Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds (Sue's view)
01/07/2003 . Source: Sue Davies 

pub: Gollancz. 646 page enlarged paperback. Price: £ 6.99 (UK). ISBN: 0-575-07384-5.

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The story continues of the Conjoiners. They sound a bit like the Borg but appear to have much more free will. Skade, a member of the Closed Council of the Mother Nest tries to get Clavain to join it.

Clavain resists but when he does the information he receives makes him defect. Trailed by Skade, whom he accidentally maims in an accident as he flees, Clavain tries to reach sanctuary to tell his story.

He calls on Annette Bax, a freighter pilot, whom he has previously saved from certain death in the atmosphere of a gas giant.

The big secret is that the human race is under threat from the Inhibitors - machines set in motion many millennia ago. They are trying to tidy up the mess of intelligent life. The first planet under threat is Resurgam where only two women are aware of the danger.

They have already encountered the Inhibitors and must persuade Thorn, a leading dissident on Resurgam, to lead 200,000 people to the relative safety of a plague-melded spaceship. This ship controlled by the disease-ravaged mind of 'the Captain' is the only way to safety.

Meanwhile 'the Captain' has the only weapons that might work against the Inhibitors and everybody will shortly be after them.

Racing across space, Clavain wants to warn everyone about the impending disaster. The wolves are at the door, will humanity escape their relentless scourge?

Going back to the 'Revelation Space' universe, this book continues the story of individuals featured in that. Not having read the first is not a huge handicap but what this book does lack is any endearing characters to hang your hopes on.

This massive tome of 646 pages of very small-type looks like an epic until you consider what actually happens in it. It is entertaining but the storyline is not a classic. Where it does excel is in the dialogue and descriptive passages. The characters are not living or loveable enough for me I'm afraid.

There is an army of very uncivil servants carefully snuffing out the untidiness of intelligent life. There are space cowboy freight hauliers, pirates, human/pig people and, of course, the conjoined or 'spiders'.

None of it quite adds up to me and I was at a loss by the end to really care what happened to any of them. I wanted to care about the people of Resurgam but found myself wondering about the toilet facilities available to 200,000 people on a space ship.

I've read and enjoyed Chasm City but this left me cold.

Sue Davies