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The Prefect (Gollancz S.F.)
 
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The Prefect (Gollancz S.F.) (Hardcover)

by Alastair Reynolds (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 410 pages
  • Publisher: Gollancz; First Edition, First Impression edition (12 April 2007)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0575077166
  • ISBN-13: 978-0575077164
  • Product Dimensions: 24.8 x 18.2 x 4.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 75,446 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Mark Yon, SFFWORLD.COM
"An enjoyable novel which shows Reynolds growth as a writer. Though good before, I think this is one his best novels to date."


Review
"Combines space-roaming adventure with a solid detective story. Fast-paced and inventive, this may be Reynolds' best yet." (Lisa Tuttle THE TIMES )

"THE PREFECT is hugely entertaining and inventive, a compelling fusion of the detective novel and a brilliantly constructed vision of the future. Cracking stuff." (DEATHRAY )

"An enjoyable novel which shows Reynolds growth as a writer. Though good before, I think this is one his best novels to date." (Mark Yon SFFWORLD.COM )

"Politics, ambition and betrayal against the backdrop of Reynolds' Revelation Space universe." (Anthony Browne STARBURST )

"There's enough inventiveness here to keep you entertained for a good while." (SANDSTORM REVIEWS )

"In The Prefect Alastair Reynolds executes an enjoyable and extremely fast-paced return to the universe that made his name. The story develops nicely and explodes into a furious page-turning pace in its second half that barely lets up. The Prefect is Reynolds' best novel since at least Redemption Ark, and is an engrossing read." (THE WERTZONE )

"This is a book about freedom, its limits and how much liberty we should sacrifice in the name of safety - pertinent themes suggesting a new political edge to Reynolds' work." (Jonathan Wright SFX )

"A welcome return to his Revelation Space universe." (EDGE )

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The Prefect (Gollancz S.F.)
63% buy the item featured on this page:
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Customer Reviews

15 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.4 out of 5 stars (15 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Solid entry to the series, possibly a good place for beginners..., 6 May 2007
By A. Whitehead "Werthead" (Colchester, Essex United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
It is the year 2427. The place is the Glitter Band, ten thousand space habitats circling the planet Yellowstone, the golden heart of human space where a multitude of different cultures meet and trade, and a waystop for huge lighthuggers as they slowly traverse the distances between the stars at speeds just below that of light. This is the universe of Revelation Space, Alastair Reynolds' critically-acclaimed gothic space opera which has now extended across five novels, two novellas and a short story collection. The Prefect is a stand-alone addition to this excellently-realised future history, taking place approximately a century before the events of Chasm City and Revelation Space itself.

Whilst the planet Yellowstone and its biggest settlement, Chasm City, deal with their own affairs, it falls to the prefects of Panoply to police the vast Glitter Band and its 100 million citizens, who practice the ultimate form of democracy, Demarchism. Every minute dozens of decisions, large and small, are put to the public vote and the people of the Glitter Band spend much of their time engrossed in politics, employing a form of VR known as Abstraction to talk to one another, or choosing to lose themselves in fantastical reflections of the real world. The greatest crime in the Glitter Band is an attempt to deny the will of the people. [...][...]And, as this is a mystery novel, to say any more of the plot would threaten to indulge in spoilers. Suffice to say that the links between The Prefect and the other Revelation Space novels are subtle and numerous. The Prefect in fact occupies a position within its larger series framework similar to the position Steven Erikson's novel Midnight Tides occupies in his Malazan Book of the Fallen sequence: generally a standalone novel, but with equal arguments in favour of reading the book before the others (events in the other novels are clarified by information provided in The Prefect) or afterwards (when the reader understands exactly what will become of this society in the future).

Reynolds is on good form here, although arguably he fails to recapture the immediacy of his finest work, Chasm City. The Prefect is a somewhat more straightforward novel. Although there are several startling, late revelations and plot twists, the reader is in possession of most of the facts reasonably early in the book. Tom Dreyfus also remains a somewhat less complex protagonist then regular Reynolds readers may be used to, but as usual the author has a few aces up his sleeve which force the reader to reassess the character during the novel's conclusion.

In The Prefect Alastair Reynolds executes an enjoyable and extremely fast-paced return to the universe that made his name. The story develops nicely and explodes into a furious page-turning pace in its second half that barely lets up. At the same time Reynolds' ability to conjure up vivid imagery remains intact (one plotline is not for the squeamish or for anyone with a fear of knives), as does his assured grasp of his universe and the remarkable cultures and ideas that make it up. The book is not without its flaws - in particular, those who have already read Absolution Gap and know of Reynolds' fondness for ambiguous endings may be better-prepared for the conclusion than others - and there is perhaps a feeling that we are being set up for a sequel at the end, but these are fairly minor concerns. The Prefect is Reynolds' best novel since at least Redemption Ark, and is an engrossing read.
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Reynolds has learnt some new tricks..., 5 Jun 2007
For me this is without a doubt Reynolds' best work to date. It has the same gritty-space-operate flavour as previous Revelation Space novels, but the pace of the plot is considerably higher and there is less time spent on long introspectives. The Glitter Band pre-melding-plague is a great setting for those who know the series, and the book follows mainly just two plot-strands tracking Dreyfus and his deputy Thalia, so there's not too much to keep tabs on. Overall it reminds me a little of Ian Banks' Player of Games or David Brin's Startide Rising, which is a high standard indeed.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Glitters, 28 April 2007
By Stephen A. Milbank "Conjoined" (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Once again Alastair Reynolds returns to his "Revelation Space" universe and is a glorious read. Field Prefect Tom Dreyfus is an agent of Panoply, an agency that ensures and protects the voting rights of the residents of the Glitter Band, ten thousand habitats which orbit the planet Yellowstone in the year 2427. When a habitat is attacked Panoply sends their best agent and his team to investigate and once he begins he will not stop until he finds the truth.

Reynolds further adds to his menagerie of characters and expands his colourful universe, having read all of Reynolds's other "Revelation Space" books its great to see an era that is in the golden age of man kind the but never been visited.

The Prefect stands well as a stand alone book and if you have read the other books in the series it adds another dimension. More please Mr Reynolds!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining but not Reynolds' best
Even though it is set in the Revelation Space universe there is a sense in The Prefect that this is Reynolds in sci-fi pulp form rather than the hard literary science-fiction and... Read more
Published 10 months ago by N. Megahey

5.0 out of 5 stars Peerless
IF you don't like sci-fi, don't like tightly plotted detective fiction, don't like tension, drama and emotion in your books then you should read this anyway and see what you are... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Morat

4.0 out of 5 stars cracking adventure story
If there is a better SF writer than Alastair Reynolds currently working, I'd love to know who it is because he/she must be something extremely special. Read more
Published 20 months ago by P. G. Harris

4.0 out of 5 stars Space, space glorious space.
A prequel to Alastairs much loved Revelation Space novels and one that will more than satisfy the already established fans. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Gareth Wilson

5.0 out of 5 stars Masterful cross-genre from Reynolds
This is another good book set in Alastair Reynolds cleverly detailed universe - the action is mostly within the 'Glitter Band' - and prior knowledge of the series is not needed to... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Big Ben

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite entertaining
Another Reynolds book based around his established universe. This time, set earlier than Chasm City, and the Glitter Band is threatened by takeover of the myriad satellites... Read more
Published 23 months ago by bob

4.0 out of 5 stars A solid return to Reynold's universe
This is probably a good book to start getting used to Reynold's universe, followed by Chasm City. This is a simply a good, page-turning piece of sci-fi, which begins, progresses... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Christopher Burns

4.0 out of 5 stars A very good book, but not his best
Unlike the other books in the revelations space series, this is not a space opera. It is a very well constructed detective story, with good supporting characters. Read more
Published on 5 Jun 2007 by Sci-Fi book wizard

5.0 out of 5 stars Detective novel in space?
I've been a big fan of Alistair Reynolds since Revelation Space and always look forward to his next release. Read more
Published on 4 Jun 2007 by J. Reddington

5.0 out of 5 stars Cracking..
OK, I admit to being a fan of Alastair Reynolds work upfront but that should not detract from my recommednation of this book. Read more
Published on 12 May 2007 by A. J. Sudworth

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