Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days: Tales from the Revelation Space Universe (Gollancz S.F.) (Paperback)

The second is about a female researcher on a pattern juggler world. theres a lot of information about the jugglers and so forth which is new in the novels. which i found to be interesting and a good addition to the universe. Also theres some off worlders with a hidden agenda too, which the plot revolves around.

now there is only the faintest hint of a connection between either story but that doesnt matter. basically both are typically well written and both are very engrossing. They are quite outrageous in theyre own way, like the other books only on a smaller scale. I couldnt put them down. i read the whole book - both stories in just two sittings.

the only "problem" with the book is that isnt all that long. A third story would have been good. however i cant fault the book, nothing really wrong with it. There arent too many characters to get to grips with either which is a good thing as they arent long enough to support that. if you like the other revelations space novels youll like this one!

thoroughly recommend it. very enjoyable.

Russ

Diamond Dogs is very reminiscent of Rogue Moon by Algis Budrys in that the premise of the story is the exploration of an alien artifact which contains potentially lethal puzzles.

The story is set in the distant future where mankind has expanded to many planets and distant stars. Communication and travel are still bound by relativistic principals so communication and travel are limited and expensive...Medical technology has allowed the rich to extend their lifetimes considerably.
...but I digress.
The characters are a group scientist/adventurers, almost in the Victorian style in that they are rich and bored enough to risk their lives on a trip that offers little in the way of profit, but will satisfy their curiosity. Ultimately the story explores the nature of obsession but in an interesting and engaging way.

The story cracks along at a fair pace with moments of tensions and sudden violence and
the interaction between the characters is mature and believable within the context of the story.

Turquoise Days is is less well paced and is probably better read than described.
The story is based on an ocean world which is inhabited by humans but also home to a planet wide organism called 'The pattern Jugglers'. The premise of the pattern jugglers is that while not being intelligent itself, it can interact with sentient species and store or even modify the minds of people who swim with them in the ocean.
It sounds a bit odd, but it works quite well. The patter n Jugglers are referenced in ARs earlier works so perhaps that helped.
Anyway, without giving away the story, it concerns the interaction of the main character Naqi, who is part of team that researches the pattern jugglers and the arrival of a starship from elsewhere (it is the first such visit in 100 years). The pace is slower and I did wonder where the story was going for a long time, but the pay-off at the end is worth the wait.

All in all, a pretty good read.
Overall I'd recommend this as a good introduction to Alastair Reynolds universe.