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" - so the worldbuilding i ...more
As usual, Reynolds follows Clarke's third law in his depiction of future and/or alien tech - that "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic" - so the worldbuilding i ...more
This new book by Reynolds is set in a cargo-cult, semi-steampunk kind of universe, at times familiar. At first, I found the book to be a bit too-familiar in nature, but by chapter 3 the world- and character-building were good, and the plot mysteries were intriguing.
As always, Reynolds' imagination is amazing, and the number of minor and major clever elements were terrific. Pacing is good, without being overwritten, and the penultimate chapters and action sequences were fun.
The final chapter was ...more
As always, Reynolds' imagination is amazing, and the number of minor and major clever elements were terrific. Pacing is good, without being overwritten, and the penultimate chapters and action sequences were fun.
The final chapter was ...more
Did Not Finish (DNF).
I'm a big fan of Alastair Reynolds and have read many of his books. Chasm City and several, but not all in the Revelation Space series being particular favorites.
This book was a hard start. Firstly, it is a lame attempt at YA. Although, it was my mistake in not realizing that the author had plunged into the monied killing-ground of YA authorship with this book.
The technical craftsmanship of the book is all good. Reynolds always knows how to hang words together.
Where the stor ...more
I'm a big fan of Alastair Reynolds and have read many of his books. Chasm City and several, but not all in the Revelation Space series being particular favorites.
This book was a hard start. Firstly, it is a lame attempt at YA. Although, it was my mistake in not realizing that the author had plunged into the monied killing-ground of YA authorship with this book.
The technical craftsmanship of the book is all good. Reynolds always knows how to hang words together.
Where the stor ...more
5 Stars
Revenger by Alastair Reynolds can almost do no wrong with me. I love his writing style, his pacing, and of course his genre, science fiction. This book is something that none of his other books are, including The Blue Remembered Earth series, it is accessible to all, including the young adult crowd. That does not mean that Revenger is written down to them, or watered down. It just means that it is easily digested.
Comparisons to Mieville's Railsea, and the Shipbreaker series by Paolo Baci ...more
Revenger by Alastair Reynolds can almost do no wrong with me. I love his writing style, his pacing, and of course his genre, science fiction. This book is something that none of his other books are, including The Blue Remembered Earth series, it is accessible to all, including the young adult crowd. That does not mean that Revenger is written down to them, or watered down. It just means that it is easily digested.
Comparisons to Mieville's Railsea, and the Shipbreaker series by Paolo Baci ...more
Oh, what a trip!
So I'm not sure how many of you went to see The Usual Suspects in the theater a bunch of years ago. I remember when the film ended, and the lights came on again in the movie theater, my first and only thought was, Oh, I need to circle around back into this room to see this movie again, and do so immediately!
And this was my feeling when I realized I was reading this book's final page. Holy s$#@, people! Ok, I confess, although Alastair Reynolds has been a favorite author of mine f ...more
So I'm not sure how many of you went to see The Usual Suspects in the theater a bunch of years ago. I remember when the film ended, and the lights came on again in the movie theater, my first and only thought was, Oh, I need to circle around back into this room to see this movie again, and do so immediately!
And this was my feeling when I realized I was reading this book's final page. Holy s$#@, people! Ok, I confess, although Alastair Reynolds has been a favorite author of mine f ...more
Sep 26, 2016
Tudor Ciocarlie
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2016-my-best-of
Reynolds is always good, but this novel that begins like a YA and morphs into a terrible dark story about innocence and corruption, is clearly his best since House of Suns. And is short and tightly written for a space-opera, another important quality in my opinion. Great, great book!
Space + Pirates = swashbuckling, space faring adventures. With Pirates. In space. Space Pirates! Did I mention I love space pirates? Maybe I should mention that.
I love Space Pirates! Who doesn't?
I also like Alastair Reynolds. I know him to be able to do fantastical world building that is at the same time totally crazy and yet believable. I very much enjoyed his Century Rain many years back. So I had some if not high than at least somewhat raised expectations.
But let's start with world building. ...more
I love Space Pirates! Who doesn't?
I also like Alastair Reynolds. I know him to be able to do fantastical world building that is at the same time totally crazy and yet believable. I very much enjoyed his Century Rain many years back. So I had some if not high than at least somewhat raised expectations.
But let's start with world building. ...more
Revenger does not play up to the strengths that Alastair Reynolds has as an author. When I first heard about this book I was excited because Reynolds was going to try something new, a first-person story with a tight focus. I realized through reading Revenger, that Reynolds has always been a big picture guy, and that is what I love about his books, an expansive and detailed universe with nuances that blow your mind. In Revenger, he is shackled by the perspective of one character, and it just didn
...more
I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Also posted on my blog, Rinn Reads.
When I was first sent a copy of Revenger for review, my immediate thought was of the excellent but criminally short-lived TV show Firefly. However I seem to draw this comparison now for all books revolving around a spaceship crew. I love stories of life on a spaceship, from Firefly to my favourite video game Mass Effect.
Unlike many of the previous tales I’ve read, watc ...more
When I was first sent a copy of Revenger for review, my immediate thought was of the excellent but criminally short-lived TV show Firefly. However I seem to draw this comparison now for all books revolving around a spaceship crew. I love stories of life on a spaceship, from Firefly to my favourite video game Mass Effect.
Unlike many of the previous tales I’ve read, watc ...more
This futuristic romp was badly marketed to me, a mature adult with a taste for hard-science speculative fiction. I found it listed as straight sci-fi but Revenger slots neatly into the YA ‘coming of age’ genre.
It pushes back no boundaries and instead sticks to safe territory. Sailing-ship privateers seek galactic treasure and over-indulged adolescents rebel against parental authority to join a scavenger crew. Gruff coves become loyal shipmates, the teenage protagonist is aided by a friendly rob ...more
It pushes back no boundaries and instead sticks to safe territory. Sailing-ship privateers seek galactic treasure and over-indulged adolescents rebel against parental authority to join a scavenger crew. Gruff coves become loyal shipmates, the teenage protagonist is aided by a friendly rob ...more
Sep 14, 2016
Empress Reece (Hooked on Books)
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
netgalley-read,
favorites,
adventure,
sci-fi,
own-it,
aliens,
action,
outer-space,
zzexp_2016-read,
arc
5 Fantastic Stars for Revenger...
Revenger is one of those books that you just know from the very start that it's going to keep you locked to its pages until the very end. I won't go into a summary because I think the synopsis sums up the basis of the story very well and anything I can think to add will just spoil it. I will say though that it exceeded even my highest expectations. The world building and the character development was absolutely phenomenal! By the time the story was ending I was h ...more
Revenger is one of those books that you just know from the very start that it's going to keep you locked to its pages until the very end. I won't go into a summary because I think the synopsis sums up the basis of the story very well and anything I can think to add will just spoil it. I will say though that it exceeded even my highest expectations. The world building and the character development was absolutely phenomenal! By the time the story was ending I was h ...more
Dec 16, 2016
✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans)
marked it as pigs-fly-and-crayfish-whistle
·
review of another edition
Express foreword: I haven't read this book. You wouldn't know it from the length of this non-review.
This review is dedicated to Choko, Luna, Lee and Gavin, my Should-Have-Been Reading Buddies for this Should-Have-Been Buddy Read (SHBRBfrSHBBR™). If this slightly awesome team hadn't taken one for me here, I'd probably be severely traumatized by now. Or dead. Yeah, make that dead.
It's pre-emptive DNFing time again! Woo hoo!
Okay, I was really really really going to read this one. Cross my heart, ho ...more
This review is dedicated to Choko, Luna, Lee and Gavin, my Should-Have-Been Reading Buddies for this Should-Have-Been Buddy Read (SHBRBfrSHBBR™). If this slightly awesome team hadn't taken one for me here, I'd probably be severely traumatized by now. Or dead. Yeah, make that dead.
It's pre-emptive DNFing time again! Woo hoo!
Okay, I was really really really going to read this one. Cross my heart, ho ...more
Following on from Alastair’s recent collaboration with Stephen Baxter, here’s a stand-alone solo effort that is also worthy of your attention.
From the publisher: The galaxy has seen great empires rise and fall. Planets have shattered and been remade. Amongst the ruins of alien civilisations, building our own from the rubble, humanity still thrives.
And there are vast fortunes to be made, if you know where to find them . . .
Captain Rackamore and his crew do. It's their business to find the tiny, e ...more
From the publisher: The galaxy has seen great empires rise and fall. Planets have shattered and been remade. Amongst the ruins of alien civilisations, building our own from the rubble, humanity still thrives.
And there are vast fortunes to be made, if you know where to find them . . .
Captain Rackamore and his crew do. It's their business to find the tiny, e ...more
Space Pirates!! Nothing more to say :)
Will review at www.fantasyliterature.com.
...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norwescon: Revenger | 5 | 14 | Mar 15, 2018 12:05PM | |
| Space Opera Fans : REVENGER by Alastair Reynolds | 2 | 62 | Nov 07, 2016 12:29AM |
Readers also enjoyed
545 users
142 users
111 users
41 users
29 users
24 users
21 users
20 users
18 users
I'm Al, I used to be a space scientist, and now I'm a writer, although for a time the two careers ran in parallel. I started off publishing short stories in the British SF magazine Interzone in the early 90s, then eventually branched into novels. I write about a novel a year and try to write a few short stories as well. Some of my books and stories are set in a consistent future named after Revela
...more
Other books in the series
Revenger
(3 books)
Related Articles
As dedicated readers already know, some of the best and most innovative stories on the shelves come from the constantly evolving realm of...
48 likes · 10 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“We all have it in us to be something other than what we are, I thought, but we don't often get a glimpse of what we could have been”
—
6 likes
“Peoples think I’s a harmless idiot,” he said. “They’s only half right.”
—
5 likes
More quotes…
