Arbieroo reviewed Redemption ark by Alastair Reynolds
Review of 'Redemption ark' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Lurching from Chasm City back to Resurgam, the reader finds that despite (or because of?) Sylveste's explosive realisation that everything he's attempted to achieve since leaving the vicinity of Epsilon Eridani has been a Really Bad Idea, the Inhibitors are on the loose...Ana Khouri and Ilia Volyova, realising that Resurgam is going to be devastated for the second time, plan a long-term mission to save the colonists.
Reynolds seems to have realised that he couldn't carry on writing 600+p novels with only psychos, a-moral killers and such like unpleasant characters as main protagonists. He sets out to restore some decency to various folks who have appeared in the previous two books. (One must read Revelation Space and Chasm City to follow everything that happens here.) So redemption is a theme of the book. Even some new characters are looking for it before the book finishes. Thankfully, we are also given …
Lurching from Chasm City back to Resurgam, the reader finds that despite (or because of?) Sylveste's explosive realisation that everything he's attempted to achieve since leaving the vicinity of Epsilon Eridani has been a Really Bad Idea, the Inhibitors are on the loose...Ana Khouri and Ilia Volyova, realising that Resurgam is going to be devastated for the second time, plan a long-term mission to save the colonists.
Reynolds seems to have realised that he couldn't carry on writing 600+p novels with only psychos, a-moral killers and such like unpleasant characters as main protagonists. He sets out to restore some decency to various folks who have appeared in the previous two books. (One must read Revelation Space and Chasm City to follow everything that happens here.) So redemption is a theme of the book. Even some new characters are looking for it before the book finishes. Thankfully, we are also given Reynolds' first unequivocal hero; Clavain. He has done some drastic things in the past, but from the moment of his first appearance he's a likable person with noble, self-sacrificing attitudes.
I would say this is the best of the Inhibitor novels but by a short distance only; people to root for and an exciting chase being two important reasons why.
