AR: curated glossary

[Tamahome]

For convenience, here's and edited glossary of Revelation Space terms from the end of the latest book, Inhibitor Phase. These things are also explained on the go. Chasm City & Yellowstone are more like minor Easter Eggs, but they're mentioned often enough. I get Conjoiners and Ultras a little mixed up, but I haven't read all the books. There's no faster-than-light "warp drive" in this universe.

Chasm City: the largest conurbation in human space, constructed around a gas-belching void on the otherwise inhospitable Yellowstone. Closely aligned economically with the Glitter Band.

Conjoiners: a human faction employing extensive mind-to-mind linkage. Emerging from Mars, Conjoiner technology made human starflight practicable.

Conjoiner drive or C-drive: propulsion system manufactured by Conjoiners and sold to various clients including Demarchists.

Demarchists: a human faction using implants to achieve real-time participatory democracy

Glitter Band: in (view spoiler)[pre-plague (hide spoiler)] years, the ring of 10,000 habitats orbiting Yellowstone

Hyperpig: pig-human chimera of human-level intelligence

Lighthugger: any large space vehicle with a relativistic cruise ceiling. [near light speed]

Ultras: a loose, anarchic affiliation of starship crews (derived from a variety of factions) who spend their entire lives on ships, often at relativistic speed.

Yellowstone: the major settled world in the Epsilon Eridani system, home to Chasm City.

[Daryl]

This is appreciated!

I just picked up the audiobook on Libby since the ebook hold would be too long. Gonna give it a go even though this usually isn't my type of book.

[AndrewP]

I think it's also worth pointing out that Ultras are almost all mechanically enhanced cyborgs to one degree or another.

[John (Taloni)]

AndrewP wrote: "I think it's also worth pointing out that Ultras are almost all mechanically enhanced cyborgs to one degree or another."

Yep! As I said in the Discord channel, both Conjoiners and Ultras are enhanced. But Conjoiners go towards the hive mind while Ultras are highly individualistic.

[Tamahome]

Some more technical revelation space terms like "quickmatter":

https://revelationspace.fandom.com/wi...

Oh, so that's what foam-phase munition is. I don't think it was ever explained. It sounds cool.

[John (Taloni)]

Tamahome wrote: "Oh, so that's what foam-phase munition is."

Ah. My day would NOT have been complete without that!