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The most helpful favourable review
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33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
Solid entry to the series, possibly a good place for beginners...
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,...
Published on 6 May 2007 by A. Whitehead
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10 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
PC Plod in Space
Oh dear, what happened?
After reading and thoroughly enjoying all of Alistair Reynolds previous works, I was so looking forward to this book. By half way through it, I knew things had gone seriously wrong. No to say this is a bad book; just it is not terribly good one, especially when compared with the earlier works.
Basically, the problem is...
Published on 30 April 2007 by ldir
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33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
Solid entry to the series, possibly a good place for beginners..., 6 May 2007
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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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
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:
Glitters, 28 April 2007
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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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Almost Perfect, 25 April 2007
Whilst the Prefect isn't perfect it did remind me of those good old Asimov Bailey detective novels, which is praise indeed as far as I am concerned.
There are plenty of twists and turns, some of which I anticipated, although I didn't foresee how they would tie in with other parts of the Revelation Space universe. The reader isn't led by the nose through the plot. I had a few 'a-ha' moments as the protagonist pieces the mystery together, something I savour. I'd much rather have this than be screaming at blind supporting characters for fifty pages.
The characters on the whole are well drawn and I found myself wanting to rush onwards and finish the book in a single sitting - which I didn't manage due to time, it took me three visits.
I am eager to see if Al rolls out the main character again in the future as I would love to see more like this if possible. Having just finished Galactic North and Zima Blue my Alastair Reynolds apetite has been quenched for a short while, but sadly I'm going to have to wait for another fix for a while whilst we give him time to write some more delicious morsels for us to devour.
This book now sits proudly next to my other Alastair Reynolds hardbacks on my bookshelf. If you've read him before and liked his stuff make sure you get this book too.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
Cracking.., 12 May 2007
OK, I admit to being a fan of Alastair Reynolds work upfront but that should not detract from my recommednation of this book. I usually feel as if I've rushed the book on 1st read because I just want to know what happens next as I get caught up in the story - this was no exception I am glad to say. There is no so much 'hard' science fiction in this story and what there is is used to bolster the story which is a cop story set in the Glitter Band (see Chasm City for more detail). The story fair cracks along and the main character (although there is a good supporting cast - Gaffney particulaly) Dryfuss has a very dry sense of humour but like many of the main characters in the other novels he is an honourable man which is good to see.
I don't want to spoil the plot but just to say that I can really recommend this book - not just for itself but as a introduction to others in the Revelation Space series
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
A solid return to Reynold's universe, 2 Aug 2007
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 through and ends well. You'll see humanity at its peak, and then chart its descent through the rest of the novels - well worth a look.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Space, space glorious space., 19 Sep 2007
A prequel to Alastairs much loved Revelation Space novels and one that will more than satisfy the already established fans. As a novel for the uninitiated it opens the gateway to the later tales and will also present a tale that whilst it seems to repeat many themes from Reynolds other novel, will thrill and excite the reader into forgetting about these errors. As an already established fan I can see how Alastair's writing has changed with each novel produced, as such its always good to see how an author tackles an already established history generating a tale, that whilst we know the outcome, will still keep us guessing as to how things will happen to pass. A sign of a good writer.
If you want to know why you should read Reynolds novels over say Star Trek, well lets face it, Star Trek only has the moral best of humanilty, here you get to see mankind in all his honest glory as he has been throughout history and as he is today, a self serving person who may tow the line because it's the right thing to do but if a better offer comes along well who knows. To sum up this book is probably best thought of as a Space Soap Detective tale blending the best of each genre into one giant book of fun.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Detective novel in space?, 4 Jun 2007
I've been a big fan of Alistair Reynolds since Revelation Space and always look forward to his next release. It's set in familiar territory in the Gltter Band around Yellowstone so his usual readers can get into it very quickly. It's a kind of detective novel in space but dont let that put you off. It's a rivettinng read and moves along at a cracking pace, every now and then making reference to previous events in his other books. The main character is well written and I hope he brings him back for future books.
One of his best. Thoroughly recommended.
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4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Masterful cross-genre from Reynolds , 16 Aug 2007
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 enjoy it to its full.
In a casual display of talent, this book brings a well-wrought detective theme to space opera - a little less action intensive than some (but still *lots* of action - check out the very first incident where a whole habitat is torched open - but why?) and then a puzzle within a puzzle to further intrigue the reader as all the while the stakes are rising and the very existence of life in the Glitter Band is at stake.
That and the well-fleshed humanity of the main 'Prefect' protagonist and his colleagues makes for a book that we really enjoyed. Recommended.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
Grab your Whiphound and bring in the cat!, 10 Aug 2009
Having only read two novellas by Alastair Reynolds before beginning this book, I was very eager to sample one of his novels and chose this stand-alone story just in case I didn't find his writing style on a larger canvas to my liking. Now that I've finished this book I can happily concur with other reviewers who have noted how `The Prefect' acts as an ideal starting-point for newcomers to Reynolds.
Although I was ignorant when it came to the make-up of the Glitter Band, Chasm City, Yellowstone and the rest, and how they came into being; thankfully I discovered that a total understanding isn't necessary and Reynolds reveals all that the reader is required to know about these places in relation to the plot as the story progresses. But that isn't to say I wasn't curious and am not still curious about these places and other details, which is why I soon intend to read the earlier books set in Reynolds's `Revelation Space' universe in order to find out precisely how this universe was shaped and all the historical milestones that created this unique futurescape. The one detail that became very clear to me as the novel progressed (although one not explicitly mentioned) was that the planet Yellowstone must be the Earth (I'd guess). But even knowledge such as this isn't integral to an appreciation of the story- the author tells the reader all they need to know, so without any doubt this novel can be appreciated in its own right.
My only qualm with this story (and it's very small indeed) is that on one or two occasions our protagonist Prefect Dreyfus and his colleagues make some completely rudimentary and unlikely errors while dealing with prisoners/suspects, which jars slightly against their otherwise exemplary reasoning & general detective expertise exhibited throughout the course of their investigation. Clearly in these instances the story requires some lax judgment on the part of those in charge; it just mystified me somewhat that Reynolds didn't make more of an effort to present these scenes in a more plausible fashion, one that was more in keeping with the intelligence of the Panoply prefects.
If nothing else, this novel is a master-class in detective fiction, but it also happens to be a breathtakingly detailed, engaging example of science-fiction writing. The dual ability of Reynolds to articulate fascinatingly complex science and enthralling story-lines wrapped up in a gifted narrative style makes reading his work effortlessly enjoyable. `The Prefect' is such a superb example of Reynolds's talent that I doubt I'm alone in finding myself completely under the spell of the Glitter Band and its varied inhabitants.
At the risk of reiterating the responses of other readers to this novel, especially those whose first Alastair Reynolds novel this book represents (as it did mine) I absolutely loved this novel from beginning to end and if the two previous sample novella's from the author I had read & enjoyed previously hadn't sufficiently convinced me to start stocking up on the Reynolds back-catalogue, then `The Prefect' certainly has.
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