Revelation Space Series by Alastair Reynolds

Tom Dreyfus is a Prefect, a policeman of sorts, and one of the best. His force is Panoply, and his beat is the multi-faceted utopian society of the Glitter Band, that vast swirl of space habitats orbiting the planet Yellowstone. These days, his job is his life.A murderous attack against a Glitter Band habitat is nasty, but it looks to be an open-and-shut case - until Dreyfus starts looking under some stones that some very powerful people would really rather stayed unturned... moreTom Dreyfus is a Prefect, a policeman of sorts, and one of the best. His force is Panoply, and his beat is the multi-faceted utopian society of the Glitter Band, that vast swirl of space habitats orbiting the planet Yellowstone. These days, his job is his life.A murderous attack against a Glitter Band habitat is nasty, but it looks to be an open-and-shut case - until Dreyfus starts looking under some stones that some very powerful people would really rather stayed unturned. What he uncovers is far more serious than mere gruesome murder... less

Ten thousand city-state habitats orbit the planet Yellowstone, forming a near-perfect democratic human paradise. But even utopia needs a police force. For the citizens of the Glitter Band that organization is Panoply, and the prefects are its operatives.Prefect Tom Dreyfus has a new emergency on his hands. Across the habitats and their hundred million citizens, people are dying suddenly and randomly, victims of a bizarre and unprecedented malfunction of their neural implants... moreTen thousand city-state habitats orbit the planet Yellowstone, forming a near-perfect democratic human paradise. But even utopia needs a police force. For the citizens of the Glitter Band that organization is Panoply, and the prefects are its operatives.Prefect Tom Dreyfus has a new emergency on his hands. Across the habitats and their hundred million citizens, people are dying suddenly and randomly, victims of a bizarre and unprecedented malfunction of their neural implants. And these "melters" leave no clues behind as to the cause of their deaths...As panic rises in the populace, a charismatic figure is sowing insurrection, convincing a small but growing number of habitats to break away from the Glitter Band and form their own independent colonies. less

The once-utopian Chasm City -a doomed human settlement on an otherwise inhospitable planet- has been overrun by a virus known as the Melding Plague, capable of infecting any body, organic or computerized. Now, with the entire city corrupted -from the people to the very buildings they inhabit- only the most wretched sort of existence remains. For security operative Tanner Mirabel, it is the landscape of nightmares through which he searches for a low-life postmortal killer... moreThe once-utopian Chasm City -a doomed human settlement on an otherwise inhospitable planet- has been overrun by a virus known as the Melding Plague, capable of infecting any body, organic or computerized. Now, with the entire city corrupted -from the people to the very buildings they inhabit- only the most wretched sort of existence remains. For security operative Tanner Mirabel, it is the landscape of nightmares through which he searches for a low-life postmortal killer. But the stakes are raised when his search brings him face to face with a centuries-old atrocity that history would rather forget. less

Nine hundred thousand years ago, something annihilated the Amarantin civilization just as it was on the verge of discovering space flight. Now one scientist, Dan Sylveste, will stop at nothing to solve the Amarantin riddle before ancient history repeats itself. With no other resources at his disposal, Sylveste forges a dangerous alliance with the cyborg crew of the starship Nostalgia for Infinity. But as he closes in on the secret, a killer closes in on him... moreNine hundred thousand years ago, something annihilated the Amarantin civilization just as it was on the verge of discovering space flight. Now one scientist, Dan Sylveste, will stop at nothing to solve the Amarantin riddle before ancient history repeats itself. With no other resources at his disposal, Sylveste forges a dangerous alliance with the cyborg crew of the starship Nostalgia for Infinity. But as he closes in on the secret, a killer closes in on him. Because the Amarantin were destroyed for a reason — and if that reason is uncovered, the universe—and reality itself — could be irrecoverably altered…. less

Nota: Prima parte di "Revelation Space", la seconda è Rivelazione (seconda parte)Giganteschi tracciati nel cosmo, macchine onnipotenti, alien dalla cultura incomprensibile. Molti sanno rimescolare ingredienti come questi, ma pochissimi autori hanno il coraggio di andare fino in fondo e domandarsi: quale macchinazione sta all’origine dell’universo? La risposta è nel gigantesco “puzzle” cosmico che costituisce l’ardita opera prima di Alastair Reynolds... moreNota: Prima parte di "Revelation Space", la seconda è Rivelazione (seconda parte)Giganteschi tracciati nel cosmo, macchine onnipotenti, alien dalla cultura incomprensibile. Molti sanno rimescolare ingredienti come questi, ma pochissimi autori hanno il coraggio di andare fino in fondo e domandarsi: quale macchinazione sta all’origine dell’universo? La risposta è nel gigantesco “puzzle” cosmico che costituisce l’ardita opera prima di Alastair Reynolds. “Urania” l’ha suddivisa in due volumi, il primo dei quali inizia con una domanda di pura fantarcheologia: che fine hanno fatto gli Amarantini, super evoluti abitanti del pianeta Resurgam, inghiottiti nell’abisso un milione di anni fa?Copertina di Franco Brambilla less

Nota: Seconda parte di "Revelation Space", la prima è Rivelazione (prima parte)Perché l’antica razza degli Amarantini si è estinta? Sylveste, l’archeologo, crede che quei provetti navigatori interstellari abbiano causato da soli la propria rovina, come potrebbe accadere oggi all’umanità. Ma le sue idee sono pericolose e Sylveste ha già rischiato la vita una volta: qualcuno ha incaricato una mano omicida di ucciderlo... moreNota: Seconda parte di "Revelation Space", la prima è Rivelazione (prima parte)Perché l’antica razza degli Amarantini si è estinta? Sylveste, l’archeologo, crede che quei provetti navigatori interstellari abbiano causato da soli la propria rovina, come potrebbe accadere oggi all’umanità. Ma le sue idee sono pericolose e Sylveste ha già rischiato la vita una volta: qualcuno ha incaricato una mano omicida di ucciderlo. Ora che il mistero degli antichi astronauti sta per essere svelato, le tensioni della società umana non sono mai state così spaventosamente vicine alla prova della verità o, se preferite, all’olocausto.La magnifica conclusione di un grandioso affresco galattico.Copertina di Franco Brambilla less

Late in the twenty-sixth century, the human race has advanced enough to accidentally trigger the Inhibitors - alien killing machines designed to detect intelligent life and destroy it. The only hope for humanity lies in the recovery of a secret cache of doomsday weapons -and a renegade named Clavain who is determined to find them. But other factions want the weapons for their own purposes - and the weapons themselves have another agenda altogether...

The Inhibitors were designed to eliminate any life-form reaching a certain level of intelligence - and they've targeted humanity. War veteran Clavain and a ragtag group of refugees have fled into hiding. Their leadership is faltering, and their situation is growing more desperate. But their little colony has just received an unexpected visitor: an avenging angel with the power to lead mankind to safety - or draw down its darkest enemy... moreThe Inhibitors were designed to eliminate any life-form reaching a certain level of intelligence - and they've targeted humanity. War veteran Clavain and a ragtag group of refugees have fled into hiding. Their leadership is faltering, and their situation is growing more desperate. But their little colony has just received an unexpected visitor: an avenging angel with the power to lead mankind to safety - or draw down its darkest enemy.And as she leads them to an apparently insignificant moon light-years away, it begins to dawn to Clavain and his companions that to beat the enemy, it may be necessary to forge an alliance with something much worse... less

With eight short stories and novellas--including three original to this collection--Galactic North imparts the centuries-spanning events that have produced the dark and turbulent world of Revelation Space.

Contains seven fantastic novels: REVELATION SPACE, CHASM CITY, REDEMPTION ARK, ABSOLUTION GAP, THE PREFECT, DIAMOND DOGS & TURQUOISE DAYS and GALACTIC NORTH