Teaser

In the ruins of an ancient civilisation, two sisters seek a new life away from the shadow of their father. But where there is freedom, there is also danger, for out among the stars is where pirates lie in wait . . .

Review

Alastair Reynolds is one of the big names of British science fiction, and almost all of that reputation stems from his Hard SF writing. Revelation Space set a new standard for fusing space opera tropes with a more rigorous approach to science, while Reynolds’ short fiction continually takes big concepts and weaves stories around them. Oddly enough, it was not his Hard SF that first pulled me into to the worlds of Alastair Reynolds. That claim belongs to Revenger.

Revenger is typically shelved with the rest of Reynolds work, but a convincing claim could be made that it belongs in the Young Adult section of the library. Not simply because the narrator is a teenager looking for her sister, and not because of the more laid-back approach to science, but because of the underlying themes. More than anything else, this is a story about young people freeing themselves of parental oversight and seeking a new path for themselves. Seeking to find their place in a complicated world.

The story is wonderfully simple. It starts with two teenagers running away on a spaceship, only to be separated when a legendary pirate attacks. Since this is a first person narrative, we only follow one sister, one Arafura Ness, as she seeks to rescue her sister from said pirates nefarious clutches. It’s a straightforward adventure that isn’t afraid to get a little dark, but never strays into outright grimness. Fura remains a likable protagonist even as she makes increasingly dubious choices to further her goals. It helps that the surrounding cast is either equally charming or a little incompetent, while the villains encountered along the way of wickedly evil. It’s simple fare, but it makes for an entertaining read.

Of course, what draws me to any science fiction story is the worldbuilding, and here is where Revenger excels. As near as I can tell, it is set in our own solar system, only countless civilisations have risen and fallen since our own. Some of these civilisation possess higher levels of technology than the one inhabited by the Ness sisters, so wily space-farers can make a living by hunting ancient relics. Again, the concept is a simple one, and the details of how various ancient caches are sealed and unsealed can be a little hazy, but as a set-up for a series of exciting adventures, it’s absolutely brilliant.

I also want to draw attention to the sheer Britishness of Reynolds’ writing with this series. I remember seeing one American reviewer struggling to understand what a ‘gubbins’ was, but to a Brit like myself, it’s obvious. Gubbins is just stuff. Simple as. It’s no different to the spacers calling each others coves, or replacing air with the more romantic ‘lungstuff,’ or the much feared malady of ‘the glowy.’ It all makes sense in context, and none of the words are exactly new. It’s all perfect for the sort of slang and shorthand that would naturally develop in such a setting.

Rereading Revenger nine years later, I still believe it’s a good book. Maybe a little of the shine has worn off now that my tastes lean more into Hard SF, but only a little. And I think that this is a great introduction to Alastair Reynolds. More than that, it would be a great introduction to science fiction in general. So go on. Indoctrinate the young reader in your life. Start them here.

Book Stats

• Revenger #1
• Published in 2016 by Gollancz
• 425 Pages